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Qatar passport photo requirements

The 35 × 48 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar for the Qatar passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 9 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Qatar passport photo?

A Qatari passport photo is 3.5 x 4.8 cm (35 x 48 mm) with a grey background, according to Qatari embassies, which ask most applicants for two prints; Canberra and Zagreb want three and Kuwait four. In Qatar, the Ministry of Interior asks for two recent passport-size photos for a new passport and publishes no dimensions. No official page sets a head size or rules on glasses or headwear.

Qatari passports are issued to citizens by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) under Decree No. 14 of 1993. Inside Qatar the work belongs to the ministry's Nationality and Travel Documents Department, which serves the public at its main office in Al Gharrafa and at five branch centres around the country. For a new passport the department asks for two recent passport-size photos together with a copy of the applicant's Qatari ID card, or a copy of the birth certificate for someone who has no ID card yet.

A citizen who is abroad when the passport expires, or who loses it there, deals with a Qatari embassy instead. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs counts new passports for Qataris whose passports ran out during a long stay abroad, such as study, medical treatment or training, among the services of its missions. The embassies' consular pages are the only official texts that give the passport photo a size and a colour: two personal photos with a grey background, 4.8 x 3.5 in size, which the embassy in Kuwait writes as 3.5 x 4.8 cm.

Qatar passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar:[1]

Print size35 x 48 mm (3.5 x 4.8 cm), as Qatari embassies state it; the MOI in Qatar says only "passport-size"
Digital sizeNone published: the MOI and Qatari embassies list printed photos only
BackgroundGrey (Qatari embassies abroad); the MOI names no colour for applications made in Qatar
ColourColour (the embassy in Zagreb asks for "personal color" photos)
Photo ageRecent (MOI); no time limit is published
Pixels when printed413 × 567 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1134 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm48 mm
35 × 48 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: grey.

In the official words

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

photo size should be ( 4.8X 3.5 )

Consular Services (issuance of passports)[5]

personal photos with grey background

Consular Services (issuance of passports)[5]

Key requirements

  • Grey background

    Every Qatari embassy page that describes the passport photo asks for a grey background. The MOI's own list of passport requirements for applications made in Qatar names no colour at all.

  • 3.5 cm wide, 4.8 cm high

    The embassies write the size as 4.8 x 3.5 without a unit. The embassy in Kuwait gives the same figures in centimetres, as 3.5 x 4.8 cm, which is 35 mm wide and 48 mm high.

  • Two photos at most missions

    London, Washington, Paris, New Delhi, Singapore, Ankara and Amman ask for two photos. The embassy in Canberra asks for three, the embassy in Zagreb for three colour photos, and the embassy in Kuwait for four.

  • Recent photos for a new passport

    The Nationality and Travel Documents Department asks for two recent passport-size photos for a new passport. It does not say how many months old a photo may be.

  • A child applies with the parents' papers

    For a child's Qatari passport the MOI asks for copies of both parents' ID cards, a copy of the child's birth certificate and a copy of the parents' marriage contract.

  • No published face rules

    Neither the MOI nor the embassies publish a head size, an expression rule, or rules on glasses and headwear for the passport photo. Ask the office handling your application if you are unsure about any of these.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Print the photos at 3.5 x 4.8 cm (35 x 48 mm)
  • Use a grey background for an application made at an embassy
  • Check how many photos your embassy wants before you print
  • Take a new photo for each application
  • Bring a copy of your Qatari ID card, or your birth certificate if you have no card

Don't

  • Do not use a white background for an embassy application
  • Do not bring 2 x 2 inch prints: no official passport rule uses that size
  • Do not send black-and-white prints
  • Do not assume the MOI in Qatar and your embassy want the same number of photos

Sample photos

How a Qatar passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 48 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.

Headwear and religious dress

The official rules are silent on head coverings. The MOI's list of passport requirements and the consular pages of Qatari embassies in London, Washington, Paris, Kuwait, Canberra and elsewhere say how many photos to bring, what size they are and that the background is grey. None of them mentions the ghutra, agal, hijab or shayla, either to allow it or to rule it out.

Because no rule is published, ask the Nationality and Travel Documents Department or your embassy before the photo is taken if you intend to wear a head covering in it.

Babies and children

The MOI publishes no separate photo rules for children, and the embassy photo instructions make no exception for them. A child's first Qatari passport is applied for with copies of both parents' ID cards, the child's birth certificate and the parents' marriage contract.

For a baby born abroad, Qatari missions issue a passage permit for the journey to Qatar. Most of their consular pages ask for two personal photos for it without giving a size or background; the embassy in Kuwait asks for one 4 x 6 cm photo of the child.

Every official instruction for the Qatari passport photo concerns printed photos. The embassies want prints of 3.5 x 4.8 cm on a grey background, and the MOI in Qatar asks for two passport-size prints without giving dimensions. Neither publishes a pixel size or file format for a digital photo.

This page also offers 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) and 38 x 48 mm versions. Neither size appears in any official rule for the Qatari passport. The 2 x 2 inch size is what the Qatari Embassy in Washington asks for with tourist visa applications, and 38 x 48 mm matches the 4.8 x 3.8 photo box on MOI residence forms. For a passport applied for at an embassy, use 3.5 x 4.8 cm on grey; if the MOI office or your mission tells you something different, follow its instruction.

A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to size.

Where to submit the photo

In Qatar, apply to the Nationality and Travel Documents Department of the MOI. Besides its main office in Al Gharrafa, it runs branch centres in Al Ruwais, Al Khor, Al Wakrah, Al Shahaniya and Mesaimeer, and it serves both Qatari and GCC citizens.

Abroad, go to the Qatari embassy. The embassy in Zagreb, for example, asks for the passport application form (which the embassy supplies), the original passport, a clear copy of the ID card, three colour photos and a written request to renew. If a passport is lost abroad, missions issue a passage permit to return to Qatar, for which they ask two personal photos.

How to get your Qatar passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Qatar passport: 35 × 48 mm print, grey background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: grey background; 3.5 cm wide, 4.8 cm high; two photos at most missions; recent photos for a new passport.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Every official instruction for the Qatari passport photo concerns printed photos. The embassies want prints of 3.5 x 4.8 cm on a grey background, and the MOI in Qatar asks for two passport-size prints without giving dimensions.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Qatar, apply to the Nationality and Travel Documents Department of the MOI. Besides its main office in Al Gharrafa, it runs branch centres in Al Ruwais, Al Khor, Al Wakrah, Al Shahaniya and Mesaimeer, and it serves both Qatari and GCC citizens.

Make this photo online

Qatar passport photo FAQ

Qatari embassies ask for photos 3.5 cm wide and 4.8 cm high (35 x 48 mm). Their pages write the size as 4.8 x 3.5 without a unit, and the embassy in Kuwait gives it as 3.5 x 4.8 cm. The MOI in Qatar asks for passport-size photos but does not state dimensions.

Grey. The consular pages of Qatari embassies, including those in London, Washington, Paris and Kuwait, ask for personal photos with a grey background. The MOI's requirements for applications made in Qatar do not mention a background colour.

Two in Qatar: the MOI asks for two recent passport-size photos for a new passport. Most embassies also ask for two, but the embassy in Canberra asks for three, the embassy in Zagreb for three colour photos and the embassy in Kuwait for four.

No official rule answers this. The MOI and the Qatari embassy pages describe the number, size and background of the photos and say nothing about the ghutra, agal, hijab or other head coverings. Ask the office handling your application before the photo is taken.

The MOI and the Qatari embassies do not publish a rule on glasses for the passport photo. If you normally wear glasses, ask the Nationality and Travel Documents Department or your embassy what it accepts before you have the photos printed.

No official passport rule gives that size. Qatari embassies ask for 3.5 x 4.8 cm. The 2 x 2 inch size does appear on the Qatari Embassy in Washington's page, but for tourist visa applications, not for passports.

Apply at the nearest Qatari embassy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says its missions issue new passports to Qataris whose passports expired while they were away, for example during study, treatment or training. Bring the photos your embassy specifies, normally 3.5 x 4.8 cm on grey.

Related photo specifications

Other Qatar documents

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar. Nationality and Travel Documents Department: services and requirements portal.moi.gov.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar. Nationality and Travel Documents Department: introduction portal.moi.gov.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar. Nationality and Travel Documents Department: service locations portal.moi.gov.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar. Consular Services mofa.gov.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of the State of Qatar, London. Consular Services (issuance of passports) london.embassy.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Embassy of the State of Qatar, Kuwait. Services (Qatari passports) kuwait.embassy.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of the State of Qatar, Washington DC. Services (passports and tourist visa) washington.embassy.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Embassy of the State of Qatar, Canberra. Consular Services canberra.embassy.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.
  9. Embassy of the State of Qatar, Zagreb. Embassy Services (passport issuance and renewal) zagreb.embassy.qa. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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