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Sri Lanka ID card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka for the Sri Lanka ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Sri Lanka ID card photo?

A Sri Lankan National Identity Card (NIC) photo must be taken by a photographer registered with the Department for Registration of Persons (DRP). The regulations fix the size at 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), with a uniform light blue background, a neutral expression and closed mouth, plain lenses only if you wear glasses, and no alteration. The studio enters the photo into the DRP system and gives you a photo reference slip, valid for 6 months.

The National Identity Card is issued by the Department for Registration of Persons, based at Suhurupaya in Battaramulla. Every Sri Lankan citizen who has reached the age of 15 must apply. Applications do not go straight to the Department: a school principal or Parivenadhipathi certifies them for pupils, the Grama Niladhari of your area certifies them for most other people (with the Divisional Secretary's countersignature), and the estate superintendent does so for estate residents.

Since Parliament approved the amending Act on 10 February 2016, only photographs that meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards may be used for the card. The Department registers photo studios across the island, gives them its software and training, and receives their photos through that software. Once your photo is taken, the studio gives you only the photo reference slip printed by the software.

The same registered-studio photo is needed for a first card, a new card in place of a lost one, an amended card and a card for a dual citizen.

Sri Lanka ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in): 35 mm wide, 45 mm high
Digital sizeNo file from you: the registered studio enters the photo into the DRP system
BackgroundUniform, plain, non-textured light blue (studios: baby blue, hex #89CFF0)
ColourColour
Photo ageValid for 6 months from the date the studio took it
Print qualityPrinted in colour by a professional printing laboratory; nothing written on the scanning photo
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: uniform.

In the official words

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

Photographs required for the purposes under the Act shall be taken by a registered photographer who has been registered by the Commissioner General or by an officer assigned by the Commissioner General for taking photographs.

Registration of Persons Regulation No. 1 of 2017 (Gazette No. 2021/28, 31 May 2017)[4]

photographs shall not be altered in any way and such photograph shall depict the natural status of the applicant

Registration of Persons Regulation No. 1 of 2017 (Gazette No. 2021/28, 31 May 2017)[4]

photographs shall be printed in colour using a professional printing laboratory

Registration of Persons Regulation No. 1 of 2017 (Gazette No. 2021/28, 31 May 2017)[4]

Key requirements

  • Registered photographer only

    Regulation 21 says NIC photographs must be taken by a photographer registered by the Commissioner General, or by an officer the Commissioner General assigns. Studios are monitored: one that sends photos failing ICAO standards has its registration temporarily cancelled.

  • Light blue background

    The background must be uniform, plain, non-textured and light blue. The Department's minimum requirements for registered studios name the shade as baby blue, hex #89CFF0.

  • Neutral face, straight pose

    Keep a neutral expression with eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed and no smile. Sit straight on, with face and shoulders centred and squared to the camera.

  • Hair off the face

    Hair must be kept out of the face so that the edges of the face are clearly visible.

  • Even light, natural tone

    Lighting must be uniform, with no shadows, glare or flash reflections, and the exposure and white balance must show your natural skin tone. The image must be clear, sharp and in focus.

  • No alterations

    The photograph must not be altered in any way and must show your natural appearance. The certifying officer also confirms on the form that the photo shows you without disguise or concealment.

  • Six-month validity

    A studio photo is valid for 6 months from the date it was taken. The Department lists an ICAO standard photograph obtained within that period for every kind of NIC application.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Go to a studio registered with the Department for Registration of Persons.
  • Keep the photo reference slip with your application.
  • Tie your hair back so the edges of your face show.
  • Use plain, non-tinted lenses if you keep glasses on.
  • Apply within 6 months of the photo date.

Don't

  • Do not bring a photo taken at home or by an unregistered studio.
  • Do not smile or open your mouth.
  • Do not wear tinted lenses.
  • Do not write on or deface the scanning photograph.
  • Do not ask for the photo to be edited or retouched.

Sample photos

How a Sri Lanka ID card 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

Glasses may stay on. The regulations require that no reflections are visible from the glasses, that your eyes are clearly visible through the lenses, and that only plain, non-tinted lenses are used, which rules out sunglasses.

This is looser than the passport rule: the Department of Immigration and Emigration tells its studios to show the eyes without spectacles in passport photos.

Babies and children

The NIC is for citizens aged 15 and over, so school pupils are the youngest applicants. Their applications go through the school principal or Parivenadhipathi, and they need the same registered-studio photo as adults. Someone who has not applied within one year of turning 15 pays a fine.

Where it is hard to take a disabled person to a registered studio, the Department says a photographer can be invited to the home after discussing it with the nearest studio.

The NIC photo is digital at heart, but you do not produce the file. The registered studio sends the image through the Department's Photo Studio software, and the regulations require any print to be made in colour by a professional printing laboratory.

The Department's ICAO page says the applicant should receive only the photo reference slip issued by the software. The application form still has boxes to affix a photograph, describes a colour 35 x 45 mm photograph for scanning that must not be written on or defaced, and has the applicant enclose two copies, while the 2017 regulations ask for three copies from a registered photographer. Follow what your studio and certifying officer ask for.

Where to submit the photo

Hand the completed application, birth certificate, photo slip and fee receipt to your certifying officer: the principal for school applicants, the Grama Niladhari for most residents, or the estate superintendent. Under the normal service the card is then sent to you by post.

For the One Day Service, take the completed application and the original documents to the head office in Battaramulla or the Galle provincial office. Dual citizens who resumed citizenship under section 19(2) receive a new NIC number and apply with their dual citizenship certificate.

How to get your Sri Lanka ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Sri Lanka ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, uniform background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: registered photographer only; light blue background; neutral face, straight pose; hair off the face.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The NIC photo is digital at heart, but you do not produce the file. The registered studio sends the image through the Department's Photo Studio software, and the regulations require any print to be made in colour by a professional printing laboratory.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Hand the completed application, birth certificate, photo slip and fee receipt to your certifying officer: the principal for school applicants, the Grama Niladhari for most residents, or the estate superintendent.

Make this photo online

Sri Lanka ID card photo FAQ

35 mm wide and 45 mm high, or 1.38 x 1.77 inches. The size is fixed by the Registration of Persons regulations, which also require a light blue background and say the photo standards follow the software or instructions issued by the Commissioner General.

No. The regulations say NIC photographs must be taken by a photographer registered by the Commissioner General for Registration of Persons, or by an officer the Commissioner General assigns. Registered studios across the island use the Department's software to send the photo in.

Because the regulations require it: the background must be uniform, plain, non-textured and light blue. The Department's minimum requirements tell registered studios to use baby blue, hex #89CFF0, for the backdrop.

Six months from the date it was taken. The Department lists an ICAO standard photograph obtained within 6 months among the documents for a first card, a lost card, an amendment and a dual citizen's card.

Yes, with plain lenses. The regulations allow glasses only if no reflections show, your eyes are clearly visible through the lenses and the lenses are not tinted.

A photo reference slip. The Department's ICAO page tells registered studios to give the applicant only the slip issued by the software, since the photograph itself is entered into the Department's data system through its Photo Studio software.

Yes. Where it is inconvenient to take a disabled person to a registered studio, the Department says a photographer can be invited to the home after discussing it with the nearest studio. Its FAQ gives a Department telephone number for questions about this.

Related photo specifications

Other Sri Lanka documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka. ICAO Photographs drp.gov.lk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka. Obtaining the NIC drp.gov.lk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka. Frequently Asked Questions drp.gov.lk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka. Registration of Persons Regulation No. 1 of 2017 (Gazette No. 2021/28, 31 May 2017) drp.gov.lk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka. Minimum and Recommended Requirement: Studio Registration for ICAO Software drp.gov.lk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka. Application for a National Identity Card (Form B) drp.gov.lk. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Department for Registration of Persons, Sri Lanka before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Sri Lanka ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/sri-lanka/id-card-photo

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