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Uganda visa photo requirements

The photo rules set by Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda for the Uganda visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 11 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Uganda visa photo requirements?

Uganda visas are applied for online through DCIC's e-visa portal, where you upload a recent passport-size photograph with the other attachments. The portal accepts JPEG, PNG, BMP or PDF files from 5 KB to 250 KB, and a PDF may have no more than five pages. DCIC publishes no print size, pixel size or background colour for the photo. Your biometrics are captured when you arrive at the border.

Visas for Uganda are issued by the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC). Its FAQs say that everyone travelling to Uganda for holiday, tourism, business, study, a visit or medical treatment must apply and obtain a visa online, and applicants are strongly encouraged to do so rather than rely on arrival. Nationals of visa-exempt countries need no visa. The main types are the single-entry tourist visa of up to 3 months, the East African Tourist Visa for Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, the transit visa of up to 7 days, the multiple-entry visa and the diplomatic and official visa.

Every visa type lists a recent passport-size photograph among the attachments; for a business visit it must have been taken in the last 6 months. The portal shows the upload rules on the documents step: supported formats are JPEG, PNG, BMP and PDF, with a minimum of 5 KB and a maximum of 250 KB per file. No dimensions or background colour are given.

If the application is approved, you receive an approval letter by email. It shows you are eligible; the final decision is taken at the point of entry, where your biometrics are captured and the visa sticker is printed and pasted in your passport.

Uganda visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda:[1]

Print sizeNo size published: each visa type asks for a recent passport-size photograph
Digital sizeNo pixel size published; the photo is uploaded as an attachment
BackgroundNot published
Photo ageRecent; for a business visit, taken in the last 6 months
File size5 KB to 250 KB per uploaded file
File formatJPEG, PNG, BMP or PDF (a PDF may have up to five pages)

Key requirements

  • Apply online

    DCIC says all visa applications are online. You log in to the immigration portal, start a new application, accept the disclaimer, choose the visa type, category and sub-category, complete the form and then upload the required documents.

  • A recent passport-size photo

    The tourist, East African Tourist, transit, multiple-entry and diplomatic and official visas all list a recent passport-size photograph. The business category of the tourist visa adds that it must have been taken in the last 6 months.

  • Keep the file between 5 KB and 250 KB

    The portal states that the minimum file size is 5 KB and the maximum is 250 KB, and it rejects files that are too small, too big or of an unsupported type. Supported formats are JPEG, PNG, BMP and PDF.

  • Attachments in English

    Each visa page says all attached documents should be in English. The Uganda embassy in Copenhagen adds, for the East African Tourist Visa, that attachments should also be in JPG format.

  • Biometrics at the border

    After approval, you report to the immigration office or border post with your passport, approval letter, payment receipts and the documents you uploaded. Your biometrics are captured there before the visa sticker is issued.

  • One application per passport

    The portal refuses a second application with the same passport for the same visa type while one is pending. Once submitted, an application cannot be changed unless the immigration officer asks for more information.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Save the photo as a JPEG between 5 KB and 250 KB.
  • Use a photo taken within the last 6 months.
  • Upload a separate application for each traveller's passport.
  • Print the approval letter so the border can scan its barcode.
  • Travel within 90 days of a tourist visa approval.
  • Keep your application ID, passport number and date of birth to hand.

Don't

  • Do not upload a file larger than 250 KB.
  • Do not upload a PDF of more than five pages.
  • Do not attach documents in a language other than English.
  • Do not apply twice with the same passport for the same visa.
  • Do not rely on getting a visa on arrival.

Babies and children

Each traveller with their own passport needs a separate application, because the portal accepts only one pending application per passport for each visa type. DCIC sets no separate photo rule for children's visas.

For longer stays, children of foreign residents or of Ugandan citizens can hold a dependant pass, applied for on the same portal: a child's application lists the birth certificate, the principal's passport and immigration status, and a recent passport-size photograph. A student pass, for learners above the age of 4, also asks for a recent passport-size photograph and, under 18, the parent's or guardian's status and identification.

The photo is a digital upload. You attach it to the online application with your passport bio-data page and the other documents, and none of DCIC's visa pages asks for a print. A digital photo can be cropped to passport size and saved as a JPEG within the 5 KB to 250 KB range.

Paper comes back only at the end. DCIC says bringing the approval letter printed is not mandatory but recommended, because its barcode is used to open your application at the point of entry and a printout speeds up the final approval.

Where to submit the photo

Apply on DCIC's e-visa portal, which takes online payment by Visa or Mastercard. A tourist visa approval is valid for 90 days; after that it is cancelled and you must apply again. You can check the status, pay or cancel through Manage your application, and extend through Extend your application, using your application ID, passport number and date of birth.

At the border or immigration office, present your passport, approval letter, payment receipts and the documents you uploaded for biometric capture. A tourist visa can be extended in Uganda for another 60 days in two intervals, online or at the immigration headquarters and regional offices.

How to get your Uganda visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Uganda visa. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: apply online; a recent passport-size photo; keep the file between 5 KB and 250 KB; attachments in English.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The photo is a digital upload. You attach it to the online application with your passport bio-data page and the other documents, and none of DCIC's visa pages asks for a print.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply on DCIC's e-visa portal, which takes online payment by Visa or Mastercard. A tourist visa approval is valid for 90 days; after that it is cancelled and you must apply again.

Make this photo online

Uganda visa photo FAQ

DCIC gives no size. Each visa type asks for a recent passport-size photograph, uploaded with the online application. The only published limits are on the file: JPEG, PNG, BMP or PDF, between 5 KB and 250 KB.

Between 5 KB and 250 KB. The portal shows this on the documents step and rejects files that are too small, too big or of an unsupported type. Accepted formats are JPEG, PNG, BMP and PDF, and a PDF can have at most five pages.

DCIC does not publish a background colour for the visa photo. Its pages and the portal ask only for a recent passport-size photograph and set file-format and file-size limits.

DCIC's answer is that applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their visa applications online so they are processed properly and to avoid inconvenience. Its FAQs also say anyone travelling for holiday, tourism, business, study, a visit or medical treatment must apply and obtain a visa online.

Your biometrics are captured at the border or immigration office after approval. You report with your passport, approval letter, receipts and uploaded documents, and the visa sticker is printed and pasted into your passport there.

Not by yourself. DCIC says a submitted application cannot be modified unless the immigration officer studying it asks for more information; you then update it through Manage your application. You can also cancel, but the fee is not refunded.

No different specification is published. It asks for a copy of a recent passport-size photograph, uploaded on the same portal. The Uganda embassy in Copenhagen says attachments for it should be in English and in JPG format.

Related photo specifications

Other Uganda documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

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Official sources

  1. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. Uganda Tourist Visa - single entry immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. East African Tourist Visa immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. Transit Visa immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. Multiple-Entry Visa immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. Diplomatic and Official Visa immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. Dependant Pass immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. Student Pass immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. FAQs - Borders and Foreign Nationals Management immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. FAQs - Borders and Foreign Nationals Management (page 4) immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  10. Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda. Uganda e-Visa portal visas.immigration.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.
  11. Embassy of the Republic of Uganda, Copenhagen. Visas copenhagen.mofa.go.ug. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, Uganda before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Uganda visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/uganda/visa-photo

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