New Zealand passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs for the New Zealand passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the New Zealand passport photo?
Most New Zealand passport applications are made online and need a digital colour photo, not a print: a JPG or JPEG in 3:4 portrait format, 900 to 4500 pixels wide and 1200 to 6000 pixels high, between 250 KB and 5 MB, taken less than 6 months ago. Paper forms, for people without internet access, need 2 identical 35 x 45 mm colour prints. Use a plain, light background, a neutral expression and no filters or edits.
New Zealand passports are issued by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), through the New Zealand Passport Office. Most citizens can apply online, and the photo is uploaded as a digital file during the application. You can have it taken by a pharmacy, a photo business or a professional photographer, who emails you the file, or take it on your own phone as long as someone else holds the camera.
Paper forms are still available. The adult forms are meant for people who do not have internet access, and the child form is used for a child's first New Zealand passport or when the family has no internet access. Paper applications need 2 identical printed photos, 35 x 45 mm, and DIA warns that they take longer because they need extra processing.
Whichever route you take, the photo must be less than 6 months old, and a passport officer assesses it by hand. Before applying online you can run the file through DIA's online photo checker, which says whether the photo is suitable for upload and, if not, gives the reasons.
New Zealand passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs:[1]
| Print size | Online: digital only, 3:4 portrait, no print size. Paper forms: 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Online: 900 x 1200 to 4500 x 6000 pixels, 3:4 portrait |
| Background | Online: plain and light-coloured, in strong contrast with your face. Paper forms: plain and light, but not white |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Less than 6 months old |
| File size | Online: 250 KB to 5 MB |
| File format | Online: JPG or JPEG |
| Print quality | Paper forms: high-quality, high-resolution photo paper; no matt paper, heavy-backed thermal paper or ink-jet printer |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Do not use filters or digitally alter your image. Your image must show your natural appearance. Do not edit, apply filters, or use AI tools to modify how you look.
, but DIA's phone video transcript says
, and all three April 2026 paper forms say
Key requirements
- Digital file for online applications
The online service takes a colour JPG or JPEG with a 3:4 aspect ratio, 900 to 4500 pixels wide and 1200 to 6000 pixels high, and between 250 KB and 5 MB. A scan of a printed photo is refused, so ask a photographer to email you the original file.
- Someone else takes it
DIA rejects selfies. Your helper should stand about 1.5 m away with the camera at your eye level, while you stand at least half a metre in front of the background. Shooting too close makes the nose and forehead look bigger and the ears harder to see.
- Space around the head
Centre your head with a clear gap above it and at both sides, and include your shoulders and upper chest. If the shot looks distorted, DIA suggests stepping back for a wider picture and then cropping it to the correct head size before you submit it, keeping the 3:4 ratio.
- Natural, unedited image
Filters, editing and AI tools that change how you look are not allowed; the picture has to show your natural appearance. The paper forms put it more bluntly: the photo must be a true image, not altered in any way.
- Neutral face, eyes open
Look straight at the camera without tilting or turning your head. Keep your mouth closed and do not smile. Your hair must be out of your eyes and away from your face.
- Paper prints: size and head
Printed photos are 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. The paper forms say the head, including hair, must be 80% of the image height, centred with a clear gap at the sides and top. Send 2 identical prints.
- Even light, nothing behind you
DIA wants strong contrast between your face and the background, with no shadows and no objects behind your head. Its phone guides say you get the best result with the light source behind and above the photographer, and that standing right under a ceiling light casts shadows on the face.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Run your file through the DIA online photo checker before you apply.
- Ask a friend or family member to take the photo from about 1.5 m.
- Stand at least half a metre in front of a plain, light wall.
- Keep your shoulders and upper chest in the frame.
- Turn off phone filters and beauty modes before shooting.
- Keep the main light behind and above the photographer, not over your head.
- Send 2 identical colour prints, loose, with a paper form.
Don't
- Do not upload a selfie or a scan of a printed photo.
- Do not smile or open your mouth.
- Do not wear sunglasses, tinted lenses or thick frames.
- Do not edit, retouch or use AI tools on the image.
- Do not staple or paperclip prints to a paper form.
- Do not print paper-form photos on an ink-jet printer or matt paper.
Sample photos
How a New Zealand 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
Prescription glasses can stay on if the lenses are not tinted and the frames are not thick. Sunglasses are never accepted. Leave a clear gap between your eyes and the frames, and make sure there is no glare or reflection on the lenses.
The paper forms say the same in their own terms: your eyes must show clearly through the lenses with no reflection, heavy-rimmed frames must come off, and tinted lenses that hide the eyes are not allowed. Taking glasses off is the simplest way to avoid glare.
Headwear and religious dress
Hats, hoods, headbands and head coverings must come off, unless you wear a covering for religious or medical reasons. If you keep one on, your whole face must remain visible. DIA gives a religious or medical head covering as an example of a reason for an endorsement on your passport, and says its March 2024 system upgrade lets you apply online with an endorsement without a statutory declaration.
On a paper application, a religious or medical head covering or headband also means completing the statutory declaration on the form: section 8 of the adult form (PAS310) or section 9 of the child form (PAS305). The adult renewal form adds that if you did not wear the covering in your last passport, you send a statutory declaration form with your application.
Babies and children
Babies are photographed lying down. DIA suggests laying the baby on a plain, light-coloured sheet and taking the picture from above. The whole face must be visible with the eyes open, and no other people or objects can appear in the shot.
The child paper form (PAS305) covers under-16s. It repeats the 35 x 45 mm size and the 80% head rule, and adds that nobody else may be in the photo with the child and nothing may cover the child's face. The identity referee or witness must have known the child for more than a year, or since birth for a baby under 1.
Printed and digital photos
If you apply online, you upload one digital photo and nothing is printed. The file must meet every technical limit: JPG or JPEG, 3:4, 250 KB to 5 MB, and 900 to 4500 pixels wide by 1200 to 6000 high. The photo checker flags problems before you start, but its terms warn that an approved file may fail to upload if it is altered afterwards, and a staff member still assesses the photo once it is part of an application.
If you use a paper form, send 2 identical colour prints at 35 x 45 mm. Print them on high-quality, high-resolution photo paper; colour film or low-gloss coated thermal paper is also fine from a high-resolution printer, but matt paper, heavy-backed thermal paper and ink-jet printers are not. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter that meets those rules.
Where to submit the photo
Online applications are made on the DIA passport website, and you name an identity referee: someone aged 16 or over who has known you for more than a year, holds a current or expired New Zealand passport, and is not family, your partner or someone living at your address. The referee does not sign your photo, but may be asked to confirm your identity online with a RealMe login.
For a first passport by post or in person, a witness with the same qualifications signs the declaration and writes your full name, their signature and the date on the back of one print. On the adult renewal form nobody else signs a photo: you write your own full name and the date on the back of one print.
How to get your New Zealand passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the New Zealand passport: 35 × 45 mm print, 4500 × 6000 px digital file, online: plain and light-coloured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: digital file for online applications; someone else takes it; space around the head; natural, unedited image.
- Prepare a print or digital file. If you apply online, you upload one digital photo and nothing is printed. The file must meet every technical limit: JPG or JPEG, 3:4, 250 KB to 5 MB, and 900 to 4500 pixels wide by 1200 to 6000 high.
- Submit the photo with your application. Online applications are made on the DIA passport website, and you name an identity referee: someone aged 16 or over who has known you for more than a year, holds a current or expired New Zealand passport, and is not family, your partner or someone living at…
New Zealand passport photo FAQ
There is no print size for an online application. DIA asks for a digital colour JPG or JPEG in 3:4 portrait, 900 to 4500 pixels wide and 1200 to 6000 pixels high, between 250 KB and 5 MB. Paper forms need printed photos 35 mm wide and 45 mm high.
Yes, but not as a selfie. Have someone stand about 1.5 m away holding the phone at your eye level. DIA publishes iPhone and Samsung guides that show how to crop to a 3:4 ratio in the phone's editor, and suggests checking the result in the online photo checker before you apply.
The online rules ask for a plain, light-coloured background with strong contrast against your face. DIA's own phone guide says pale blues, greys and creams work better than white, and the paper forms say plain and light, but not white. A pale shade other than white meets every version of the rule.
No. DIA wants a neutral expression with no smile, your mouth closed and your eyes open. Face the camera straight on, without tilting your head, and keep your hair out of your eyes.
Yes, prescription glasses are allowed if the lenses are not tinted and the frames are not thick. Sunglasses are not. There must be no glare on the lenses and a clear gap between your eyes and the frames.
You can crop. DIA tells people who take a wider shot to crop it to the correct head size, and its phone guides show how to set a 3:4 ratio. You cannot edit how you look: no filters, no retouching and no AI tools.
It must be less than 6 months old, whether you apply online or on paper. DIA says an application may be delayed if the photo does not meet the requirements.
Only for a paper application. Online applicants upload a digital file and send no prints; DIA says a photographer should email you the photo for an online application. Paper forms need 2 identical 35 x 45 mm colour prints.
Related photo specifications
Other New Zealand documents
- New zealand electronic travel authority (NZeTA) photo
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Evidence of age document photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driver licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Citizenship application photo photo 35 × 45 mm
- APEC business travel card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Certificate of identity / refugee travel document photo
- Refugee travel document photo 35 × 45 mm
- University student ID card photo
- Firearms licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- RealMe verified identity photo
Passports nearby
- Australia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Christmas Island passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands photo 35 × 45 mm
- Norfolk Island passport photo 35 × 45 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 New Zealand photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Oceania
Official sources
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Passport photos passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Online Photo Checker: terms and conditions onlinephotochecker.passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Transcript: How to take a passport photo (iPhone) passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Identity referee or witness passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Internal Affairs. PAS310 Application for a New Zealand passport: Adult (8 April 2026) passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Internal Affairs. PAS305 Application for a New Zealand passport: Child (8 April 2026) passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Internal Affairs. PAS300 Application for a New Zealand passport: Adult renewal (8 April 2026) passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Transcript: How to take a passport photo (Samsung) passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Internal Affairs. Upgrades to the New Zealand Passports system dia.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Take a passport photo using an iPhone guide (PDF) passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. PAS310 Application for a New Zealand passport – Adult (PDF) passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Passport costs passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Passport timeframes passports.govt.nz. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"New Zealand passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/new-zealand/passport-photo