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Pakistan passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Directorate General of Immigration & Passports for the Pakistan passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 10 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Pakistan passport photo?

A Pakistani passport photo is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) on a plain white background, and the online passport portal takes it as a colour JPEG of 350 x 467 pixels, up to 3 MB. The head should measure 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, eyes clear of glare or tinted lenses, with a neutral expression. If you apply in person at a passport office or a Pakistan mission, you bring no photo: staff take it at the counter.

Pakistani passports are issued by the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGI&P), part of the Ministry of Interior. How the photo is handled depends on where you apply. At Regional Passport Offices in Pakistan and at Pakistan missions abroad you bring no picture: straight after you reach the customer service counter, an official captures your photograph and issues a token with a QR code, before fingerprints and data entry. The Consulate General in Los Angeles puts it plainly: no photograph is required, because photos, signatures and biometrics are captured on the spot.

The online channel is different, because there you supply the picture. On the DGI&P e-Services Portal (Online MRP), DGI&P asks for an original scan of a colour picture with a white background, 350 x 467 pixels, in JPEG or JPG format and no larger than 3 MB. Overseas Pakistanis can use the portal to renew, to reprint a damaged, exhausted or lost passport, to change marital status or profession, and to get a first passport for a baby up to two years old. Applicants inside Pakistan can use it for renewal only. The portal has also announced passport renewal, and fingerprint verification for online applications, through NADRA's PakID mobile app.

The portal's photo page describes the picture as 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with the head between 29 and 34 mm from chin to crown. A 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photo only comes into play where a mission still uses paper forms, such as the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi when it replaces a lost passport.

Pakistan passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Directorate General of Immigration & Passports:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in): 45 mm high by 35 mm wide (online portal photo guide)
Digital size350 x 467 pixels (online passport portal upload)
Head height29 to 34 mm from chin to crown (portal dimension diagram)
BackgroundPlain white
ColourColour picture
Photo ageNo more than 6 months old
File sizeUp to 3 MB (DGI&P e-services page); the portal itself says up to 5 MB
File formatJPEG or JPG
Print qualityNo print at passport counters or for the portal; prints only where a mission's paper form asks for them
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm29–34 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 29–34 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain white.

In the official words

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

Also please make sure that the pictures are not edited in any other software like photoshop

Capturing and Uploading Your Photograph[6]

specification 350/467 Pixels

Online Passport (e-Services): documentation requirements[1]

Key requirements

  • Counter photo in person

    At Regional Passport Offices and Pakistan missions the photograph is captured at the token stage, so prints and pre-filled forms are not needed. The High Commission in Nairobi adds that both ears must be visible when the picture is taken.

  • Online upload: 350 x 467 pixels

    For the online portal, DGI&P wants an original scan of a colour picture on white, 350 x 467 pixels, JPEG or JPG, no larger than 3 MB. The portal's homepage and photo page allow up to 5 MB; a file under 3 MB satisfies both.

  • Head 29 to 34 mm

    The portal's dimension diagram sets the head at no less than 29 mm and no more than 34 mm from chin to crown on a 35 x 45 mm frame. Its photo page asks for a close-up of your full head and shoulders, and its examples reject a face shot too close, too far away or off centre.

  • No software editing

    The portal's photo page asks applicants to make sure the picture has not been edited in software such as Photoshop. It also refuses photos cut down from larger pictures, so take a fresh photo of the applicant alone.

  • Sharp, on plain white

    Use a plain white background in clear contrast to you, with no shadows and no red eye. The photo page's examples also reject a blurred picture, unnatural skin colour and stray objects or people in the background.

  • Straight to the camera

    Face forward and look straight at the camera with a neutral expression, your mouth closed and your eyes open, with no hair over them. The examples reject looking away, an open mouth and a portrait-style pose turned to one side.

  • Keep your NADRA photo current

    The passport system draws your data from NADRA. The High Commission in Nairobi tells applicants whose CNIC or NICOP picture no longer matches their face to have the card photo revised before applying for a passport.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Upload a 350 x 467 pixel colour JPEG on the online portal.
  • Keep the file under 3 MB.
  • Use a plain white background and uniform light.
  • Frame your head and the top of your shoulders, centred.
  • Look straight at the camera with your mouth closed.
  • Keep your face uncovered and your eyes clearly visible.

Don't

  • Do not wear sunglasses or tinted glasses.
  • Do not edit the picture in Photoshop or similar software.
  • Do not crop yourself out of a larger picture.
  • Do not take prints to a passport office: the photo is taken there.
  • Do not turn sideways in a portrait-style pose.
  • Do not leave shadows, glare on lenses or red eye.

Sample photos

How a Pakistan passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, 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

The portal's photo page says a picture may be rejected unless your eyes are open, visible and free from reflection or glare from glasses, and not covered by sunglasses, tinted glasses or glasses frames. Taking ordinary glasses off removes all of those risks, so it is the safe choice for an upload.

At passport offices and missions the photograph is captured by DGI&P staff at the counter, and DGI&P publishes no separate glasses rule for that channel.

Headwear and religious dress

The portal's photo page asks for a picture without anything covering the face, and its examples reject a man wearing a cap. It sets no separate rule for religious head coverings, so if you wear one, keep the whole face in view from forehead to chin. At the High Commission in Nairobi both ears must also be visible when the photo is taken.

Members of the armed forces must be photographed in uniform for official passports. DGI&P has waived the uniform picture for armed forces personnel applying for ordinary green passports.

Babies and children

Every child needs a passport of their own: DGI&P does not endorse children in a parent's passport. A minor applies in person with a parent or a court-appointed guardian, and the photo is taken at the counter as for adults. Children aged 10 and over also need a Juvenile Card or an updated Child Registration Certificate containing fingerprints and photograph; under 10, a CRC (B-Form) or Family Registration Certificate is enough. Children under 15 get five-year passports only.

Overseas, the online portal can issue a first passport for a newborn up to two years old. That application needs the same colour scan on a white background, 350 x 467 pixels in JPEG or JPG, together with a minor's form signed by both parents and the parents' fingerprint forms. Older children have to go to the mission.

Which photo you need depends on the channel. In person, at a Regional Passport Office, Executive Passport Office or Pakistan mission, you need no photo at all. On the online portal you upload a single digital file: 350 x 467 pixels, colour, JPEG or JPG, white background, under 3 MB. A digital photo can be cropped and resized to exactly 350 x 467 pixels before you upload it.

The 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) size belongs to paper forms that some missions still use. The High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi asks for six 2 x 2 inch front-face photographs with an application for a passport in lieu of a lost one. Where a mission asks for prints, they can be printed from a digital photo on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter; the portal asks for pictures in sharp focus and clear.

Where to submit the photo

In Pakistan, apply at a Regional Passport Office or Executive Passport Office with your original CNIC, or a CRC or Juvenile Card for a minor. Abroad, apply in person at the Pakistan embassy or consulate for the area where you live; the Embassy in Washington, for example, requires personal appearance and an original NICOP or CNIC.

Online, register on the e-Services Portal, choose the application type, pay by card, upload your photograph and supporting documents, and scan and upload the fingerprint form (or verify fingerprints through PakID). To change only the photo in a valid passport, DGI&P issues a new passport for the fresh fee and cancels the old one.

How to get your Pakistan passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Pakistan passport: 35 × 45 mm print, 350 × 467 px digital file, plain white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: counter photo in person; online upload: 350 x 467 pixels; head 29 to 34 mm; no software editing.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Which photo you need depends on the channel. In person, at a Regional Passport Office, Executive Passport Office or Pakistan mission, you need no photo at all.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Pakistan, apply at a Regional Passport Office or Executive Passport Office with your original CNIC, or a CRC or Juvenile Card for a minor.

Make this photo online

Pakistan passport photo FAQ

The photo guide on DGI&P's online passport portal describes a picture 45 mm high and 35 mm wide (1.38 x 1.77 in), with the head 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown. The file you upload is 350 x 467 pixels, a colour JPEG or JPG with a plain white background.

No. At Regional Passport Offices and Pakistan missions the photograph is captured at the counter when your token is issued, so no prints or pre-filled forms are needed. Only the online portal, and a few missions that still use paper forms, need a photo from you.

DGI&P's e-services page says the scan must be a 350 x 467 pixel JPEG or JPG of no more than 3 MB. The portal's own homepage and photo page say up to 5 MB. A file under 3 MB meets both.

The portal's photo page rejects pictures with reflection or glare from glasses, and eyes covered by sunglasses, tinted glasses or frames. Taking your glasses off avoids every one of those problems, so it is the safe choice for an online upload.

The portal's photo page only says that nothing may cover the face, and its examples reject a cap; it has no separate rule for religious head coverings. A headscarf that leaves the whole face visible meets that wording. Some missions, such as the High Commission in Nairobi, also want both ears visible.

DGI&P's answer is a new passport: you pay the fresh fee for a new issue and the previous passport is cancelled. If your CNIC or NICOP picture is also out of date, the High Commission in Nairobi advises revising it with NADRA before you apply.

Only where a mission asks for it on a paper form. The High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi wants six 2 x 2 inch front-face photos for a passport replacing a lost one. The online portal instead takes a 350 x 467 pixel file, and its guide describes a 35 x 45 mm photo.

Yes, from abroad, for a first passport for a baby up to two years old. Upload a colour scan with a white background, 350 x 467 pixels in JPEG or JPG and no larger than 3 MB, along with the documents DGI&P lists, including the minor's form signed by both parents. Older children apply at the mission.

Related photo specifications

Other Pakistan documents

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Online Passport (e-Services): documentation requirements dgip.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Passport Application Process dgip.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Ordinary Passport: requirements and guidelines dgip.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Frequently Asked Questions dgip.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. e-Services Portal onlinemrp.dgip.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Capturing and Uploading Your Photograph onlinemrp.dgip.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. High Commission for Pakistan, Nairobi. Machine Readable Passport mofa.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  8. Consulate General of Pakistan, Los Angeles. Visa and passport services mofa.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  9. Embassy of Pakistan, Washington DC. Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) mofa.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  10. High Commission for Pakistan, New Delhi. Requirements for obtaining a passport in lieu of lost passport mofa.gov.pk. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Directorate General of Immigration & Passports before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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