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Mozambique passport photo requirements

The photo rules set by Serviço Nacional de Migração (SENAMI) for the Mozambique passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Mozambique passport photo requirements?

No official page gives a size or background colour for the Mozambican passport photo. SENAMI's requirements sheet lists a passport-type photo (fotografia tipo passe) alongside your identity card and the application form, while the Washington embassy's passport list asks for no photo and says data are captured at the embassy. The 35 x 45 mm size the Tokyo embassy uses for visa photos is not stated for passports.

Mozambican passports are issued by the Serviço Nacional de Migração (SENAMI), the national migration service. Its requirements sheet for the biometric passport lists four things: Mozambican nationality, an identity card (Bilhete de Identidade), a passport-type photograph and the completed application form. Applicants under 18 also need a written declaration from the person with parental authority, with the signature certified by a notary. The same sheet, published in 2020, says the passport is valid for five years.

Because the passport is biometric, your data are recorded in person. The Embassy in Washington tells applicants that data capture takes place at the embassy, and the High Commission in London has run collection days in the United Kingdom, by appointment, for identity cards and passports. London announced that from 1 January 2017 it would no longer renew passports, and told holders of the old non-biometric passport to apply in Mozambique or through the Embassy in Portugal.

The official material is thin on the photo itself. Neither SENAMI nor the missions publish a print size, a background colour, a head size or rules on glasses and head coverings for the passport. What can be said is which channels mention a photo at all, and that is what this page sets out.

Mozambique passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Serviço Nacional de Migração (SENAMI):[1]

Print sizeNo size published: SENAMI lists a passport-type photo (fotografia tipo passe); missions capture biometric data in person
BackgroundNot published for the passport
Print qualityLondon's paper passport form has a box for gluing a photo (colar fotografia); no print rules are given

Key requirements

  • Four basic requirements

    SENAMI's sheet asks for Mozambican nationality, a Bilhete de Identidade, a passport-type photograph and its own form, properly completed. No size, colour or background is given for the photograph.

  • Biometric data in person

    The Washington embassy's communiqué says data capture takes place at the embassy. London announced that biometric data for identity cards and passports would be collected in the United Kingdom between 4 and 8 March 2024, with slots booked by telephone.

  • Washington lists no photo

    The passport list in Washington's January 2021 communiqué asks for nationality, the completed form, an identity card valid for at least 30 more days and the expired passport. It does not ask for a photograph, unlike the embassy's own visa page.

  • Identity card first

    Every channel starts from the Bilhete de Identidade. SENAMI lists it as a basic requirement, and Washington wants it valid for at least 30 days. Washington handles identity cards for Mozambicans in the United States and Canada too.

  • London no longer renews

    Since 1 January 2017 the London High Commission does not renew passports. Holders of the old non-biometric passport were told to travel to Mozambique to apply to the migration authorities, or to apply through the Embassy of Mozambique in Portugal.

  • Lost or stolen passports

    Washington asks anyone whose passport was lost or went missing to bring a declaration issued by the police. The communiqué lists this with the other passport documents.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask your mission whether it captures the photo or wants a print.
  • Bring your Bilhete de Identidade with at least 30 days of validity left.
  • Bring your expired passport when you renew.
  • Book a slot when your mission announces biometric collection days.
  • Bring a police declaration if your passport was lost.

Don't

  • Do not assume London renews passports; it said it would stop on 1 January 2017.
  • Do not apply for a minor without the notarised parental declaration.
  • Do not take the visa photo rules on embassy pages as passport rules.
  • Do not treat 35 x 45 mm as an official passport size; no official page states it.

Babies and children

Children need their own passport application. SENAMI says that for anyone under 18, a written declaration by the person who legally holds parental authority must be added to the request, with the signature certified by a notary.

Washington words it as a declaration authorising the passport, made by one of the parents, who must come with the child and bring an identity card. Neither source sets different photo rules for children.

The official sources point in two directions. SENAMI's requirements sheet lists a passport-type photograph, and the London High Commission still publishes a paper passport request form with a box marked "colar fotografia" (glue photograph). Washington's list for passport applications has no photograph at all and states that data are captured at the embassy, which is how a biometric passport is produced.

No official page gives a pixel size, a file size or a print size for the passport. If your mission does ask for a print, ask it which size it accepts; a digital photo can then be cropped to that size and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

In Mozambique, passports are issued by SENAMI through its offices. SENAMI's service charter lists passport issue among its services, with a standard and an urgent processing option.

Abroad, apply through the embassy or high commission for your country of residence and follow its own announcements. Washington captures data at its premises at 1525 New Hampshire Ave NW. London said it would stop renewing passports in 2017 and pointed applicants to the Embassy of Mozambique in Portugal, but it announced collection days in the United Kingdom for March 2024, booked by phone.

How to get your Mozambique passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Mozambique passport. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: four basic requirements; biometric data in person; washington lists no photo; identity card first.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The official sources point in two directions. SENAMI's requirements sheet lists a passport-type photograph, and the London High Commission still publishes a paper passport request form with a box marked "colar fotografia" (glue photograph).
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Mozambique, passports are issued by SENAMI through its offices. SENAMI's service charter lists passport issue among its services, with a standard and an urgent processing option.

Make this photo online

Mozambique passport photo FAQ

No size is published. SENAMI's requirements sheet asks only for a passport-type photo (fotografia tipo passe), and the embassy and high commission pages read for this guide give no dimensions. The 35 x 45 mm size is what the Tokyo embassy asks for on visa photos.

In Washington, yes in effect: the embassy says data capture takes place at the embassy, and its passport list asks for no photo. London has held biometric collection days for passports and identity cards. Other missions may differ, so check with yours.

It depends on where you apply. SENAMI's 2020 requirements sheet lists a passport-type photograph and London's paper form has a box for gluing one, but Washington's passport list does not ask for a photo. Ask your office before you go.

Not as a routine service. London said it would no longer renew passports from 1 January 2017. It later announced that biometric data for passports and identity cards would be collected in the United Kingdom from 4 to 8 March 2024, by appointment.

The same basic documents as an adult, plus a written declaration by the person with parental authority, signed and certified by a notary according to SENAMI. Washington asks for a parent's authorisation and for that parent to come with the child.

SENAMI's requirements sheet, published in 2020, says the passport is valid for five years. Check the current period with SENAMI or your mission if you are planning far ahead.

Related photo specifications

Other Mozambique documents

Passports nearby

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Official sources

  1. Serviço Nacional de Migração (SENAMI). Requisitos: Passaporte (biométrico) senami.gov.mz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Serviço Nacional de Migração (SENAMI). Carta de Serviço senami.gov.mz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of the Republic of Mozambique, Washington DC. Passport usa.embamoc.gov.mz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of the Republic of Mozambique, Washington DC. Comunicado: requisitos para o BI e o Passaporte (January 2021) usa.embamoc.gov.mz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique, London. Consular Section mozambiquehighcommission.org.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique, London. Sector Consular mozambiquehighcommission.org.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique, London. Biometric data to be collected in the United Kingdom for issuing identity cards and passports (20 February 2024) mozambiquehighcommission.org.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique, London. Pedido de Passaporte (form) mozambiquehighcommission.org.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Serviço Nacional de Migração (SENAMI) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Mozambique passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/mozambique/passport-photo

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