Submit correct passport photographs to avoid delay and inconvenience.
Keep your passport pictures always in their protective cellophane jacket.
Do not touch the front of your pictures; do not fold them.
Do not sign at the back of your pictures.
Do not staple, punch holes or rub your pictures against a rough surface to maintain good picture quality.
PASSPORT PHOTO GUIDELINES
Photographs must:
- Be identical, recent colored pictures, taken within the last six (6) months, having a plain royal blue background;
- Measure 3.5 x 4.5 cms. in dimension with 0.5-1.0 cm clearance at the top of the photo;
- Show close up of head and top of shoulders, with the face taking up to 70-80% of the photograph;
- Be clean, untouched and unbent, with no ink marks, dirt, fingerprints, paste stains and creases; and
- Show applicant in decent shirt with collar.
Not allowed photographs:
- Those with red eyes (red eye effect);
- Those with the face too big (too close) or too small (too far away);
- Those that are blurred (poor focus), or too dark or too light (poor brightness);
- Those with unnatural skin tones and flash reflections on skin (poor photo quality);
- Those with background shadows, busy backgrounds and tilted style (poor flash angle and intensity, portrait pose);
- Those where male applicants wear earrings; or where the ears are covered with hair or hidden/not shown;
- Those with excessive smiles that facial features get distorted (a subtle “Mona Lisa” smile is recommended);
- Those with too much make-up for females;
- Those with the applicant looking away from the camera (eyes not on camera);
- Wrong color background or not close to royal blue;
- Those with photo printing irregularities, i.e. discolored, pixelated, extreme contrast, unnatural tones, uneven drying.
Allowed photographs:
- The wearing of a head scarf / veil is allowed, but both ears should be visible;
- Blind persons are allowed to wear eyeglasses;
- Wearing of eyeglasses is allowed, but there must be no flash reflection of the glasses, the lenses must not be tinted, the frames must not be too heavy and the frames must not cover any part of the eyes; and
- Wearing of contact lens is allowed provided it does not change the color of the eyes.