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Samoa passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for the Samoa passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 7 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Samoa passport photo?

A Samoan passport application needs two printed photos. The form handled by the Samoa Consulate General in New Zealand gives the size as 45mm X 35mm, which is 35 x 45 mm in portrait. The person who certifies your identity writes "This is a true likeness of (your name)" on the back of one photo and signs it. Samoa publishes no background colour, head size or glasses rule.

Samoan passports go only to Samoan citizens. They are issued by the Immigration Division of the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which runs Samoa Immigration. You can lodge an application at the Immigration Office in Apia, at the Ministry's branch in Salelologa on Savaii, or at the Samoa Consulate General in Auckland. Missions elsewhere take applications too and send them to the Immigration Office in Samoa for processing.

The photo rules are short. The Ministry's passport page and its application form both say "Lodge two photos". The person who certifies your identity in Part B of the form must endorse the back of one photo with the words "This is a true likeness of (your name)" and sign it. Neither the page nor the Ministry's form gives a size. The size appears in the instruction sheet of the form published by the Samoa High Commission in New Zealand: "Enclose two passport photos. (45mm X 35mm)". A passport photo is taller than it is wide, so that means 35 mm wide and 45 mm high.

No page or form read for this guide gives a background colour, head size, eye position or file format, and none mentions glasses or head coverings. Where the official material is silent, this page says so and does not guess. If you apply through a mission, check its own list. Sydney asks for "2 certified passport photos", Tokyo asks for "2 recent passport-sized photos", and the New York mission asks for two passport photos with one notarised on the back.

Samoa passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in); the form words it "45mm X 35mm"
Digital sizeNo digital file: lodge two printed photos with the paper form
BackgroundNo background colour is published in the Samoan forms or pages read
Photo ageNot stated by the Immigration Office; the Tokyo embassy asks for "2 recent passport-sized photos"
Print qualityTwo printed photos, loose (the form says do not staple); the back of one carries the certifier's endorsement
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.

Key requirements

  • Two photos with every application

    The Ministry's passport page says "Lodge two photos", and the checklist on the form lists "2 Photos". The missions in Sydney, Tokyo and New York also ask for two.

  • Size 45mm X 35mm

    The New Zealand form's instruction sheet says "Enclose two passport photos. (45mm X 35mm)". The Ministry's own page and form name no size. In portrait that is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high.

  • One photo carries a signed endorsement

    The Part B certifier writes "This is a true likeness of (your name)" on the back of one photo and signs it. Part B also asks the certifier to tick Yes or No to "I have certified the back of one passport photo of the applicant".

  • Who can certify

    The New Zealand form says the Part B certifier must be a Samoan citizen, not an immediate relative, who has known you for at least two years. The certifier must also belong to a listed group, such as a lawyer or Justice of the Peace, a minister of a Christian religion, a Member of Parliament, senior staff of an overseas mission, a senior officer of a recognised organisation or a prominent Samoa community leader.

  • Do not staple the photos

    The Ministry's form marks the photo box "PHOTOS (don't staple)", so keep the two prints loose and put them in with the form.

  • No background, head size or colour rule is published

    None of the Samoan pages or forms read gives a background colour, a head height, an eye line, a colour or black-and-white rule, or a file format. A clear photo that looks like you today is the sensible reading of "true likeness", but that is advice and not a published rule.

  • Missions word the rule differently

    Sydney lists "2 certified passport photos", Tokyo "2 recent passport-sized photos", and New York two photos with one "notarized by the Notary Officer on the back of the photo". Follow the list of the office that receives your application.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Print two identical photos at 35 x 45 mm.
  • Use a recent, clear photo that looks like you.
  • Ask your Part B certifier to write the true-likeness sentence on the back of one photo and sign it.
  • Keep the two photos loose; do not staple them to the form.
  • Check the list of your mission if you apply outside Samoa and New Zealand.
  • Ask the office about any rule that is not published, such as the background colour.

Don't

  • Do not send only one photo.
  • Do not leave the endorsement off the back of one photo.
  • Do not staple the photos to the form.
  • Do not use an old photo that no longer looks like you.
  • Do not treat another country's head size or background rule as a Samoan requirement.

Sample photos

How a Samoa 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

No Samoan form or page read mentions glasses, so there is no published rule for or against them. The only photo wording is the certifier's statement that the photo is a "true likeness" of you. If glasses are part of how you normally look, ask the Immigration Office or your mission before you print.

Headwear and religious dress

No Samoan form or page read mentions hats or head coverings, so no rule is published either way. The same "true likeness" wording applies. If you wear a head covering every day, ask the office that will receive your application what it accepts.

Babies and children

Children under 16 are handled with a consent section (Section C) on the form, and the Ministry's page asks for written consent from parents or legal guardians. The New Zealand form says "both parents or legal guardians", while the Ministry's web page says "either", so confirm which applies. The New Zealand form also says all children must have their own passport because they are no longer included in a parent's passport, and its checklist lists "2 Photos". No page read sets a different size, background or head rule for babies or children.

Samoa describes a paper application. You lodge two printed photos with the form, and no page read describes uploading a digital photo. If you take the photo on a phone, it can be cropped and resized to 35 x 45 mm, then printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut into two photos. No printing rule is published, such as paper type or whether a home print is accepted, so ask the office if you are unsure.

Where to submit the photo

In Samoa, take the application to the Immigration Office on Level 1 of the Government Building at Eleele Fou in Apia, or to the Ministry's branch at Salelologa Market on Savaii. The Ministry lists both as places that accept passport applications.

In New Zealand, the Samoa High Commission says all passport applications must be lodged with the Samoa Consulate General in Auckland. The High Commission in Wellington offers only the Waiver Letter and the Exemption Stamp.

Other missions take applications and pass them to Samoa. The Sydney consulate says applications it receives are sent to the Immigration Office in Samoa, and the Tokyo embassy says the Immigration Office issues the passport on approval. Each mission lists its own photo wording, as set out above.

How to get your Samoa passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Samoa passport: 35 × 45 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two photos with every application; size 45mm X 35mm; one photo carries a signed endorsement; who can certify.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Samoa describes a paper application. You lodge two printed photos with the form, and no page read describes uploading a digital photo.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Samoa, take the application to the Immigration Office on Level 1 of the Government Building at Eleele Fou in Apia, or to the Ministry's branch at Salelologa Market on Savaii. The Ministry lists both as places that accept passport applications.

Make this photo online

Samoa passport photo FAQ

The form handled by the Samoa Consulate General in New Zealand says "Enclose two passport photos. (45mm X 35mm)". That is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high (1.38 x 1.77 in). The Immigration Office's own page and form say "Lodge two photos" and give no size.

Two. The Ministry's passport page says "Lodge two photos". One of them must carry the certifier's signed endorsement on the back, and the other stays blank.

The person who certifies your identity in Part B of the form endorses the back of one photo with "This is a true likeness of (your name)" and signs it. The form then asks them to confirm that they have certified the back of one passport photo.

No background colour is published. The Ministry's page, the Ministry's form and the New Zealand form do not name one. Ask the office that will receive your application if you want certainty before printing.

No Samoan page or form read mentions glasses, so there is no published rule. The photo has to be a true likeness of you, as the certifier attests. If you are unsure, ask the Immigration Office or your mission.

No upload is described. The Ministry says to lodge two photos with the form at an office, and the missions describe paper applications that are posted or handed in. Print the photos before you apply.

At the Immigration Office in Apia, at the Ministry branch in Salelologa on Savaii, or at the Samoa Consulate General in Auckland. Missions in Sydney, Tokyo and New York also take applications and send them to Samoa.

Yes. The New Zealand form says all children must have their own passport, and its checklist lists "2 Photos" for each application. Under-16s also need the parental consent section completed. No separate photo rule for children is published.

Related photo specifications

Other Samoa documents

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Passport Services mpmc.gov.ws. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Application for Samoan Passport (form MPMC 300) mpmc.gov.ws. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Samoa High Commission, Wellington. Samoa Passport Application Form samoa.org.nz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Samoa High Commission, Wellington. Immigration & Consular Services samoa.org.nz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Samoa Consulate General, Sydney. Passport application requirements samoacgs.com.au. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Embassy of Samoa, Japan. Consular Services samoaembassyjapan.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Samoa Mission to the United Nations, New York. Samoan Passport Renewal Application un.int. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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