Vanuatu passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services for the Vanuatu passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Vanuatu passport photo?
The Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services publishes one photo size, 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm), on an older passport page that asks for two recent prints less than 6 months old, signed on the back by an identity witness. Its current passport page describes enrolment and gives no size, background or print rules. Replacements still ask for two identical prints.
Vanuatu passports are issued by the Department of Immigration and Passport Services. You lodge the application at the Immigration office in Port Vila if you live in Port Vila or Shefa Province, or at the provincial office in Sanma, Penama or Tafea. A 2025 Parliament bill states that, since 2024, the Government has upgraded the Vanuatu biometric passport to an electronic passport system.
The Department's pages do not agree on photos, because they describe two stages of the process. An older passport page asks for two recent ID photographs "within the dimensions of 3.5cm X 4.5cm", with an identity witness signing the back. The newer page, which the site's Passport menu links to, describes enrolment instead. It lists the documents to bring, a grooming and dress code for the day, and a Photographs paragraph about preparing for a "photo shoot". It asks for no prints and gives no size.
Printed photos are still requested when you replace a lost, damaged or expired passport: two identical photos, both less than 6 months old, with no size given. No Vanuatu passport page read states a background colour, a head size or a rule on glasses, so none is given here.
Vanuatu passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services:[1]
| Print size | 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm): older Department page, "within the dimensions of" |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: new passports are enrolled in person; replacements take two printed photos |
| Background | No colour published on any Vanuatu passport page |
| Photo age | Two recent photos, less than 6 months old (printed photos) |
| Print quality | Two identical prints; the identity witness writes your full name on the back of one, signs and dates it |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- 3.5 x 4.5 cm is the only published size
The Department's older passport page says "All photographs must be within the dimensions of 3.5cm X 4.5cm." The words "within the dimensions of" may set a ceiling rather than an exact size, so 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) is the safe print size. No other Vanuatu passport page read gives a size.
- Less than 6 months old
The passport page asks for two recent photos that "should be less than 6 months old". The replacement page asks for two identical photos, "both less than 6 months old".
- An identity witness marks the back
The identity witness writes your full name on the back of one photo, signs it and dates it. The older passport page puts it as "an identity witness must sign and write the date the back of the photo".
- New passports are enrolled in person
The current passport page lists documents "for enrolment": a Vanuatu National ID, a birth certificate issued by the Vanuatu civil registry and, where they apply, a marriage certificate, a citizenship certificate and a passport copy from the country of origin. Photographs are not on that list. The Canberra High Commission notice adds that citizens in Australia must travel to Port Vila or Luganville to apply for the new passport.
- Appearance and dress code on the day
Men: properly groomed, neat hair style, no earrings, a collared or bula (island) shirt, no T-shirt. Women: neat hair style, no make-up, no earrings, an island dress or a bula top that covers the shoulders, no T-shirt or off-the-shoulder top. The page lists these under enrolment; it does not say how they apply to a photo taken elsewhere.
- Replacements: two identical prints
For a lost, damaged or expired passport the Department asks for two identical passport photos, both less than 6 months old, with the witness marking the back of one. The page gives no size.
- Under 18: parent or guardian consent
Applicants under 18 need the consent of a parent or legal guardian, who completes the consent and signs the application declaration.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- If you are asked for prints, make them 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm).
- Use a photo taken in the last 6 months.
- Print two identical copies.
- Ask your identity witness to write your full name on the back of one print, then sign and date it.
- Dress to the enrolment code: a collared or bula shirt for men, an island dress or bula top covering the shoulders for women.
- Keep your hair neat and, for men, properly groomed.
- Ask the Immigration office whether prints are needed before you print anything.
Don't
- Do not wear earrings, and do not wear make-up if you are a woman (enrolment list).
- Do not wear a T-shirt or an off-the-shoulder top.
- Do not use a photo older than 6 months.
- Do not leave the back of a print unmarked: the witness must write the name, sign and date it.
- Do not use the 4 x 6 cm size from the business visa form: it is a visa rule.
- Do not rely on a background colour or glasses rule from another country.
Sample photos
How a Vanuatu passport 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
No Vanuatu passport page read mentions glasses. The only Vanuatu wording found is on the Department's business visa form, which asks for a photo taken "without wearing glasses or headgear". That is a visa rule, not a passport rule. Ask the Immigration office before you print or sit for the photo.
Headwear and religious dress
No passport page read has a headwear rule. The enrolment list asks for a neat hair style and no earrings, and the business visa form asks for no headgear, which is a visa rule. Nothing describes an exception for religious or cultural head coverings, so ask the Immigration office if this affects you.
Babies and children
Applicants under 18 need the consent of a parent or legal guardian, who must complete the consent and also sign the application declaration. No Vanuatu passport page read gives a separate photo size, number of prints or pose rule for children, so the wording above applies. Ask the Immigration office whether a child must bring prints or is photographed at the counter.
Printed and digital photos
No online photo upload is described for the passport. The Department's older passport page carries an "Apply Online" button, but the page behind it was missing when checked on 3 November 2026. Where prints are asked for, a digital photo can be cropped and resized to 3.5 x 4.5 cm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut apart. Print two identical copies and leave the backs plain for the witness.
Where to submit the photo
Lodge the application at the Immigration office for your province. In Port Vila and Shefa Province that is the Vanuatu Immigration office at Kumul Highway, Tamarama Building. Elsewhere it is the provincial immigration office: Sanma (Fire station, Luganville), Penama (Saratamata, East Ambae) or Tafea (Isangel, West Tanna).
For people abroad, the Vanuatu High Commission in Canberra, in a notice dated 15 July 2024, says that since the passport system upgrade citizens in Australia must travel back to Port Vila or Luganville to apply for the new passport. It says citizens in the Middle East can register for passport enrolment at the Consulate in Dubai and citizens in Asia at the Consulate General in Hong Kong. Canberra can facilitate a renewal or a lost or damaged passport if you send two recent identical passport photos, less than 6 months old, with your documents by post or in person.
How to get your Vanuatu passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Vanuatu passport: 35 × 45 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: 3.5 x 4.5 cm is the only published size; less than 6 months old; an identity witness marks the back; new passports are enrolled in person.
- Prepare a print or digital file. No online photo upload is described for the passport. The Department's older passport page carries an "Apply Online" button, but the page behind it was missing when checked on 3 November 2026.
- Submit the photo with your application. Lodge the application at the Immigration office for your province. In Port Vila and Shefa Province that is the Vanuatu Immigration office at Kumul Highway, Tamarama Building.
Vanuatu passport photo FAQ
The only size published is 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm), on the Department's older passport page, which says photographs must be "within the dimensions of" that size. The current enrolment page gives no size. Confirm with the Immigration office before you print.
The current page lists documents for enrolment and no photographs, and describes a photo shoot. The older page still asks for two recent ID photographs. Because the pages differ, ask the Immigration office whether you need prints before you apply.
Less than 6 months old. The older passport page says the photos "should be less than 6 months old", and the replacement page says both identical photos must be less than 6 months old.
It is not published. No Vanuatu passport page read names a colour, and the commercial pages that give one are not official. Ask the Immigration office before you print.
An identity witness. They write your full name on the back of one photo, sign it and date it. This appears on the passport page, the replacement page and the High Commission notice.
Men: a collared or bula (island) shirt, no T-shirt, neat hair, no earrings. Women: an island dress or a bula top covering the shoulders, no T-shirt or off-the-shoulder top, neat hair, no make-up and no earrings. This is the Department's enrolment list.
No passport page read says. Only the business visa form mentions glasses, asking for none, and that is a visa rule. Ask the Immigration office whether glasses are acceptable for the passport.
No. The business visa form asks for 4 x 6 cm taken within the last 6 months, while the passport page gives 3.5 x 4.5 cm. Use the size for the document you are applying for.
The High Commission in Canberra said in July 2024 that Australian residents must travel to Port Vila or Luganville for a new passport, while Dubai and Hong Kong offer enrolment registration and Canberra can facilitate renewals and replacements. Check with your mission.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Fiji passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- New Caledonia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Papua New Guinea passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Solomon Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Vanuatu photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Oceania
Official sources
- Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services. Vanuatu Passports (forms and enrolment) immigration.gov.vu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services. Vanuatu Citizen Passport immigration.gov.vu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services. Lost/Damaged/Expired Passport Application immigration.gov.vu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Vanuatu High Commission, Canberra. Vanuatu Passport (consular services) vhc-au.gov.vu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Parliament of the Republic of Vanuatu. Bill for the Passport (Amendment) Act of 2025 parliament.gov.vu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services. Application for Business Visa immigration.gov.vu. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Vanuatu Department of Immigration and Passport Services before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Vanuatu passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/vanuatu/passport-photo