Independent reference to official photo rules

Not affiliated with any government. Always confirm with the issuing authority before you apply.

WorldPhotoSpecsOfficial photo rules for every country

Visas and travel authorisations

Nigeria visa photo requirements

The 600 × 600 px photo rules set by Nigeria Immigration Service for the Nigeria visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

Rate this page

Quick answer

What size is the Nigeria visa photo?

For a Nigerian e-Visa you upload one photo on the NIS portal: under 1 MB, JPG, JPEG or PNG, on a white background, and the portal crops it to a square. Regular and residence visas ask for a recent, clear passport-sized photograph with a white background, and you attend the embassy for interview and biometric capture. The Atlanta consulate asks for 2 colour photos taken within 30 days, with the head 29 to 34 mm high.

Visas for Nigeria are issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). Short visits of up to 90 days come in two forms: an e-Visa applied for entirely online, and a regular visa applied for online and completed at a Nigerian embassy or consulate. Temporary and permanent residence visas follow the embassy route. Which one you need depends on your purpose of travel, and the photo is handled differently on each route.

On the e-Visa portal, the applicant photo goes into the personal details section. The upload note says the image must be less than 1 MB, must have a white background and must contain the face. After you choose the file, the portal shows a fixed square frame for cropping, so the photo saved with the application is square. NIS lists a passport-size photo among the documents for the short visit e-Visa categories, and the visa certificate arrives by email.

For a regular or residence visa, you fill in the form on the NIS visa application portal and then visit the embassy for enrolment, which NIS describes as interview and biometric capture. The residence visa lists in the NIS Service Level Agreement ask for a passport-sized photograph that is recent, clear and on a white background. Missions add their own detail; in the United States, the Consulate General in Atlanta publishes the fullest photo specification.

Nigeria visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Nigeria Immigration Service:[1]

Print sizeNo print size published; residence visas: recent, clear passport-sized photo on white; Atlanta: 2 colour prints
Digital sizee-Visa: cropped in the portal to a square and saved as 600 x 600 pixels (JPEG); no pixel size published
Head heightAtlanta consulate: head between 29 and 34 mm
BackgroundWhite (e-Visa upload note, NIS residence visa lists and the Atlanta consulate)
ColourFull colour (Atlanta consulate)
Photo ageAtlanta: taken within the last 30 days; NIS residence visas: recent
File sizee-Visa: less than 1 MB
File formate-Visa and Atlanta: JPG, JPEG or PNG
600 px600 px
600 × 600 px photo drawn to scale. Background: white.

Key requirements

  • e-Visa file limits

    The e-Visa portal accepts the applicant photo as a JPG, JPEG or PNG file of less than 1 MB. Its upload note asks for a white background and an image that contains your face.

  • Square crop on the portal

    After uploading, you position the photo inside a fixed square frame, and the portal saves the result as a square JPEG. Start from a photo with space around your head so your face can sit in the middle of the square.

  • White background on every route

    Each official visa source we read asks for white: the e-Visa upload note, the NIS residence visa lists and the Atlanta consulate's photo specification.

  • Enrolment at the embassy

    Regular and residence visa applicants attend the embassy for enrolment, an interview with biometric capture. In the United States, Atlanta exempts children aged 5 and under and adults aged 70 and over from fingerprint and photograph capture.

  • Atlanta's specification

    Atlanta asks for two recent colour passport photographs taken within the last 30 days, in full colour, with a head between 29 mm and 34 mm, a neutral expression, eyes visible and open, and a white background.

  • An odd pixel figure

    Atlanta's list also gives dimensions of 200 x 450 pixels for the uploaded photo. That shape is far narrower than a normal passport photo, so ask the consulate before resizing a file to it.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Upload a JPG, JPEG or PNG under 1 MB to the e-Visa portal.
  • Use a plain white background for every Nigerian visa photo.
  • Centre your face in the portal's square crop frame.
  • Bring two colour prints taken within 30 days to a US mission.
  • Book the enrolment appointment for interview and biometrics.

Don't

  • Do not upload an image in which your face is not clearly shown.
  • Do not wear glasses you do not wear every day.
  • Do not wear a hat or head covering except for religious reasons.
  • Do not use prints older than 30 days for the Atlanta consulate.
  • Do not send a US application to a former OIS visa centre.

Sample photos

How a Nigeria visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 600 × 600 px and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

NIS publishes no glasses rule for visa photos. The Consulate General in Atlanta asks for none, except glasses you wear every day. That is looser than the rule for Nigerian citizens' passports, so advice written for passport applicants does not carry over to a visa.

Headwear and religious dress

Atlanta allows no headgear except for religious purposes. Neither the e-Visa portal nor the NIS visa lists say anything about headwear, and the e-Visa note only asks that the image contain your face, so a religious covering should leave the whole face visible.

Babies and children

Children need their own visa application. For applications to the Nigerian missions in the United States, children aged 5 and under are exempt from fingerprint and photograph capture, as are adults aged 70 and over, and they send the application by courier with a self-addressed return envelope. The High Commission in Ottawa says children under five and adults over sixty-five need not attend.

For a minor, the visa form must be signed by the person exercising parental authority or the legal guardian, and Atlanta requires parental authorisations to be notarised.

Which photo you need depends on the route. An e-Visa uses the uploaded file: square, under 1 MB and on white. A regular visa through a mission usually needs prints as well, and the mission captures your biometrics at enrolment.

For applications made in the United States, the Atlanta consulate asks for two colour prints taken within 30 days, with a head of 29 to 34 mm, and accepts JPG, JPEG or PNG for the upload. Neither Atlanta nor the embassy in Washington states a print size, so the 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) format common in the US is not confirmed by them. A digital photo can be cropped and resized for the e-Visa, or printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

e-Visa: apply on the NIS e-Visa portal, which NIS says is open 24 hours a day, and receive the visa certificate by email. Regular and residence visas: fill in the form on the NIS visa portal, then attend the embassy or consulate for enrolment.

In the US, since the visa centres run by Online Integrated Solutions (OIS) closed, applications go directly to the consulates in Atlanta and New York or the embassy in Washington, and passports are returned only in the envelope you provide. In Canada, the High Commission in Ottawa still directs applicants to the OIS Services website, whose centre handles verification, biometrics and data capture.

How to get your Nigeria visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Nigeria visa: 600 × 600 px print, 600 × 600 px digital file, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: e-Visa file limits; square crop on the portal; white background on every route; enrolment at the embassy.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Which photo you need depends on the route. An e-Visa uses the uploaded file: square, under 1 MB and on white. A regular visa through a mission usually needs prints as well, and the mission captures your biometrics at enrolment.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. e-Visa: apply on the NIS e-Visa portal, which NIS says is open 24 hours a day, and receive the visa certificate by email. Regular and residence visas: fill in the form on the NIS visa portal, then attend the embassy or consulate for enrolment.

Make this photo online

Nigeria visa photo FAQ

NIS does not publish a pixel size. The e-Visa portal accepts JPG, JPEG or PNG files under 1 MB, asks for a white background and a visible face, and has you crop the photo in a fixed square frame; the saved image is 600 x 600 pixels.

White. The e-Visa upload note says the photo must have a white background, the NIS residence visa lists ask for a recent, clear photo with a white background, and the Atlanta consulate also specifies white.

The consulate in Atlanta asks for two recent colour passport photographs taken within the last 30 days, with a head of 29 to 34 mm, a neutral expression and a white background. Since the OIS visa centres closed, applications go straight to Atlanta, New York or Washington.

The Atlanta consulate allows only glasses you wear every day. NIS sets no glasses rule for visa photos on the pages we read. Nigerian passport photos follow a stricter rule, but that applies to citizens' passports, not to visas.

For a regular or residence visa, yes: NIS describes the embassy visit as enrolment, with an interview and biometric capture, and the US missions take fingerprints and a photograph. Children aged 5 and under and adults aged 70 and over are exempt in the US.

The e-Visa is handled online: you upload the photo with your other documents and receive the visa certificate by email, and NIS lists no prints for it. Prints are asked for when you apply through a mission, such as Atlanta's two colour photos.

Related photo specifications

Other Nigeria documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Was this page helpful?

No ratings yet. Be the first to rate this page.

Official sources

  1. Nigeria Immigration Service. Nigerian visa immigration.gov.ng. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Nigeria Immigration Service. Service Level Agreement 2026 immigration.gov.ng. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Nigeria Immigration Service. e-Visa portal: applicant photo upload evisa.immigration.gov.ng. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Consulate General of Nigeria, Atlanta. Visas nigeriaconsulateatlanta.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. High Commission of Nigeria, Ottawa. Visa services nigeriahcottawa.ca. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Nigeria Immigration Service before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Nigeria visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/nigeria/visa-photo

Categories: