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Vietnam passport photo requirements

The 40 × 60 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam for the Vietnam passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 3 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Vietnam passport photo?

A Vietnamese passport photo measures 4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm) and has a white background. It must have been taken no more than 6 months before you apply. Look straight at the camera with a bare head, your face clear and both ears showing. Glasses are not allowed and clothing should be neat. Forms TK01 (age 14 and over), TK01a (under 14) and TK02 (abroad) all print this rule.

Ordinary Vietnamese passports (hộ chiếu phổ thông) are issued by the Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh) of the Ministry of Public Security. A first passport is normally applied for at the immigration office of the provincial police. The Immigration Department's own offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City take second and later applications, and first applications only in the special cases listed in Article 15(4) of the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens. Citizens living abroad apply through a Vietnamese embassy or consulate.

New application forms took effect on 1 July 2026 under Circular 69/2026/TT-BCA, and every one of them prints the same photo note: 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, bare head, both ears visible and no glasses. You can hand the dossier in at a counter, or file it online through the National Public Service Portal and post any papers that are not electronically certified. Citizens aged 14 and over choose a passport with or without an electronic chip; children under 14 receive one without a chip.

Vietnam passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam:[1]

Print size4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm, 1.57 x 2.36 in)
Digital sizeOnline filing: the official procedure publishes no pixel size or file limit for the photo
BackgroundWhite (phông ảnh nền trắng)
Photo ageTaken no more than 6 months before the application
Print qualityEach form has two photo boxes, at the top right and bottom left, so bring two identical copies
Pixels when printed472 × 709 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1417 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm60 mm
40 × 60 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: white.

Key requirements

  • Bare head, face straight ahead

    The forms ask for "mặt nhìn thẳng, đầu để trần, rõ mặt": face looking straight ahead, head uncovered and face clearly visible. A hat, cap or other head covering goes against the bare-head rule.

  • Both ears must show

    The rule includes "rõ hai tai", both ears clearly visible. Push long hair behind your ears and keep it off your face before the picture is taken.

  • No glasses of any kind

    The passport note says "không đeo kính", no glasses. It does not limit the ban to tinted lenses, so clear prescription glasses must come off as well.

  • White background

    Use a plain white backdrop. The Vietnamese wording is "phông ảnh nền trắng", a white photo background, and the same words appear in the procedure published by the Ministry of Public Security.

  • Six months at most

    The photo must be newly taken, no more than 6 months before you apply. An older picture, or one copied from a previous passport, does not meet the rule.

  • Neat clothing

    The forms ask for "trang phục lịch sự", which means neat, decent clothing. The same phrase appears in the photo note for children under 14.

  • Two copies for the form

    Forms TK01, TK01a and TK02 each carry two boxes marked Ảnh (photo), one at the top right and one at the bottom left. Have two identical prints ready for the counter.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a white background with no pattern
  • Look straight at the camera with your face clearly visible
  • Show both ears by tucking your hair behind them
  • Wear neat, decent clothing
  • Use a photo taken within the last 6 months
  • Prepare two identical 4 x 6 cm prints for the form

Don't

  • Do not wear glasses, including clear prescription lenses
  • Do not wear a hat, cap or other head covering
  • Do not let hair cover your ears or face
  • Do not reuse the photo from your old passport
  • Do not use a coloured or patterned background

Sample photos

How a Vietnam passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 60 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

No. Each passport form issued with Circular 69/2026/TT-BCA ends its photo note with "không đeo kính", which simply means no glasses. The wording does not restrict the ban to sunglasses or tinted lenses, so take off clear prescription glasses too.

Neither the forms nor the Ministry of Public Security's published procedure mentions a medical exception for glasses.

Headwear and religious dress

The rule is "đầu để trần", a bare head, together with a clearly visible face and both ears showing. Remove hats, caps, hair bands that cover the ears and anything else worn on the head.

The forms and the published procedure give no exception for religious head coverings. If you cover your head for religious reasons, ask the immigration office that will receive your application before you have the photo taken.

Babies and children

Children under 14 use form TK01a in Vietnam or TK02a abroad. A parent or other legal representative fills in and signs the form on the child's behalf. The photo rule on TK01a is the same as for adults: a picture of the child taken no more than 6 months ago, 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, looking straight ahead, head bare, face clear, both ears visible, no glasses and neat clothing.

A child under 14 is issued a passport without an electronic chip. The dossier also needs a copy of a document proving who the legal representative is. If the child has not yet been given a personal identification number, add a copy or extract of the birth certificate.

For a counter application, you hand in printed photos with the paper form. Glue one in each photo box, or follow the officer's instructions.

For an online application through the National Public Service Portal, the photo is uploaded with the electronic dossier. The Ministry of Public Security's procedure publishes no pixel size or file-size limit for that upload. It says that documents which are not electronically certified must be sent to the receiving office by public postal service. A guide republished on the Ha Tinh provincial portal (January 2025) describes the VNeID route as uploading the portrait photo and both sides of the chip identity card.

When you apply at a provincial immigration office for your first chip passport, the officer also takes your photo and fingerprints. Your own 4 x 6 cm photo is still part of the dossier. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to 4 x 6 cm.

Where to submit the photo

In Vietnam, apply for a first passport at the immigration office of the provincial police where you have permanent or temporary residence. If you hold a citizen identity card, you can use whichever provincial office is convenient. Second and later passports can also be applied for at the Immigration Department in Hanoi (Gate 2, Nguyen Quoc Tri street, Yen Hoa ward) or Ho Chi Minh City (333-335-337 Nguyen Trai, Cau Ong Lanh ward). Bring your identity card, electronic identity or valid passport, plus your last passport if you have one.

You can collect the passport in person or ask for postal delivery and pay the courier charge. Citizens abroad use form TK02, or TK02a for a child, at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate.

How to get your Vietnam passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Vietnam passport: 40 × 60 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: bare head, face straight ahead; both ears must show; no glasses of any kind; white background.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. For a counter application, you hand in printed photos with the paper form. Glue one in each photo box, or follow the officer's instructions.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Vietnam, apply for a first passport at the immigration office of the provincial police where you have permanent or temporary residence. If you hold a citizen identity card, you can use whichever provincial office is convenient.

Make this photo online

Vietnam passport photo FAQ

4 x 6 cm, which is 40 x 60 mm. The size is printed in the photo note of every current passport form (TK01, TK01a, TK02 and TK02a) and in the Ministry of Public Security's procedure for issuing ordinary passports.

No. The rule says "không đeo kính", no glasses, with no exception for clear lenses. Take your glasses off before the photo is taken. The published rules mention no medical exception.

Yes. The forms require "rõ hai tai", both ears clearly visible, as well as a bare head and a clear face. Tuck your hair behind your ears so that neither is hidden.

White. The forms and the official procedure both say "phông ảnh nền trắng", a white photo background. Avoid blue, grey and patterned backdrops.

Yes. You can file through the National Public Service Portal, for example with a VNeID electronic identity account, and upload a portrait photo. Papers that are not electronically certified must then be sent to the immigration office by public postal service.

If you apply at a provincial immigration office for your first chip passport, the officer photographs you and takes your fingerprints there. The dossier still lists a 4 x 6 cm photo taken within 6 months, so bring one anyway.

The same as an adult: 4 x 6 cm, white background, taken within 6 months, head bare, both ears visible and no glasses. A parent or legal representative completes form TK01a, and children under 14 receive a passport without a chip.

Form TK02 if you are 14 or older, or TK02a for a younger child. Both were reissued with Circular 69/2026/TT-BCA from 1 July 2026 and carry the same 4 x 6 cm, white-background photo rule.

Related photo specifications

Other Vietnam documents

Passports nearby

Also 40 × 60 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam. Circular 69/2026/TT-BCA replacing the passport application forms (TK01, TK01a, TK02, TK02a) bocongan.gov.vn. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam. Administrative procedures on exit and entry of Vietnamese citizens, Decision 4245/QĐ-BCA-QLXNC bocongan.gov.vn. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. Ha Tinh Provincial Portal. How to apply for a passport on VNeID (Cách làm hộ chiếu trên VNeID) hatinh.gov.vn. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Vietnam passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/vietnam/passport-photo

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