United States New York pistol licence photo requirements
The 1.5 × 1.5 in photo rules set by New York City Police Department for the United States New York pistol licence, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the United States New York pistol licence photo?
For a New York City handgun license, the NYPD License Division takes one color photo uploaded to its online portal: square, 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels, showing you from the chest up, taken within the past 30 days, with nothing worn that obscures your identity. Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged NYC license needs two 1.5 x 1.5 inch prints. Outside the city, the county licensing office sets the format, and state law requires photos taken within 30 days.
New York has no single gun license photo. State law names the licensing officer by place: the police commissioner in New York City and in Nassau County, either the sheriff or the county police commissioner in Suffolk County depending on the town, and a judge or justice of a court of record in the other counties. Each runs its own application process, and the photo format follows that process.
In New York City, the NYPD License Division issues handgun licenses and rifle and shotgun permits. It accepts only online applications, for new licenses, permits and renewals alike, through its NYPD Permitting & Licensing portal, so the photo is a digital upload. The rules behind it are in Title 38 of the Rules of the City of New York, rewritten by the NYPD in 2022.
Outside the city, applications use the state form PPB-3, approved by the Superintendent of State Police, which has a box for a full-face photo taken within 30 days. A license issued on that form is not valid in New York City; county license holders who need to carry there apply to the NYPD for a special carry license.
United States New York pistol licence photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by New York City Police Department:[1]
| Print size | 1.5 x 1.5 inches (38 x 38 mm) for NYC license replacements; new NYC applications use a digital file |
|---|---|
| Digital size | NYC online application: square, 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels |
| Background | Not specified by the NYPD rules or the state PPB-3 form |
| Colour | Color (NYPD); Erie County accepts black and white or color |
| Photo age | Taken within the past 30 days (NYPD rules and New York Penal Law 400.00) |
| Pixels when printed | 450 × 450 px at 300 dpi · 900 × 900 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- One square digital photo (NYC)
NYPD rule 38 RCNY 5-05 asks for one color photograph in a square aspect ratio, at least 600 x 600 and at most 1200 x 1200 pixels. You upload it with the application, and incomplete applications are not reviewed.
- Chest up, nothing that hides you
The NYC photo must show you from the chest up. Under the same rule, wearing any clothing or adornment that obscures identification is not acceptable.
- No more than 30 days old
The NYPD rules and New York Penal Law 400.00 both require the photo to have been taken within 30 days before the application is filed. The state PPB-3 form repeats the 30-day limit on its photo box.
- Prints for NYC replacements
To replace a lost, stolen, altered, laminated or mutilated NYC license, you report in person by appointment to the License Division with two current color photos, 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, front view from the chest up, taken within 30 days.
- County rules vary
Outside New York City, the county licensing office sets the photo format. Erie County asks for one 2 x 2 inch photo in black and white or color. The Ulster County Sheriff takes photos itself for in-person applicants and asks mail-in applicants for one color passport photo.
- Your photo goes on the license
State law says a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver must have the licensee's photograph attached. A duplicate for a lost or destroyed license is requested with an additional photograph.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Upload one square color photo between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels for an NYC application.
- Frame the NYC photo so it shows you from the chest up.
- Take the photo no more than 30 days before you file.
- Follow your own county's checklist if you live outside New York City.
- Bring two 1.5 x 1.5 inch color prints when replacing a lost or damaged NYC license.
- Bring the originals of uploaded documents to your NYPD fingerprinting appointment.
Don't
- Do not upload a rectangular image to the NYPD portal.
- Do not wear anything that obscures your identity, such as a hat or sunglasses.
- Do not use a photo taken more than 30 days before filing.
- Do not crop the NYC photo to a head-only close-up.
- Do not send a paper application to the NYPD; it accepts online applications only.
Sample photos
How a United States New York pistol licence photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 1.5 × 1.5 in and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The NYPD application rule does not list eyeglasses by name. It bars any article of clothing or adornment that obscures identification. For the prints used to replace a license, the NYPD rules give hats and sunglasses as examples of things the licensee must not wear.
The portal's instructions for retired law enforcement officers are stricter: a passport size photo with no hats or glasses, except religious articles. Outside the city, the state PPB-3 form asks only for a full-face photo; county offices may add their own rules, so read your county's instructions.
Printed and digital photos
New York City has moved to digital photos. The 2022 rule change replaced the old requirement of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch prints with one photo in a square aspect ratio, 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels, uploaded through the online portal. The print size survives in the NYPD rule for replacing a lost, stolen, altered, laminated or mutilated license, which is handled in person. A digital photo can be cropped to a square and resized to the required pixel size, or printed at 1.5 x 1.5 inches at a photo counter for a replacement.
Outside New York City, the photo is usually a print handed in with the PPB-3 application, and state law asks for one photo for each copy of the application the office requires. Sizes differ by county: Erie County asks for 2 x 2 inches, while Ulster County photographs in-person applicants itself. State law fixes a size only for gunsmith and firearm dealer licenses, whose photos must be two inches square.
Where to submit the photo
In New York City, register on the NYPD Permitting & Licensing portal with your email address, complete the application and upload the photo and documents into the fields provided. The License Division then schedules you in person for fingerprinting and fee payment, where you bring the originals of what you uploaded. Handgun applicants also have an in-person interview; rifle and shotgun applicants generally do not.
Outside the city, apply to the county licensing office named in your county's instructions. Erie County requires the named applicant to submit the application in person. The Ulster County Sheriff accepts in-person, mail-in and drop-box applications, and photographs in-person applicants itself.
How to get your United States New York pistol licence photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the United States New York pistol licence: 1.5 × 1.5 in print, 1200 × 1200 px digital file. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one square digital photo (NYC); chest up, nothing that hides you; no more than 30 days old; prints for NYC replacements.
- Prepare a print or digital file. New York City has moved to digital photos. The 2022 rule change replaced the old requirement of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch prints with one photo in a square aspect ratio, 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels, uploaded through the online portal.
- Submit the photo with your application. In New York City, register on the NYPD Permitting & Licensing portal with your email address, complete the application and upload the photo and documents into the fields provided.
United States New York pistol licence photo FAQ
For a new NYC handgun license application, the NYPD wants one color digital photo in a square aspect ratio, between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, showing you from the chest up and taken within the past 30 days. Renewal packages also go through the online portal with color photos. Printed 1.5 x 1.5 inch photos are needed only to replace a lost, stolen or damaged NYC license.
Not for a new application, which is uploaded online. The NYPD rules still call for two current color prints, 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, front view from the chest up and taken within 30 days, when you replace a lost, stolen, altered, laminated or mutilated license in person at the License Division.
No more than 30 days old. New York Penal Law 400.00 requires application photos to have been taken within thirty days before the application is filed, and the NYPD rules and the state PPB-3 form use the same limit.
The NYPD rule bars any clothing or adornment that obscures identification, and its replacement rules name hats and sunglasses. For retired officers, the NYPD portal asks for a photo with no hats or glasses except religious articles. County rules vary, so check your county's instructions.
The state form PPB-3 has a box for a full-face photo taken within 30 days, and state law requires one photo for each copy of the application. The format is set locally: Erie County asks for one 2 x 2 inch photo in black and white or color, while the Ulster County Sheriff photographs in-person applicants and asks mail-in applicants for a color passport photo.
The licensing officer named in state law: the police commissioner in New York City and Nassau County; in Suffolk County, the sheriff or the county police commissioner depending on the town; and elsewhere a judge or justice of a court of record in the county. A license issued under the state PPB-3 application is not valid in New York City.
The pixel rule is written into the NYPD's handgun license section, 38 RCNY 5-05. Rifle and shotgun permits are applied for through the same NYPD online portal, which accepts online applications only for both. Use the photo field the portal shows for your permit type.
Related photo specifications
Other United States documents
- Passport photo 2 × 2 in
- U.S. passport card photo 2 × 2 in
- DV lottery photo 2 × 2 in
- Visa photo 2 × 2 in
- REAL ID driver's licence or ID card photo
- Employment authorization photo 2 × 2 in
- Green card photo 2 × 2 in
- Citizenship photo 2 × 2 in
- Global entry and TSA PreCheck photo
- Reentry permit and form i-131 travel documents photo 2 × 2 in
- NY MTA MetroCard for seniors photo 1.5 × 2 in
Licences and permit cards nearby
- Canada firearms licence photo 45 × 57 mm
- Canada personnel screening photo 43 × 54 mm
- Canada Security licence photo 50 × 70 mm
- All United States photo specifications
- Licences and permit cards: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 1.5 × 1.5 in photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- New York City Police Department. Notice of Adoption of Final Rule: handgun license and rifle/shotgun permit standards (38 RCNY chapters 3 and 5) rules.cityofnewyork.us. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York City Police Department. Permits & Licenses: Firearms nyc.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York City Police Department, License Division. NYPD Permitting & Licensing: New Application Instructions licensing.nypdonline.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York State Senate. Penal Law 400.00: Licenses to carry, possess, repair and dispose of firearms nysenate.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York State Senate. Penal Law 265.00: Definitions (licensing officer) nysenate.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York State Police. PPB-3 Pistol/Revolver and Semi-Automatic Rifle License Application troopers.ny.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Erie County Clerk. Pistol Permit Application Process www4.erie.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Ulster County Sheriff's Office. Pistol and Semi-Automatic Rifle License Application packet clerk.ulstercountyny.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York City Police Department, License Division. Licensing portal instructions licensing.nypdonline.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York City Police Department. Instructions to Handgun License Applicants and application (PD 643-115, PD 643-041) nyc.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York City Police Department. Rifle/Shotgun Permit application (PD 641-040) nyc.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York City Police Department. License Division rules (Title 38 RCNY) nyc.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- New York State. Gun Safety, Frequently Asked Questions gunsafety.ny.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with New York City Police Department before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
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"United States New York pistol licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/united-states/ny-gun-license-photo