Montserrat passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Office of the Deputy Governor, Government of Montserrat for the Montserrat passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Montserrat passport photo?
Montserrat publishes no photo size, head size or background colour for its passport. The Office of the Deputy Governor asks for two identical passport photos taken within the last month, for adults and for children under 16, and a countersignatory certifies one of them on the back. The UK print size of 35 x 45 mm is the nearest published standard, not a Montserrat rule, so ask the Office before you print.
A Montserrat passport is a British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) passport issued by the Government of Montserrat, not by HM Passport Office in the UK. Applications are processed by the Consular Division of the Office of the Deputy Governor in Brades. GOV.UK guidance for HM Passport Office staff says that BOTC holders who live in a territory, apart from the Falkland Islands, apply for a variant passport at their local government office, and that the variant shows the territory's name instead of the United Kingdom's.
The application is made on paper. The Office publishes guidance notes for form BOT/01/01 and two checklists, one for adults (16 or over) and one for children under 16. Both ask for two identical photos taken within the last month. Montserrat's Immigration Regulations say the same in law: an application must be accompanied by two photographs of the applicant.
What the Office does not publish is any specification for the picture itself. No size, head height, background colour or digital file format appears in the checklists or the guidance notes, which are dated 2019 and 2015. This page reports what is published, marks the gaps, and names the UK printed-photo standard as the closest reference for anyone who wants to prepare a photo in advance.
Montserrat passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Office of the Deputy Governor, Government of Montserrat:[1]
| Print size | Not published; UK passport prints (HM Passport Office) are 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file requested: printed photos go in with the paper form |
| Background | Not published; UK printed passport photos use plain cream or light grey |
| Photo age | Taken within the last month |
| Print quality | Two identical prints; a countersignatory certifies one on the back |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Two identical photos
The adult checklist asks for "Two (2) identical passport photos" for a first application and for renewing a machine readable BOTC passport. For a child under 16 it asks for two identical copies of a photograph of the child at the first application, and two identical passport photos at renewal. Regulation 23 of the Immigration Regulations requires two photographs of the applicant.
- Taken within the last month
Every photo line on the checklists carries the words "taken within the last month". The Office states no exception for an older picture, so have new prints made if yours have aged.
- One photo is certified on the back
The guidance notes tell the countersignatory to certify one of your photographs. They write on the back "I certify that this is a true likeness of" and your name, then sign it, print their own name and date the photograph. The other print stays untouched.
- Who may certify
The countersignatory must be a professional person, such as a bank official, senior civil servant or public officer, minister of religion, accountant, engineer or lawyer, holding an unexpired BOTC, British, Commonwealth, EU or US passport. They must have known you for two years and must not be a relative, a partner, someone at your address, a paid agent helping you apply, or an employee of the Montserrat or HM Passport Office.
- No size or background is published
The checklists say only "passport photos". Neither they nor the guidance notes give millimetres, a head height or a colour. Email the Consular Division for its preference before you spend money on prints.
- The UK standard is a reference only
HM Passport Office, which issues British passports, asks for prints 45 mm high and 35 mm wide with the head 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown on plain cream or light grey. Montserrat does not say it follows that standard, so treat it as a fallback and not as a confirmed local rule.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring two identical prints made from the same picture.
- Have the photos taken within the month before you apply.
- Ask the Consular Division for its size and background before you print.
- Leave the back of one print clear for the countersignatory's statement.
- Choose a countersignatory who has known you for at least two years.
- Take original documents, because photocopies are not accepted.
Don't
- Do not hand in only one photo.
- Do not use prints older than a month.
- Do not ask a relative, partner or housemate to certify your photo.
- Do not use a paid agent who helps you apply as your countersignatory.
- Do not present 35 x 45 mm as a confirmed Montserrat rule.
Sample photos
How a Montserrat passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Montserrat's checklists and guidance notes say nothing about glasses. For British passports, HM Passport Office tells applicants to leave glasses off unless they have to wear them, never to wear sunglasses or tinted lenses, and to make sure frames, glare, reflections and shadows stay clear of the eyes. That is a cautious default for a Montserrat photo too, and the Office is the place to ask if you have a medical need for tinted lenses.
Headwear and religious dress
The Office publishes no rule on head coverings or hairstyles. HM Passport Office allows a covering in a UK passport photo only for religious or medical reasons, and the face must stay fully visible. If you wear one, mention it when you ask the Consular Division about your photo.
Babies and children
A child under 16 needs two identical copies of a photograph taken within the last month. The guidance notes treat anyone under 16 as a child and give child passports a normal validity of five years, against ten for adults. A child aged 12 to 15 signs section 6 of the form.
Montserrat gives no separate photo rules for babies or young children. HM Passport Office's UK rules ask for the child to be alone in the picture and relax the looking-at-the-camera rule for under-sixes and the eyes-open rule for under-ones. They are a sensible guide if your baby cannot cooperate.
Printed and digital photos
The published checklists ask for printed photos and mention no digital file, pixel size or file size. The form is filled in by hand in capital letters and black ink, and the photos travel with it on paper.
If you prepare a picture yourself, a digital photo can be cropped to passport proportions and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut into identical prints. Agree the size with the Office first, because Montserrat has not published one.
Where to submit the photo
Applications go to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Consular Division, at 3 Farara Plaza, Brades. The guidance notes give consular@gov.ms and odg@gov.ms as the contact addresses. Supporting documents must be originals: photocopies, certified copies and laminated documents are not accepted.
You collect the new passport and your supporting documents from the Passport Office, or sign a form that lets someone else collect them for you.
How to get your Montserrat passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Montserrat passport: 35 × 45 mm print, not published background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two identical photos; taken within the last month; one photo is certified on the back; who may certify.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The published checklists ask for printed photos and mention no digital file, pixel size or file size. The form is filled in by hand in capital letters and black ink, and the photos travel with it on paper.
- Submit the photo with your application. Applications go to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Consular Division, at 3 Farara Plaza, Brades. The guidance notes give consular@gov.ms and odg@gov.ms as the contact addresses.
Montserrat passport photo FAQ
Montserrat does not publish one. The Office of the Deputy Governor's checklists ask only for "passport photos". The nearest published standard is the UK print size of 35 x 45 mm (45 mm high), used by HM Passport Office, but Montserrat has not adopted it in writing. Ask the Consular Division before printing.
Two identical photos, for adults and for children under 16. The checklists ask for them at first application and at renewal, and regulation 23 of the Immigration Regulations says an application must be accompanied by two photographs of the applicant.
It must have been taken within the last month. That wording appears on the adult checklist, the children's checklist and the renewal lines of both. Montserrat gives no exception for older pictures.
A countersignatory certifies one of the two prints. They write "I certify that this is a true likeness of" and your name on the back, sign it, print their name and date it. They must be a professional person who has known you for two years and holds an unexpired passport.
Not necessarily. A Montserrat passport is issued locally by the Office of the Deputy Governor, while UK passports come from HM Passport Office, which publishes its own detailed photo rules. Montserrat publishes none, so follow the Office's instructions where they differ.
Montserrat publishes no rule on either. HM Passport Office, for UK passports, accepts clear glasses only when they are needed and the eyes are fully visible, and accepts head coverings only for religious or medical reasons. Follow those lines as a cautious default and check with the Office.
The published checklists ask for printed photos and mention no digital file or upload. The application is a paper form with original documents. If you want to send anything else, ask the Consular Division first.
The Consular Division of the Office of the Deputy Governor in Brades processes Montserrat BOTC passports. Its page on gov.ms lists the passport service, and its guidance notes name consular@gov.ms and odg@gov.ms as contacts.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Aruba passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Barbados passport photo 50 × 50 mm
- British Virgin Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cayman Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cuba passport photo 45 × 45 mm
- Dominica passport photo 38 × 45 mm
- Dominican Republic passport photo 50 × 50 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Montserrat photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Office of the Deputy Governor, Government of Montserrat. Documents to be produced for Adults gov.ms. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Office of the Deputy Governor, Government of Montserrat. Documents to be produced for children under sixteen years gov.ms. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Office of the Deputy Governor, Government of Montserrat. Guidance Notes for Form BOT/01/01 (BOTC passport application) gov.ms. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Government of Montserrat. Office of the Deputy Governor gov.ms. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Government of Montserrat. Immigration Act and Subsidiary Legislation, Cap. 13.01 (regulation 23) gov.ms. Checked 3 November 2026.
- HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Types of British passports: caseworker guidance gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Get a passport photo: Printed photos gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Office of the Deputy Governor, Government of Montserrat before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Montserrat passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/montserrat/passport-photo