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South Africa passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Department of Home Affairs, South Africa for the South Africa passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 14 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the South Africa passport photo?

At a modernised Home Affairs office or a participating bank branch in South Africa you bring no photos: your picture is captured digitally when you apply. Where prints are still needed, mostly at embassies and high commissions abroad, the Department of Home Affairs specification asks for 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) colour photos not more than one month old, head 29 to 34 mm, on a light grey or plain cream background, printed professionally.

South African passports are issued by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). You apply in person, on form DHA-73 in South Africa or DHA-529 abroad. Adults choose between a 32-page tourist passport and the 48-page Maxi passport, and children aged 15 and under receive a minor tourist passport. The smart ID card goes through the same live capture system.

Within South Africa, applications go to Home Affairs offices with live capture, including service points in shopping malls, and to participating bank branches booked through eHomeAffairs. The DHA says photographs are not needed where the process is automated, because images are captured digitally. Its annual performance plan for 2025/26 counted 209 modernised offices and 30 bank branches with live capture in March 2024.

Abroad, embassies, high commissions and consulates still collect prints. London asks for six with a first adult passport, while Canberra, Washington, Toronto and Tokyo ask for four. Every mission page checked uses 35 x 45 mm. No DHA document or mission page lists a 2 x 2 inch size for a South African passport, including the embassy in Washington.

South Africa passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Department of Home Affairs, South Africa:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) prints; none where Home Affairs captures the photo live
Digital sizeNo upload: live capture offices and bank branches take the image digitally
Head heightHead 29 to 34 mm on the DHA template; face takes up 70 to 80% of the photo
BackgroundLight grey or plain cream-coloured (DHA sheet); the Toronto and Tokyo missions ask for white
ColourColour for passports; colour or black and white for ID photos
Photo ageNot more than one month old
Print qualityHigh-quality photo paper, printed professionally, sharp, with no ink marks, creases or damage
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm29–34 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 29–34 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: light grey or plain cream-coloured.

In the official words

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

be printed professionally - photographs printed at home are not likely to be of an acceptable quality

Passport and ID Photograph Specifications[2]

be taken with a light grey or plain cream-coloured background

Passport and ID Photograph Specifications[2]

Key requirements

  • Live capture replaces prints at home

    At Home Affairs offices with live capture and at participating bank branches, your photo and fingerprints are taken digitally when you apply, so the DHA says photographs are not needed there. Not every office is modernised; the Western Cape government advises confirming with your nearest office whether it uses the new biometric system.

  • Two identical colour prints elsewhere

    Where photos are required, the DHA asks for two identical colour photos for a passport. Missions often ask for more: six in London for a first adult passport, and four in Canberra, Washington, Toronto and Tokyo.

  • Head and top of shoulders

    The photo is a close-up of your head and the top of your shoulders. On the DHA template the head measures at least 29 mm and no more than 34 mm, so that your face takes up 70 to 80% of the 35 x 45 mm frame.

  • Light grey or cream behind you

    The DHA sheet asks for a light grey or plain cream-coloured background with a strong definition between face and background. Toronto and Tokyo write white instead, so follow the office that will receive the photos. You must be alone, with no chair backs, toys or other people visible.

  • Neutral face, mouth closed

    Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression and your mouth closed. Obvious grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows are not accepted, your eyes must be open, and no hair may fall across your face.

  • Natural colour, even light

    Lighting must be uniform, with no shadows, flash reflections or red-eye, and the photo must show your natural colour. Unnatural skin tones, washed-out, pixelated and blurred images are among the DHA's rejected examples.

  • One month old, printed by a professional

    Photos may be no more than one month old. They must be printed professionally on high-quality photo paper; the DHA warns that home-printed photos are not likely to be of acceptable quality.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Check whether your Home Affairs office has live capture before printing photos.
  • Apply and book on eHomeAffairs if you want to use a bank branch.
  • Use 35 x 45 mm prints for any mission abroad.
  • Keep your head between 29 and 34 mm tall in the frame.
  • Face the camera square on, with both edges of your face visible.
  • Have the photos printed at a photo lab on photo paper.

Don't

  • Do not order 2 x 2 inch prints for a South African passport.
  • Do not wear a hat or cap, unless for religious reasons.
  • Do not wear dark-tinted lenses or heavy frames.
  • Do not use photos older than one month.
  • Do not include toys, chair backs or another person.
  • Do not attach the photos to the form when applying through Canberra.

Sample photos

How a South Africa passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height 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 DHA specification allows glasses if your eyes are clearly visible: no flash reflection off the lenses, no dark-tinted lenses or heavy frames, and frames that do not cover any part of your eyes.

Several missions are stricter. London asks for photos taken without glasses for a first adult passport and for an emergency travel certificate, and Washington's adult passport checklist says no glasses. Taking them off avoids a second visit.

Headwear and religious dress

Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons. If you wear one for your faith, your facial features from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and both edges of your face, must be clearly shown.

A hat or cap and a covered face both appear among the DHA's rejected examples. London also asks for a clear forehead that is not covered by hair.

Babies and children

Children aged 15 and under receive a minor tourist passport. In South Africa both parents and the child should attend when the application is made; the Western Cape government gives the same advice. Abroad, the High Commission in London has passport applications for children under 15 years and 9 months made through VFS Global, provided the birth is registered with Home Affairs and the child has a South African unabridged birth certificate. Canberra requires consent from both parents on form BI-73 for applicants under 18.

Where prints are needed, a child's photo follows the adult rules: the child alone, with no toys, chair backs or other people visible, eyes open and mouth closed.

In South Africa the photo is digital from the start. eHomeAffairs is used to apply, pay and book, and the live capture office or bank branch photographs you and takes your fingerprints on the spot, so there is nothing to upload or print.

Prints are for missions abroad and for any office without live capture. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo lab. A 2 x 2 inch version is sometimes offered for this passport, but no official source supports that size, so use 35 x 45 mm.

Where to submit the photo

In South Africa, apply at a Home Affairs office with live capture, at a smart ID office, or at a participating bank branch after applying and booking on eHomeAffairs. Applications must be made in person, and the originals of your documents are checked at the branch.

Abroad, apply at the nearest South African embassy, high commission or consulate on form DHA-529, with fingerprints on form DHA-9 for applicants aged 16 and over. Canberra accepts postal applications from Australia, and Washington allows applications by mail. In the UK, adults with a barcoded or smart ID and registered children apply through VFS Global, while first adult passports and emergency travel certificates go to the High Commission.

How to get your South Africa passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the South Africa passport: 35 × 45 mm print, light grey or plain cream-coloured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: live capture replaces prints at home; two identical colour prints elsewhere; head and top of shoulders; light grey or cream behind you.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. In South Africa the photo is digital from the start. eHomeAffairs is used to apply, pay and book, and the live capture office or bank branch photographs you and takes your fingerprints on the spot, so there is nothing to upload or print.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In South Africa, apply at a Home Affairs office with live capture, at a smart ID office, or at a participating bank branch after applying and booking on eHomeAffairs.

Make this photo online

South Africa passport photo FAQ

35 mm wide and 45 mm high (1.38 x 1.77 in). The DHA template puts the head between 29 mm and 34 mm, so your face takes up 70 to 80% of the photo. Every mission page checked, from London to Tokyo, uses the same size.

Not at an office with live capture or at a participating bank branch. The DHA says photos are not needed where the process is automated, because the image is captured digitally. Smaller offices may lack the system, so confirm with your nearest office first.

No official source supports it. The DHA specification and every mission page checked, including the embassy in Washington, ask for 35 x 45 mm. A 2 x 2 inch print is 51 x 51 mm, a different shape from the DHA template.

The DHA sheet says light grey or plain cream-coloured. Some missions, such as Toronto and Tokyo, write white instead. Use the colour stated by the office receiving your application, and avoid busy or patterned backgrounds, which the DHA lists as a reason for rejection.

No. Look at the camera with a neutral expression and your mouth closed. The DHA lists obvious grinning, frowning, raised eyebrows and an open mouth among the reasons a photo is rejected.

London asks for four very clear, professionally taken colour photos of 35 x 45 mm, showing head and shoulders only, without glasses and with a clear forehead. The emergency travel certificate replaced temporary passports from 1 September 2014 and is valid only for travel to South Africa.

Not at a smart ID office, where the DHA captures ID images digitally. Smart ID replacements are also offered at bank branches, which the government said numbered 669 in October 2026; passport services at those branches are still to be rolled out.

Not more than one month old, according to the DHA specification. Have new photos taken shortly before you apply rather than reusing prints from an earlier application.

Related photo specifications

Other South Africa documents

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Department of Home Affairs, South Africa. Travel documents dha.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Department of Home Affairs, published by the South African High Commission, London. Passport and ID Photograph Specifications dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Department of Home Affairs, South Africa. eHomeAffairs How-to Guide ehome.dha.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Department of Home Affairs, South Africa. Annual Performance Plan 2025/26 dha.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. South African Government. Home Affairs milestone: one million smart IDs delivered in seven months gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Western Cape Government. Applying for a passport westerncape.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. South African High Commission, London. Civic services dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. South African High Commission, London. 1st ID document and adult passport dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. South African High Commission, London. Emergency travel document dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  10. South African High Commission, Canberra. South African passports dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  11. Embassy of South Africa, Washington DC. SA citizens services dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  12. Embassy of South Africa, Washington DC. Adult passport checklist dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  13. Consulate General of South Africa, Toronto. Regular passport dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.
  14. Embassy of South Africa, Tokyo. Civic services dirco.gov.za. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Department of Home Affairs, South Africa before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"South Africa passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/south-africa/passport-photo

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