New Zealand refugee travel document photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Department of Internal Affairs for the New Zealand refugee travel document, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the New Zealand refugee travel document photo?
A New Zealand refugee travel document or certificate of identity needs 2 identical printed colour photos, 35 x 45 mm, less than 6 months old. The head, including hair, may take up no more than 80% of the photo, centred with a clear gap around it. Use a plain, light background that is not white, a neutral expression and an unaltered image. There is no digital upload: the prints go with the paper form PAS205.
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), through the New Zealand Passport Office, issues two travel documents to people who are not New Zealand citizens. A refugee travel document is for someone whose refugee status has been confirmed by Immigration New Zealand and lasts up to 5 years. A certificate of identity is for someone who cannot get a passport from their country of citizenship and lasts up to 2 years. You must be physically present in New Zealand to qualify for either.
Both are applied for on the same paper form, PAS205, and there is no online service, so the photos are always prints. DIA scans them to check that they meet international travel standards, and strongly recommends getting them from a business that offers a passport photo service.
The photo also feeds DIA's identity checks. Facial recognition compares it with existing travel document records and a watchlist, and a refugee travel document is an electronic machine readable travel document with a biometric template of your photo stored on its chip.
New Zealand refugee travel document photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Department of Internal Affairs:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: 2 printed photos go with the paper form PAS205 |
| Background | Plain and light, but not white, with strong contrast and no shadows |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Less than 6 months old |
| Print quality | High-quality, high-resolution photo paper (or colour film or low-gloss coated thermal); no matt 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:
photo must be a true image, not altered in any way
Key requirements
- Two identical prints
Send 2 identical colour photos, each 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Identical means two prints of the same picture, not two different shots.
- Head no more than 80%
The head, including hair, should fit within the oval drawn on the form's template and must take up no more than 80% of the photo. Keep it centred, with a clear gap around the sides and the top.
- Light background, not white
Stand against a plain, light background that is not white. DIA wants strong contrast between you and the background, and no shadows behind you.
- True, unaltered image
The photo must be a true image, not altered in any way. It also has to be in focus, with no red-eye and no reflected light on your face.
- Neutral pose
Face the camera straight on with your head straight, eyes open and mouth closed. Do not smile or frown, and keep hair off your face so your eyes are clearly visible.
- Witnessed photo
Your witness writes your full name on the back of one photo, then signs and dates it. Businesses that take passport photos usually supply one print with a pre-printed label on the back for this.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Get the photos from a business with a passport photo service if you can.
- Check that both prints are identical and in colour.
- Leave a clear gap above and beside your head.
- Have your witness name, sign and date the back of one print.
- Complete the statutory declaration if you wear a religious or medical head covering.
- Keep the photos flat and undamaged in the envelope.
Don't
- Do not staple, glue or paperclip the photos to the form.
- Do not use a white background.
- Do not print on matt or heavy-backed thermal paper.
- Do not use an ink-jet printer.
- Do not alter the image in any way.
- Do not wear sunglasses or heavy-rimmed glasses.
Sample photos
How a New Zealand refugee travel document 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
You may keep glasses on if your eyes show clearly through them with no reflection. Heavy-rimmed frames must be removed, and sunglasses or tinted lenses that obscure your eyes are not allowed. The sample photos in the PAS205 guide notes mark heavy frames, frames across the eyes, light reflecting on the lenses and tinted lenses as unacceptable.
Headwear and religious dress
Do not wear a head covering or headband unless you must wear it for religious or medical reasons. If you do, complete the statutory declaration in section 6 of PAS205. It must be signed in front of an authorised witness: a Justice of the Peace, a Member of Parliament, a lawyer, a registered legal executive or a government officer authorised to take statutory declarations.
The guide notes also show what goes wrong with coverings: a scarf over the chin or the edges of the face, or a covering that partly hides the face, makes the photo unacceptable.
Babies and children
A parent or legal guardian can fill in PAS205 for a child under 16. Consent must come from a parent named on the child's birth record, or from a legal guardian appointed by a court or in a parent's will; a parenting order does not make someone a guardian. The child's photos follow the same rules as an adult's: 2 identical 35 x 45 mm colour prints taken in the last 6 months.
If a New Zealand court order prevents the child leaving the country, DIA will not issue a travel document until the court directs it.
Printed and digital photos
There is no digital route. PAS205 is completed by hand in black or blue ballpoint pen, in capital letters, and the photos are physical prints. You can have a digital photo printed at a photo counter, but the print must meet DIA's paper rules.
Acceptable media are high-quality, high-resolution photo paper, or colour film or low-gloss coated thermal paper as long as the printer is high resolution. Matt paper, heavy-backed thermal paper and ink-jet printers are not accepted.
Where to submit the photo
Send the form, both photos and your original documents to the New Zealand Passport Office in Wellington by post or courier; DIA recommends courier so you can track delivery. You can also apply in person at a Passport Office counter. Refugees include the original Immigration New Zealand letter confirming refugee status and the travel document used to enter New Zealand.
Your witness must hold a valid New Zealand passport, be 16 or older and have known you for at least a year, and must not be a relative, your partner or someone living at your address. They complete section 11 in their own handwriting and declare that the person in the photo is you.
How to get your New Zealand refugee travel document photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the New Zealand refugee travel document: 35 × 45 mm print, plain and light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two identical prints; head no more than 80%; light background, not white; true, unaltered image.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no digital route. PAS205 is completed by hand in black or blue ballpoint pen, in capital letters, and the photos are physical prints. You can have a digital photo printed at a photo counter, but the print must meet DIA's paper rules.
- Submit the photo with your application. Send the form, both photos and your original documents to the New Zealand Passport Office in Wellington by post or courier; DIA recommends courier so you can track delivery. You can also apply in person at a Passport Office counter.
New Zealand refugee travel document photo FAQ
35 mm wide and 45 mm high, the standard size given in DIA's PAS205 guide notes. You need 2 identical colour prints, and the head, including hair, must take up no more than 80% of the photo.
No. DIA has no online application for a certificate of identity or refugee travel document. You send the paper form PAS205 with 2 printed photos by post or courier, or hand it in at a Passport Office counter.
Your witness. They write your full name, sign and add the date on the back of one of the 2 photos, and complete section 11 of the form. The witness needs a valid New Zealand passport, must be 16 or over, must have known you for at least a year and cannot be a relative or your partner.
No. PAS205 asks for a plain, light background that is not white, with strong contrast between you and the background and no shadows behind you.
Yes. A certificate of identity and a refugee travel document share the form PAS205 and the same photo rules. The difference is eligibility and validity: a certificate of identity lasts up to 2 years, a refugee travel document up to 5 years.
No. The form says not to staple, glue or paperclip the photos to the application, because this may damage them. Make sure they have been correctly witnessed before you send them.
DIA runs facial recognition on the application photo to see whether you already hold a travel document record and whether you match a watchlist, and it keeps a biometric template for future checks. The refugee travel document also stores a template of your photo on its chip.
Related photo specifications
Other New Zealand documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- 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
- University student ID card photo
- Firearms licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- RealMe verified identity photo
Travel documents nearby
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
- Travel documents: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Oceania
Official sources
- Department of Internal Affairs. PAS205 Application for a certificate of identity or refugee travel document (13 August 2026) passports.govt.nz. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Certificate of identity or refugee travel document passports.govt.nz. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New Zealand Passports, Department of Internal Affairs. Paper application forms passports.govt.nz. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Department of Internal Affairs before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"New Zealand refugee travel document photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/new-zealand/refugee-travel-document-photo