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Northern Mariana Islands passport photo requirements

The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by CNMI Department of Finance for the Northern Mariana Islands 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 size is the Northern Mariana Islands passport photo?

Residents of the Northern Mariana Islands use the U.S. passport photo: one color print, 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), taken in the last 6 months, with a head 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) tall on a white or off-white background. Glasses, hats and digital edits are not accepted. Applications go through the Saipan US Passport Acceptance Facility, run by the CNMI Department of Finance.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is a U.S. territory, and its residents travel on the U.S. passport issued by the U.S. Department of State. The Foreign Affairs Manual says that since November 3, 1986 the islands have been treated as part of the United States for the citizenship-at-birth provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The manual also describes a narrow option under Section 302 of the Covenant: a person who acquired citizenship under Section 301 could, within set time limits, swear an oath before a court to become a national rather than a citizen.

The local counter is the Saipan US Passport Acceptance Facility, which the CNMI Department of Finance runs on Capitol Hill. The Department's passport page lists telephone numbers, an email address and weekday hours that are shorter on Fridays. It gives no application instructions or photo rule and does not say whether the facility takes photos, so the State Department's DS-11 is the guide: it tells you to attach one color photograph, 2 x 2 inches, to the form and then appear in person.

The Department of Finance pages we read list a passport facility on Saipan only. Residents of Tinian and Rota should ask the facility how applications from the other islands are handled. The photo standard is the same wherever you apply, and it is set in Washington, not in the CNMI.

Northern Mariana Islands passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by CNMI Department of Finance:[1]

Print size2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
Digital sizePaper form: attach one printed photo. Online renewal: no pixel size set; crop inside the application
Head height1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm), from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
BackgroundWhite or off-white, plain, with no shadows, texture, objects or lines
ColourColor photo
Photo ageTaken less than 6 months before applying
File sizeOnline renewal only: 54 KB to 10 MB
File formatOnline renewal only: JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF
Print qualityMatte or glossy photo-quality paper; high resolution, no printer dots, no red eye, no holes, creases or smudges
Pixels when printed600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
2 in2 in25–35 mm
2 × 2 in photo drawn to scale, with the 25–35 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: white or off-white.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence.

Passport Photos[3]

Key requirements

  • One photo with the DS-11

    The DS-11 asks you to attach one color photograph, 2 x 2 inches, and to appear in person with it. Nothing on the Department of Finance page changes that.

  • Measure the face, not the hairdo

    The manual measures the facial image from the top of the head, not the hairline or the hair, down to the bottom of the chin, not counting facial hair. That span must be no less than 1 inch and no more than 1 3/8 inches.

  • Distance matters

    Too small a face makes identification harder. Too large a face cannot be cropped to the 45 x 35 mm size placed in the passport, and a very large face can also show fish-eye distortion of the nose and ears. The photo page advises standing several feet from the camera.

  • Level head, square shoulders

    Look directly at the camera with your full face in view. Photo examples that fail include a head tilted forward or to the side and a head turned with the shoulders not square to the lens.

  • Sharp, high-resolution image

    A blurry, grainy or pixelated picture is refused, and so is one with visible printer dots. Set the camera to its highest quality setting before you shoot.

  • Untouched original

    The photo may not be changed with computer software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence. The State Department also refuses an image whose background was cut out with a retouching tool.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Check the Saipan facility's hours before you travel to Capitol Hill.
  • Confirm the print is exactly 2 x 2 inches before you attach it.
  • Keep your head level and your shoulders square to the camera.
  • Set your phone or camera to its highest quality.
  • Have the print made on matte or glossy photo paper.
  • Take a new photo if your look has changed a lot since the last one.

Don't

  • Do not retouch, filter or generate the image with AI.
  • Do not wear glasses, sunglasses or tinted lenses.
  • Do not wear a hat, headphones or a face mask.
  • Do not use a blurry, grainy or pixelated picture.
  • Do not submit a photocopy or a scan of a photo.
  • Do not wear a uniform, camouflage or clothing that looks like either.

Sample photos

How a Northern Mariana Islands passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in, head height 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

Eyeglasses must be removed for a U.S. passport photo, including sunglasses and tinted lenses, and they may not sit on top of your head. People who cannot take their glasses off for medical reasons should include a signed note from their doctor with the application. The DS-11 gives eye surgery recovery as an example of a reason to explain in a signed doctor's statement.

Headwear and religious dress

Take off hats and head coverings unless you wear one for religious or medical reasons. The DS-11 asks for a signed statement that a religious covering is part of recognized, traditional religious attire customarily worn continuously in public, or a signed doctor's statement of daily use for medical purposes. The covering must leave your face fully visible and unshadowed, in one color, without a pattern or small holes.

Wear clothing you normally wear every day. Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform and camouflage are not allowed, and neither are headphones or wireless hands-free devices in or on the ears.

Babies and children

Babies and children each need their own photo, with no one else in it. Lay a baby on a plain white or off-white sheet, or cover a car seat with the sheet and seat the child in it, and make sure no shadows fall on the face. The expression must be neutral and the full face visible, with no hands or pacifier in the way. A baby's eyes need not be fully open, but older children must have them open.

Under the DS-11, an applicant under age 16 must appear in person with a parent or parents or a legal guardian.

The facility takes a printed photograph. Photo-quality matte or glossy paper is required, and the printed square must measure 2 x 2 inches. Starting from a digital picture is fine: crop it to a square and print it on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut out one 2 x 2 inch photo.

Online renewal, for those who qualify, uses a digital file. You must be located in a U.S. state or territory when you submit, which the CNMI is, and the page speaks of eligible U.S. citizens. The file is a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF between 54 KB and 10 MB, framed to the edge of your shoulders. It must not be a scan or a picture of a print.

Where to submit the photo

The Saipan US Passport Acceptance Facility is part of the CNMI Department of Finance, and its passport page lists the phone and email contacts and the opening hours. The Department's main contact page gives the building as 1302 Ascencion Drive on Capitol Hill and lists the facility's phone numbers separately.

The State Department names three places to get a passport photo taken: an acceptance facility that offers it when you apply, any company that offers photo services, or a friend or family member. The Department of Finance page does not say which, if any, applies at the Saipan counter, so call before you rely on it.

How to get your Northern Mariana Islands passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Northern Mariana Islands passport: 2 × 2 in print, white or off-white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one photo with the DS-11; measure the face, not the hairdo; distance matters; level head, square shoulders.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The facility takes a printed photograph. Photo-quality matte or glossy paper is required, and the printed square must measure 2 x 2 inches.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. The Saipan US Passport Acceptance Facility is part of the CNMI Department of Finance, and its passport page lists the phone and email contacts and the opening hours.

Make this photo online

Northern Mariana Islands passport photo FAQ

It is the standard U.S. size: a color print of 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). The head must measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from chin to top, on a plain white or off-white background, in a picture taken within the last 6 months.

The Department of Finance runs the Saipan US Passport Acceptance Facility. Its passport page lists telephone numbers, an email address and hours. The pages we read list no other passport location in the CNMI, so ask the facility if you live on Tinian or Rota.

The Foreign Affairs Manual says that since November 3, 1986 the islands have been treated as part of the United States for citizenship at birth, so a child born there since then is treated as born in the United States. A Section 302 oath let some people choose national status instead, and applicants who did so submit court certification with their passport application.

One. The DS-11 instructions say to attach one color photograph 2 x 2 inches in size. The Department of Finance page does not ask for more.

From the top of the head, not the hairline or the hair, to the bottom of the chin, not counting facial hair. The Foreign Affairs Manual sets the range at 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches, and the State Department's photo page gives 25 to 35 mm.

Yes, if it is sharp, high resolution and unedited, and you have it printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper at 2 x 2 inches. Photocopies and scans of a photo are refused, and filters and AI edits are not allowed.

Yes, if you wear it for religious reasons and include a signed statement. It must show your full face, cast no shadow on it, and be one color without patterns or small holes.

Yes. The State Department says you can smile if your eyes are open and your mouth is closed. Exaggerated expressions are not accepted.

Related photo specifications

Passports nearby

Also 2 × 2 in

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Official sources

  1. CNMI Department of Finance. Saipan US Passport Acceptance Facility dof.gov.mp. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. CNMI Department of Finance. Contact Us finance.gov.mp. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. U.S. Department of State. Passport Photos travel.state.gov. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport (Form DS-11, edition 04-2025) eforms.state.gov. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online travel.state.gov. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. U.S. Department of State, Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 402.1 Passport Photographs fam.state.gov. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. U.S. Department of State, Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 301.1 Acquisition by Birth in the United States fam.state.gov. Checked 3 November 2026.
  8. U.S. Department of State, Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 308.3 Non-Citizen U.S. Nationality in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands fam.state.gov. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with CNMI Department of Finance before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Northern Mariana Islands passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/northern-mariana-islands/passport-photo

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