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Republic of the Congo passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, Paris for the Republic of the Congo passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Republic of the Congo passport photo?

The photo size for a Congolese passport depends on where you apply. The Paris embassy's online application asks for a colour 35x45 photo on a white background, scanned and uploaded. The Washington embassy lists two 4 cm x 4 cm photos on a white background, with a neutral expression, for applications made in Congo. Paris also asks for a medical certificate if you wear medical glasses.

The Republic of the Congo issues a biometric CEMAC passport, which the Paris embassy says is valid for five years. This page covers the Republic of the Congo, whose capital is Brazzaville. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a different country with its own pages. The Washington embassy says the CEMAC biometric passport has been mandatory for Congolese citizens since 2015, and that applicants in Congo take the application form from the Office of Emigration of the Direction Générale de la Surveillance Territoriale (DGST).

Abroad, the embassy processes the application and the passport is produced in Brazzaville. The Paris embassy runs the process online: you create an account, scan and insert your documents, including a photo, pay the fee, then book an appointment for fingerprints at the embassy's enrolment centre. A consular card must come first. The Washington embassy has had a permanent CEMAC enrolment centre since a decree of 16 August 2021, serving Congolese in the United States, Canada, Mexico and surrounding areas.

Photo rules therefore depend on the channel. Paris asks for a "35x45" colour photo on white. The Washington embassy lists two 4 cm x 4 cm photos for an application made in Congo itself, and its page does not publish the photo rule of its own enrolment centre. Neither embassy gives a head size or an eye position.

Republic of the Congo passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, Paris:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm online (Paris embassy writes "35x45", no unit); in Congo, 4 cm x 4 cm (Washington embassy)
Digital sizeParis: a scan inserted into the online application, no pixel size published
BackgroundWhite (Paris and Washington embassies)
ColourColour photo (Paris embassy)
Photo ageRecent photo (Paris embassy); no number of months published
Print qualityIn Congo, per Washington: two photos, neutral expression, facing the camera
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: white.

In the official words

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

Passeport Biométrique CEMAC

Demande de passeport[1]

Two colored passport photographs (2*2 inches or 51 *51 mm)

Passport (consular service, English)[3]

Two (2) photographs, format 4 cm × 4 cm, white background, neutral facial expression facing the camera

Passport (consular service, English)[3]

Key requirements

  • Paris online upload: 35x45, colour, white

    The Paris embassy says that when registering online the applicant must scan and insert "une photo d'identité couleur 35x45 sur fond blanc", a colour identity photo 35x45 on a white background (translated from French). It writes no unit; the dimensions are read here as millimetres.

  • Applications made in Congo: 4 cm x 4 cm

    The Washington embassy's list of documents for a CEMAC passport application in Congo includes "Two (2) photographs, format 4 cm × 4 cm, white background, neutral facial expression facing the camera."

  • The Washington enrolment centre is not described

    The Washington passport page says the enrolment conditions are in a communiqué on "CEMAC ordinary passports". That October 2021 notice (about a visiting mission) is listed on the embassy's announcements page, but the file it links to no longer loads, so no photo rule for the centre is published.

  • Medical glasses need a certificate

    The Paris file lists "Certificat médical pour porteurs de lunettes médicales", a medical certificate for people who wear medical glasses (translated from French). The page does not say what the certificate must state.

  • A consular card comes first

    Paris says getting the consular card is a prerequisite for any application to issue or renew the CEMAC biometric passport, and that each request is individual, with its own account and email address.

  • Fingerprints are taken at an appointment

    After paying, the Paris applicant books a fingerprint appointment at the embassy's enrolment centre. The passport is produced in Brazzaville and handed back only to the applicant, against the receipt given at enrolment.

  • Minors need a parental authorisation

    Paris lists "Autorisation parentale pour les mineurs" in its file (translated: parental authorisation for minors). It publishes no separate photo size or pose for children.

  • Head size and eye line are not published

    No Congolese page read gives a head height, a margin or an eye position. The only numeric guidance is the ICAO baseline, which is not a Congolese text.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Choose the size by the place of application: 35x45 for the Paris online file, 4 cm x 4 cm for an application made in Congo.
  • Use a colour photo on a plain white background.
  • Face the lens with a neutral expression.
  • Get the consular card before you start a Paris passport request.
  • Ask the Washington consular section which photo it wants at its enrolment centre before you print.

Don't

  • Do not assume 2 x 2 inches for a passport: no passport page read asks for it.
  • Do not send a photo with a coloured or patterned background.
  • Do not skip the medical certificate if you wear medical glasses and apply through Paris.
  • Do not mix this page up with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has different photo rules.

Sample photos

How a Republic of the Congo 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

The Paris embassy's file list includes a medical certificate for people who wear medical glasses (translated from French). It does not say whether glasses are allowed in the photo. ICAO's photograph guidelines, a baseline and not a Congolese text, say the photograph must show your eyes clearly, with no flash reflection off the glasses and no tinted lenses, and the frames must not cover any part of your eyes.

Headwear and religious dress

No Congolese page read sets a rule on headwear. The ICAO baseline says head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, and that the facial features from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and both edges of the face, must be clearly shown.

Babies and children

Paris lists a parental authorisation for minors among the documents of a passport file. The Washington embassy's list for applications made in Congo does not mention minors. Neither page sets a different photo size or pose for children, so use the size of the channel you apply through.

Paris is the digital channel: the applicant scans the photo and inserts it into the online application, and the page publishes no pixel size or file format for the passport. In Congo, the Washington list asks for two photographs, which means prints. For the Washington enrolment centre, no instruction was found.

A digital photo can be cropped to the size the channel needs and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut to size. Do not use a 2 x 2 inch crop for a passport unless an embassy asks you to.

Where to submit the photo

In Congo, the application form comes from the Office of Emigration of the DGST, and the Washington page lists the supporting documents, among them the birth certificate, the nationality certificate or national ID card, proof of profession, a criminal record extract, the fee and the two photographs. It warns that missing documents lead to systematic rejection.

From Paris, the embassy's online platform handles the request for residents of its consular district. Passports are collected in person on the embassy's collection days, and the embassy no longer extends passports. In Washington, the consular section cannot extend a CEMAC passport either; an expired one must be replaced at the enrolment centre or in Congo, and applicants with no dual nationality who renew in Congo first obtain a laissez-passer for the trip.

How to get your Republic of the Congo passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Republic of the Congo passport: 35 × 45 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: paris online upload: 35x45, colour, white; applications made in Congo: 4 cm x 4 cm; the Washington enrolment centre is not described; medical glasses need a certificate.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Paris is the digital channel: the applicant scans the photo and inserts it into the online application, and the page publishes no pixel size or file format for the passport. In Congo, the Washington list asks for two photographs, which means prints.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Congo, the application form comes from the Office of Emigration of the DGST, and the Washington page lists the supporting documents, among them the birth certificate, the nationality certificate or national ID card, proof of profession, a criminal record…

Make this photo online

Republic of the Congo passport photo FAQ

It depends on the channel. The Paris embassy's online application asks for a colour 35x45 photo on white. The Washington embassy lists 4 cm x 4 cm photos for an application made in Congo. Check which applies to you.

For the Paris online file, yes: the embassy writes "35x45" without a unit, and millimetres is the reading that fits. No Congolese page read gives 35 x 45 mm for applications made in Congo.

For an application made in the Republic of the Congo, the Washington embassy's list asks for two photographs of 4 cm × 4 cm on a white background, with a neutral expression, facing the camera.

No passport page read asks for it. The 2 x 2 inch size appears only for the laissez-passer on the Washington embassy's English page, while its French page gives 4 x 4 for the same document.

White. Both the Paris embassy's online application and the Washington embassy's list for applications in Congo say white.

The Paris file asks people who wear medical glasses for a medical certificate and does not say if the photo may show them. The ICAO baseline asks for visible eyes, no reflections and no tinted lenses.

Paris wants a scan of the photo inserted into its online application. The Washington list for applications in Congo asks for two photographs. No pixel size is published.

The passport is produced in Brazzaville. In Congo the form comes from the Office of Emigration of the DGST, and embassies such as Paris instruct the request and take the fingerprints.

No. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a separate country with its own passport and photo rules. This page covers the Republic of the Congo, whose capital is Brazzaville.

Related photo specifications

Other Republic of the Congo documents

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, Paris. Demande de passeport ambacongofr.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, Washington. Passeport (service consulaire) ambacongo-us.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, Washington. Passport (consular service, English) ambacongo-us.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, Washington. Communiqué passeports ordinaires CEMAC ambacongo-us.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Photograph Guidelines (Doc 9303 Annex A) icao.int. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, Paris before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Republic of the Congo passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/republic-of-the-congo/passport-photo

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