Palau passport photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by Palau Passport Office, Ministry of State, Republic of Palau for the Palau passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Palau passport photo?
The Palau Passport Office asks for one colour photograph, 2" x 2" (51 x 51 mm), taken within the last six months. It must be a clear, front view, full face, in normal street attire without a hat or dark glasses, printed on thin photo paper with a plain light (white) background. Photographs retouched so that your appearance is changed are unacceptable. The print is glued to the application form.
Palauan passports are issued by the Palau Passport Office, part of the Ministry of State, at the National Capitol in Ngerulmud. They go only to citizens of Palau, and each person must obtain their own passport. The Passport Office publishes a requirements sheet and an application form (Form PA-1), and both ask for a 2 x 2 inch photo. A first-time applicant, a renewal and a replacement for a lost or damaged passport each need one passport-size photo of 2 x 2 inches glued to the application form.
The form's photo section reads: "Submit one photograph of you, sufficiently recent (taken within the last six (6) months) to be a good likeness of you. It must bear a size of 2" x 2". Photographs must be a clear, front view, full face, taken in normal street attire without a hat or dark glasses, and printed on thin photo paper with a plain light (white) background. Photograph must be in color. Photographs retouched so that your appearance is changed are unacceptable." That is the whole rule. The 2 x 2 inch size therefore has a clear official basis, in both the form and the requirements sheet.
Nothing published gives a head height, an eye line, a pixel size or a file format, because the application is on paper. The form is marked "Rev. 2007". Palau also has an e-passport project, launched in April 2025 with the International Organization for Migration and Japanese funding, to move to electronic passports with embedded biometric data and digitised applications. No page read says when that changes the photo process, so check with the Passport Office before you print.
Palau passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Palau Passport Office, Ministry of State, Republic of Palau:[1]
| Print size | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm); the form says "It must bear a size of 2" x 2"" |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: one printed photo is glued to the paper application form |
| Background | A plain light (white) background |
| Colour | Photograph must be in color |
| Photo age | Taken within the last six (6) months |
| Print quality | Printed on thin photo paper; retouching that changes your appearance is unacceptable |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
a clear, front view, full face
Key requirements
- One 2 x 2 inch photograph
The requirements sheet says "Glue one (1) passport size photo (2x2) on the application form", and the form's photo box is labelled "2" x 2" PHOTO GLUE HERE". The same single photo is asked for with a first application, a renewal and a replacement.
- Taken within the last six months
The form asks for a photograph "sufficiently recent (taken within the last six (6) months) to be a good likeness of you". An older picture is outside the rule even if it still looks like you.
- Clear, front view, full face
The photograph must be "a clear, front view, full face". Look straight at the camera with your whole face in view.
- Normal street attire, no hat or dark glasses
The form says the photograph is "taken in normal street attire without a hat or dark glasses".
- Plain light (white) background
The print must have "a plain light (white) background". The form names white in brackets as the example of a plain light background.
- Colour, on thin photo paper
The photograph must be in colour and "printed on thin photo paper".
- No retouching that changes your appearance
The form says "Photographs retouched so that your appearance is changed are unacceptable". It does not address ordinary cropping or resizing.
- The photo goes on a notarised form
The application must be notarised, and the form tells you not to sign until an oath-administering official asks. The photo box is on the same page as the signature and seal, and the declaration says the attached photograph is "a true likeness of me".
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Use one colour photograph taken within the last six months.
- Make the print 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).
- Face the camera with your whole face in view.
- Stand in front of a plain light (white) background.
- Have the photo printed on thin photo paper.
- Glue the photo in the box on the application form.
- Ask the Passport Office if you wear a head covering or glasses every day.
Don't
- Do not wear a hat or dark glasses.
- Do not use a photograph older than six months.
- Do not retouch the picture so that your appearance changes.
- Do not use a black-and-white photograph.
- Do not sign the form before the notary or other official asks you to.
Sample photos
How a Palau passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Dark glasses are not allowed. The form says the photograph must be taken "without a hat or dark glasses". It says nothing about clear prescription glasses, so there is no published rule for or against them. If you wear them every day, ask the Passport Office before you print.
Headwear and religious dress
The form says the photograph must be taken "without a hat". It does not mention religious, cultural or medical head coverings, and no exception is published. The same sentence requires a "clear, front view, full face", so ask the Passport Office whether a head covering that leaves the face fully visible is accepted.
Babies and children
The form gives the same photo rule to everyone: one 2 x 2 inch photograph, taken within six months. It says each person must obtain their own passport, and that a passport is valid for 10 years from the date of issuance for applicants aged 16 or over and for 5 years for applicants aged 15 or younger. No separate photo size, background or pose rule is published for babies or children.
Printed and digital photos
Palau describes a paper application. One printed photograph is glued to the form, and no page read describes uploading a digital file or gives a pixel size. If you take the photo on a phone, it can be cropped to a square and resized to 2 x 2 inches, then printed on photo paper at a photo counter and cut to size. The form asks for thin photo paper, so tell the lab that the print is for a passport form.
Where to submit the photo
The form says a first-time applicant should "complete and submit this application personally", with proof of Palau citizenship, proof of identity, one colour photograph and the fee. The Passport Office is part of the Ministry of State at The National Capitol in Ngerulmud. The application must be notarised, and the form lists a Clerk of Court, a Passport Agent, a Notary Public and "Palau Consular Serv." as the officials who can administer the oath.
The Ministry of State lists Palauan embassies and consulates in Washington DC, Tokyo, Manila and Taipei, a mission to the United Nations in New York, and offices in Guam, Hawaii, Saipan and the United Kingdom. No page read says which of them accept passport applications, and none publishes its own photo rules. Contact the Passport Office on the number or email given on its page before you apply from abroad.
How to get your Palau passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Palau passport: 2 × 2 in print, a plain light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one 2 x 2 inch photograph; taken within the last six months; clear, front view, full face; normal street attire, no hat or dark glasses.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Palau describes a paper application. One printed photograph is glued to the form, and no page read describes uploading a digital file or gives a pixel size.
- Submit the photo with your application. The form says a first-time applicant should "complete and submit this application personally", with proof of Palau citizenship, proof of identity, one colour photograph and the fee.
Palau passport photo FAQ
The Palau Passport Office form says the photograph "must bear a size of 2" x 2"", which is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). The requirements sheet repeats it as "passport size photo (2x2)" and says to glue it on the application form.
Taken within the last six months. The form asks for a photograph "sufficiently recent (taken within the last six (6) months) to be a good likeness of you".
A plain light background. The form words it "plain light (white) background", so white is the colour it names. It also says the photograph must be in colour.
Not a hat, and not dark glasses. The form says "without a hat or dark glasses". It does not mention clear prescription glasses or head coverings, so ask the Passport Office if either applies to you.
Not in a way that changes how you look. The form says "Photographs retouched so that your appearance is changed are unacceptable". It does not mention cropping or resizing, which a paper print needs anyway.
No upload is described. The requirements sheet says to glue one passport-size photo on the application form, and the form says the photograph is printed on thin photo paper. Bring or send the printed photo with the form.
One. The requirements sheet says "Glue one (1) passport size photo (2x2) on the application form" for a new applicant, a renewal and a lost or damaged passport replacement.
It may, but no page read says how. Palau and the International Organization for Migration launched an e-passport project in April 2025 for electronic passports with embedded biometric data. Until the Passport Office publishes new rules, use its current form.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Guam passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Marshall Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Micronesia passport photo 30.2 × 44.5 mm
- Northern Mariana Islands passport photo 2 × 2 in
Also 2 × 2 in
- American Samoa passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Armenia eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize residence permit photo 2 × 2 in
- Democratic Republic of the Congo passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Egypt visa photo 2 × 2 in
- All Palau photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 2 × 2 in photo
- Photo specifications in Oceania
Official sources
- Palau Passport Office, Ministry of State, Republic of Palau. Passport Application (Form PA-1) palaugov.pw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Palau Passport Office, Ministry of State, Republic of Palau. Palau Passport Office Requirements palaugov.pw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of State, Republic of Palau. Passport Office palaugov.pw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of State, Republic of Palau. Embassies & Consulates palaugov.pw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- International Organization for Migration. Palau establishes steering committee to guide passport digitalization iom.int. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Palau Passport Office, Ministry of State, Republic of Palau before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Palau passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/palau/passport-photo