Sudan ID card photo requirements
The photo rules set by Ministry of Interior, Sudan (Internet Archive copy) for the Sudan ID card, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Sudan ID card photo requirements?
The national number is registered by the General Directorate of Civil Registry of the Ministry of Interior, and the national ID card is issued against it. Inside Sudan the registration centre photographs and fingerprints you. Abroad, Washington asks adult applicants to attend in person with 2 recent photographs, and London asks for two photographs on its main route for citizens by birth; neither publishes a size or background. No official page found says whether national ID cards are currently being produced.
Sudan's civil registry, set up under the Civil Registry Act 2011, gives each registered citizen a national number (al-raqm al-watani), printed on a civil registration certificate. The national ID card is issued on top of that record. Both belong to the General Directorate of Civil Registry of the Ministry of Interior; the passports directorate's October 2026 news places passports and civil registration together under a Passports and Civil Registry Authority. You need the national number before you can book a passport appointment.
Inside Sudan, the Ministry's public services guide lists photography and fingerprints among the steps for the civil registration certificate, at fixed and mobile registration centres, and again for the national ID card, at fixed centres, so you bring documents rather than prints. Embassies abroad register national numbers but do not issue the card. Washington and London ask for two photographs with the application, and Landinfo's 2023 report states that ID cards are only issued in Sudan.
The card's current status is unclear. Landinfo cited 2021 press reports that card production had stopped for lack of materials, and the EU Asylum Agency's February 2025 report quotes a Netherlands government report of May 2024 saying identity cards were not available anywhere. No Sudanese official page read for this guide says whether issuance has resumed.
Sudan ID card photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of Interior, Sudan (Internet Archive copy):[1]
| Print size | No size published: Washington and London ask for two photographs; in Sudan the registration centre takes the photo |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: London's online national number form has no photo upload |
| Background | No colour published by the embassies; inside Sudan the photo is captured at the registration centre |
| Photo age | Washington: two recent photographs (no time limit stated) |
Key requirements
- Two photographs at Washington and London
Washington tells adult applicants to provide two recent photographs. London lists two photographs on its first route for citizens by birth, who bring an electronic birth certificate and a paternal witness. Neither embassy publishes a size, background or paper rule.
- Photo and fingerprints taken in Sudan
At civil registry centres the procedure includes photography and fingerprinting by the registration staff, first for the national number and again for the ID card. Landinfo notes that fingerprints are not recorded for children under 12.
- Attend in person with originals
London requires personal attendance after booking an appointment on the embassy website, with original documents and a completed form. Washington asks adults to come in person with their original birth certificate.
- A witness from the father's side
Washington expects the applicant's father to attend; if he cannot, two second-degree relatives (siblings, grandparents or grandchildren) carrying a Sudanese electronic passport, national number or national ID card must come instead. London asks for a paternal witness with Sudanese ID.
- The card is issued only in Sudan
Landinfo reports that the civil registry issues the ID card in Sudan to registered citizens over 16, who bring their civil registration certificate to a registration office. The card is the size of a bank card with the holder's picture on the front.
- Free the first time
Washington and London both issue a first national number free of charge. A fee applies when it is replaced after loss.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book the national number appointment through your embassy's website
- Bring two recent photographs if you apply in Washington or London
- Bring your original birth certificate and identity documents
- Arrange for your father or a paternal witness with Sudanese ID to attend
- Ask your embassy which photo size it wants, since none is published
Don't
- Do not expect an embassy to hand you a plastic ID card; it is issued in Sudan
- Do not bring copies alone; London asks for the original documents
- Do not apply for a minor without the father present or his letter of no objection
Babies and children
Washington registers a child under 18 when the father attends in person or provides a letter of no objection, together with the child's original birth certificate, both parents' identity documents (a national number or passport) and the parents' marriage certificate. London lists the birth certificate, the father's national number and the mother's national number if she has one.
Landinfo reports that a father can apply for a child's national number until the child is 12, after which the child must attend, and that fingerprints are not taken below that age. The ID card itself is for citizens over 16, with exceptions allowed by the Civil Registry Act.
Printed and digital photos
There is no upload. London's online national number form collects names in Arabic and English, date of birth, contact details and a UK address, then moves to appointment booking; the photographs are handed in as prints at the embassy.
Neither Washington nor London states a size, colour or paper quality. If you take the photo yourself, it can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to individual passport-size prints.
Where to submit the photo
In Sudan, national numbers are registered at fixed and mobile civil registry centres and roving units, and ID cards at fixed centres, according to the Ministry of Interior's guide. Registration abroad depends on the embassy: Washington opened registration for passports, national numbers and birth certificates on a new system in March 2024 and, from April 2026, has handled passport and civil registry work only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
London takes national number applications by appointment through its website. The Hague has announced a visit by a delegation from the passport and civil registry office in Brussels to register national numbers, issue e-passports and handle birth certificates.
How to get your Sudan ID card photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Sudan ID card. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two photographs at Washington and London; photo and fingerprints taken in Sudan; attend in person with originals; a witness from the father's side.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no upload. London's online national number form collects names in Arabic and English, date of birth, contact details and a UK address, then moves to appointment booking; the photographs are handed in as prints at the embassy.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Sudan, national numbers are registered at fixed and mobile civil registry centres and roving units, and ID cards at fixed centres, according to the Ministry of Interior's guide.
Sudan ID card photo FAQ
Two in Washington, where adults bring two recent photographs with their documents, and two on London's main route for citizens by birth. Inside Sudan you bring none: the civil registry centre photographs and fingerprints you as part of registration.
No size is published. Washington asks for two recent photographs and London for two photographs, without dimensions, background colour or paper rules. If in doubt, ask the consular section before your appointment.
No official embassy page offers the card. Landinfo's 2023 report states that ID cards are only issued in Sudan by the civil registry. Embassies with the equipment register the national number and issue the civil registration certificate, which is what a passport application needs.
It is unclear. A Netherlands government report of May 2024, quoted by the EU Asylum Agency in February 2025, said identity cards were not available anywhere. No Sudanese official page read on 2 November 2026 says whether production has resumed.
Your father, in person. If he cannot attend, Washington accepts two witnesses of the second degree, such as siblings, grandparents or grandchildren, each carrying a Sudanese electronic passport, national number or national ID card.
Yes. The passport booking system asks every adult for a printed copy of the national number document, so register it first if you have never had one.
Related photo specifications
Other Sudan documents
- Passport photo
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Identity cards nearby
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Libya ID card photo
- Morocco ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Tunisia ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- All Sudan photo specifications
- Identity cards: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Ministry of Interior, Sudan (Internet Archive copy). Public services guide: General Directorate of Civil Registry (archived 8 February 2023) web.archive.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of Passports and Immigration, Sudan. Passport appointment booking (national number requirement) queue.passports.gov.sd. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of Passports and Immigration, Sudan. Directorate announces production of over half a million passports (names the Passports and Civil Registry Authority) passports.gov.sd. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, Washington. National Number sudanembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, Washington. Opening of registration for passports, national number and birth certificates (20 March 2024) sudanembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, Washington. Home page notices (passport and civil registry days, 3 April 2026) sudanembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, London. National Number sudanembassy.org.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, London. National Number online application sudanembassy.org.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, The Hague. Announcement: visit by the passport and civil registry delegation from Brussels sudanembassy.nl. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Landinfo, Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre. Sudan: Civil Registration, Identity Documents and Passports (3 March 2023) landinfo.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- European Union Agency for Asylum. Sudan: Country Focus, 3.2.2 Access to civil documentation in Port Sudan (February 2025) euaa.europa.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Interior, Sudan (Internet Archive copy) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Sudan ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/sudan/id-card-photo