Sierra Leone passport photo requirements
The photo rules set by Sierra Leone Immigration Department for the Sierra Leone passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Sierra Leone passport photo requirements?
Sierra Leone publishes no passport photo size. The Immigration Department's online passport portal tells applicants to prepare a clear passport photograph and a signature image, uploaded with the application, and biometrics are captured at a centre in Freetown, Bo, Makeni or Kenema. The department's earlier paper checklist asked for 3 passport-sized photographs on a white background. Ask the department before you print a particular size.
Sierra Leone passports are issued by the Sierra Leone Immigration Department (SLID), which also runs the online passport portal. The department's current website sends applicants to that portal rather than to a printed form. You complete the application online, upload the required documents, pay after submitting using your application number, and then have your biometrics captured at a centre you choose.
The portal's start page lists what to prepare before you begin: "A clear passport photograph and signature image", proof of identity and citizenship for your application type, previous passport details for a renewal or replacement, and police, parent or guardian and official documents where they apply. It gives no photo size, no pixel size, no file size and no background colour. The department's FAQ, fees and notices pages say nothing more about the photograph.
Until early 2026 the department's ordinary passport page was more specific. It asked for three passport-sized photographs with a white background for a first adult application (Form A), a first application for a child under 18 (Form C) and a renewal (Form B). That page has since been removed from the live site, so treat it as the last published wording rather than a current rule.
Sierra Leone passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Sierra Leone Immigration Department:[1]
| Print size | No size published: the portal asks for a "clear passport photograph"; the earlier paper checklist said "passport-sized" |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Uploaded online with the application; the portal publishes no pixel size |
| Background | White (earlier paper checklist: "white background"); the current portal names no colour |
| File size | Not stated by the portal |
| Print quality | Not stated; the earlier paper checklist asked for 3 printed photographs |
Key requirements
- Apply on the Immigration Department's portal
The department's website links to its own passport portal. You choose where you are applying from, a biometric centre, the passport type and the application type, then complete the form, upload documents and review before submitting.
- A clear photograph and a signature image
Have a clear passport photograph and a separate signature image ready before you start. The portal gives no size, so keep the original high-quality file in case the form asks you to resize it.
- Biometrics at a named centre
Applicants in Sierra Leone choose Freetown, Bo, Makeni or Kenema for biometric capture. Applicants abroad enter their current country, and a new application also registers the nearest Sierra Leone mission. The earlier paper checklist described fingerprints being captured after payment.
- White background in the earlier checklist
The department's earlier ordinary passport page asked for passport-sized photographs with a white background. The current portal does not repeat the colour, so white is the only background colour the department has published.
- No official size, including 35 x 45 mm
No official page read for this guide states 35 x 45 mm or any other dimension for a Sierra Leone passport photo. If you need prints, ask the biometric centre or your mission which size it wants.
- Use official channels only
The department's FAQ warns applicants to use only official portals and approved payment channels, and not to share voucher codes or personal details with unverified third parties.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Prepare a clear passport photograph and a signature image before you start.
- Use a plain white background, as the earlier paper checklist asked.
- Start from the Immigration Department's own website to reach the official portal.
- Check the portal's document list for your application type.
- Keep your application number for payment and tracking.
Don't
- Do not assume a fixed print size: none is published.
- Do not share voucher codes or personal details with unverified third parties.
- Do not pay through channels the department has not approved.
- Do not treat the retired paper checklist as a current requirement.
Babies and children
The department's earlier checklist for a child under 18 asked for Form C, three passport-sized photographs with a white background, a birth certificate, a parent's passport or Sierra Leone national identity card, and an adoption letter or court order if the child had been adopted.
The current portal says only to prepare police, parent or guardian and official documents where they apply, and does not list what a child's application needs. Follow the portal's prompts for the child's age, and take the child to the biometric centre you chose.
Printed and digital photos
The portal asks for an uploaded photograph, so a digital file is what you need for the form. The earlier paper checklist asked for three printed photographs, and the portal pages say nothing about prints, so ask your biometric centre whether to bring any.
If prints are needed, a digital photo can be cropped to the size the centre asks for and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Submit the application on the passport portal run by the Sierra Leone Immigration Department. Its headquarters are at 14 Gloucester Street, Freetown. Biometrics are captured at Freetown, Bo, Makeni or Kenema, and the portal says to submit the complete application before paying the fee.
If you live abroad, the portal asks for your country and registers the nearest Sierra Leone mission. The Sierra Leone High Commission in London says that, as government policy, it no longer processes applications for ordinary passports, although it still tells applicants to collect the application form from the High Commission. The page is undated, so confirm with your mission before relying on it.
How to get your Sierra Leone passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Sierra Leone passport: white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: apply on the Immigration Department's portal; a clear photograph and a signature image; biometrics at a named centre; white background in the earlier checklist.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The portal asks for an uploaded photograph, so a digital file is what you need for the form. The earlier paper checklist asked for three printed photographs, and the portal pages say nothing about prints, so ask your biometric centre whether to bring any.
- Submit the photo with your application. Submit the application on the passport portal run by the Sierra Leone Immigration Department. Its headquarters are at 14 Gloucester Street, Freetown.
Sierra Leone passport photo FAQ
No size is published. The Immigration Department's passport portal asks for a "clear passport photograph" and its earlier paper checklist said "passport-sized", but neither gives millimetres or pixels. Ask the department or your biometric centre before you print.
The portal asks you to prepare one clear passport photograph to upload. The department's earlier paper checklist asked for three passport-sized photographs. The portal does not say whether prints are needed at the biometric centre, so ask before you go.
The department's earlier ordinary passport page asked for a white background. The current portal names no colour. White is therefore the only colour the department has published, and a plain white background fits it.
Yes. The Immigration Department's website links to an online passport portal where you complete the application, upload documents, pay with your application number after submitting and then follow progress. Biometrics are captured in person at a centre.
Applicants in Sierra Leone choose Freetown, Bo, Makeni or Kenema on the portal. Applicants abroad enter their current country, and a new application also registers the nearest Sierra Leone mission. The portal does not say whether the photograph is retaken at the centre.
The portal lets applicants abroad name the nearest mission, but the London High Commission's undated page says it no longer processes ordinary passport applications. Contact your mission before you rely on it for a passport.
The pages read for this guide ask for a clear passport photograph and do not say who must take it. They do not require a studio, but they publish no technical rules either, so a sharp, evenly lit, plain white background photo is the safest choice.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Benin passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Burkina Faso passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Côte d'Ivoire assport photo 40 × 40 mm
- Ghana passport photo 140 × 170 px
- Liberia passport photo
- Mali passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mauritania passport photo
- Niger passport photo
- Nigeria passport photo
- Saint Helena passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Sierra Leone photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Sierra Leone Immigration Department. Online Passport Applications passport.slid.datahub.gov.sl. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Sierra Leone Immigration Department. Start a passport application passport.slid.datahub.gov.sl. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Sierra Leone Immigration Department. Frequently Asked Questions slid.gov.sl. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Sierra Leone Immigration Department. Notices and Advisories slid.gov.sl. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Sierra Leone Immigration Department (Internet Archive copy). Ordinary Passport (retired page, Internet Archive copy of 11 February 2026) web.archive.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Sierra Leone High Commission, London. Passport Services slhc-uk.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Sierra Leone Immigration Department before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Sierra Leone passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/sierra-leone/passport-photo