Tanzania photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 2 documents issued in Tanzania, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Tanzania's Immigration Services Department sets the photo rules for both documents here. The Tanzanian passport photo is uploaded in the online application on a light blue background, with no print size published. The Tanzania e-Visa photo is a colour image on a plain background, no larger than 35 x 45 mm, uploaded as a JPG or JPEG of up to 500 KB.
Overview
A Tanzanian passport photo is a recent passport-size picture with a light blue background, attached as a file to the online application, and the Department publishes no print or pixel size for it; the Tanzania e-Visa photo is a colour picture on a plain background, no larger than 35 x 45 mm, uploaded as a JPG or JPEG of up to 500 KB.
Both documents come from the Immigration Services Department, but they use different portals and different photos. Citizens apply for the e-passport on the Department's Swahili-language passport portal, attach a recent light blue background photo, then print the form and take it to an immigration office or, abroad, to a Tanzanian mission, where fingerprints are taken in person.
Foreign visitors apply on the electronic visa system or get a visa on arrival at an official entry point. The e-Visa photo follows a separate set of rules: colour, plain background, full face from hair to chin, at most 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, and a JPG or JPEG file of no more than 500 KB. Embassies that still take paper applications ask for printed photos.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | — | — | Light blue |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | 35 × 45 mm | — | e-Visa: plain background |
Frequently asked questions
No. The passport portal asks for a light blue background, while the e-Visa guidelines ask for a plain background and set a maximum size of 35 x 45 mm and a 500 KB file limit. Use the rules for the document you are applying for.
The Immigration Services Department. It runs both the e-passport portal for citizens and the electronic visa system for visitors, and publishes the photo guidance on each portal.
Usually not. Passport and e-Visa photos are uploaded online. Printed photos are still listed by embassies that accept paper visa applications, such as Paris and Ottawa, which ask for two passport-size prints.
Not for the e-Visa. Its guidelines cap the photo at 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, and a 2 x 2 inch square is wider than that. Of the embassies checked, only Beijing mentions a two-inch photo, for applications lodged there.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Eastern Africa:
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mozambique
- Réunion
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Somalia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Official sources
- Immigration Services Department, Tanzania. Muongozo wa Maombi ya Pasipoti (passport application guidelines) eservices.immigration.go.tz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania, Washington DC. Passes and Passports us.tzembassy.go.tz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Services Department, Tanzania. Tanzania Visa Guidelines visa.immigration.go.tz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania, Paris. Requirements for VISA fr.tzembassy.go.tz. Checked 3 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Tanzania photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/tanzania