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Panama passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá (APAP) for the Panama 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 Panama passport photo?

In Panama you bring no photo: the Autoridad de Pasaportes (APAP) takes it at its office. Abroad it depends on the consulate. The government portal lists two passport-size photos on a completely white background to ICAO rules, Germany accepts prints from 3.5 x 4.5 cm up to 4 x 5 cm, and Ottawa asks for three 4 x 5 cm prints. Glasses are not allowed.

The Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá (APAP) issues Panamanian passports. Inside Panama you apply in person at its offices with your valid cédula, plus a birth certificate with B/.3.00 in fiscal stamps for a first passport, or the expired or expiring passport for a renewal. APAP states that the photograph is taken there: "En las oficinas de la Autoridad se le tomará la fotografía para su pasaporte y la confección del mismo" (at the Authority's offices your passport photograph will be taken and the passport made). Its checklist for ordinary applicants lists no photograph to bring.

Panamanians abroad can ask the consulate for their area to issue or renew a passport. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says this is done together with APAP. According to Panamá Digital, the consul signs and seals the documents, and the consulate sends them by courier to APAP. Here the photo depends on the post. The government portal Panamá Digital says two passport-size photos meeting ICAO rules, on a completely white background. The embassy in Germany accepts prints from 3.5 x 4.5 cm to 4 x 5 cm, or takes the picture itself at its Berlin office. The consular section in Ottawa asks for three prints of 4 x 5 cm.

The Panamá Digital page names the consulates in Houston, Washington D.C., Miami and New York as having an enrolment system, without saying how the photo is handled there. The Washington consulate page says renewal is in person, by appointment, and gives no photo rule.

Panama passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá (APAP):[1]

Print sizeNo print at APAP offices. Abroad: from 3.5 x 4.5 cm up to 4 x 5 cm (Germany); 4 x 5 cm (Ottawa)
Digital sizeNo upload: APAP captures the photo at the counter; consulates ask for prints
BackgroundCompletely white (consulate prints); at APAP offices the office takes the photo
ColourColour (Germany: "a colores")
Print qualityConsulate prints: front view, vertical, no writing or stamps on the photo (Ottawa)
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: completely white.

Key requirements

  • Photographed at the APAP office

    For a passport applied for in Panama you bring no photograph. APAP takes it when you attend in person with your cédula, and an ordinary adult applicant is asked only for the cédula and the birth certificate or old passport. Only the "Rentista Retirado" category, handled with the Servicio Nacional de Migración, lists "Tres (3) fotografías", without a size.

  • Prints abroad differ by consulate

    Panamá Digital asks for two passport-size photos to ICAO rules. The embassy in Germany asks for 3 prints for an adult and 4 for a minor if you apply by mail, and none if you attend its Berlin office. Ottawa asks for three 4 x 5 cm prints. Check your own consulate.

  • Completely white background

    Panamá Digital says "El fondo de la fotografía debe ser completamente blanco" (the background must be completely white). Germany says "fondo totalmente blanco", and Ottawa asks for a white background and no white clothing.

  • No glasses

    Panamá Digital lists "No anteojos" and Ottawa "No gafas" (no glasses). The embassy in Germany prefers none and, if you need them for medical reasons, asks for clear lenses without glare and thin frames.

  • Ears visible, face uncovered

    The ICAO list on Panamá Digital asks for you to stand upright and centred, looking at the camera, with ears visible and no piercings or hair ribbons or clips. Germany adds that the face, eyebrows and ears stay uncovered, with women's hair pulled back.

  • Expression: the consulates disagree

    Panamá Digital accepts a smile without showing teeth. Ottawa asks for a neutral expression, without a smile and without showing teeth. Keep a closed mouth and a neutral face if you are unsure.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Take your valid cédula to the APAP office; the photo is taken there.
  • Ask your consulate how many prints it wants and in what size before printing.
  • Use a completely white background for any print you supply.
  • Keep your ears and the whole face visible.
  • Sign the fingerprint form and have the prints taken at the consulate if you apply abroad.

Don't

  • Do not bring your own photo to an APAP office.
  • Do not wear glasses in the photo.
  • Do not wear white clothing, low-cut tops or bare shoulders in a consulate print.
  • Do not wear piercings, or ribbons and clips in your hair.
  • Do not write on or stamp a consulate print.

Sample photos

How a Panama passport 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.

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

Glasses are not allowed under the ICAO list on Panamá Digital ("No anteojos") or in the Ottawa instructions ("No gafas"). The embassy in Germany asks for none where possible and, if you need them for medical reasons, for clear lenses with no glare and thin frames. APAP publishes no separate glasses rule for the photo it takes at its own counter.

Headwear and religious dress

Panamá Digital applies the ICAO rule that Muslim women may wear a veil, and men a turban, as long as the face is not covered. The embassy in Germany asks that the face, eyebrows and ears stay uncovered, and the Ottawa instructions want hair behind the ears with no accessories. No page read states a headwear rule for the APAP counter.

Babies and children

A child's passport needs both parents present at APAP with a valid cédula, passport or migration card, and the child's cédula juvenil or birth certificate. For passports applied for at a consulate, Panamá Digital asks for a fingerprint form from age 13, and children under 13 are exempt. The embassy in Germany says the same photo rules apply to minors and asks for 4 prints, not 3, when a minor applies by mail.

At an APAP office the photo is captured on the spot, so there is no print and no upload. At consulates it depends on the post: Berlin captures the photo, signature and prints at the embassy, while the mail option in Germany and the Ottawa appointment need prints. A digital photo can be cropped and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut to the size your consulate states.

Where to submit the photo

In Panama, go to an APAP office in person; the holder must collect the passport, and a minor's passport can be collected by a parent, guardian or authorised person. Card payments and Banco Nacional deposits are accepted, and cash is not.

Abroad, ask the Panamanian consulate for your area. It checks and seals your documents, adds the fingerprint form and sends everything to APAP by courier. Berlin and Ottawa book appointments by email, and Washington D.C. by telephone or email.

How to get your Panama passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Panama passport: 35 × 45 mm print, completely white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photographed at the APAP office; prints abroad differ by consulate; completely white background; no glasses.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. At an APAP office the photo is captured on the spot, so there is no print and no upload.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Panama, go to an APAP office in person; the holder must collect the passport, and a minor's passport can be collected by a parent, guardian or authorised person. Card payments and Banco Nacional deposits are accepted, and cash is not.

Make this photo online

Panama passport photo FAQ

Not when you apply at an APAP office in Panama, because the Authority says it takes the photograph there. At a consulate it depends on the post: some ask for two or three prints, while the Berlin office captures the photo during the appointment.

No single size is published. The embassy in Germany accepts 3.5 x 4.5 cm up to 4 x 5 cm, the consular section in Ottawa asks for 4 x 5 cm, and the Panamá Digital page says "tamaño pasaporte" (passport size). Ask your consulate before printing.

White. Panamá Digital requires a completely white background, Germany says "fondo totalmente blanco", and the Ottawa instructions say "Fondo blanco". Clothing should not be white either, according to Germany and Ottawa.

No. Panamá Digital and the Ottawa instructions both rule out glasses. The embassy in Germany prefers none and allows clear thin-framed lenses without glare only when they are medically needed.

It depends on the source. Panamá Digital accepts a smile without showing teeth, while the Ottawa instructions ask for a neutral expression without a smile or visible teeth. A closed mouth with a neutral face satisfies both.

Through the Panamanian consulate for their area, which works with APAP. Adults supply an application form, a fingerprint form, a valid cédula and the expired passport. The consul signs and seals the file, and the consulate sends it by courier to APAP.

At APAP in Panama no print is asked for, and both parents attend. At a consulate the rules depend on the post: the embassy in Germany asks for 4 prints for a minor applying by mail, and children from age 13 sign a fingerprint form.

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Official sources

  1. Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá (APAP). Trámite de Pasaportes de Panamá apap.gob.pa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá (APAP). Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá, Trámite de Pasaportes (pasos) apap.gob.pa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá (APAP). Preguntas Frecuentes apap.gob.pa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Panamá Digital, Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá. Renovación de Pasaporte en el Exterior panamadigital.gob.pa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Panamá (MIRE). Servicios consulares mire.gob.pa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Embajada de Panamá en Alemania. Solicitud de pasaportes botschaft-panama.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Embajada de Panamá en Canadá (sección consular, Ottawa). Pasaportes embassyofpanamaincanada.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Embajada y Consulado de Panamá en Washington, D.C.. Pasaporte embassyofpanama.org. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Autoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá (APAP) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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