South African passport photo requirements

South African passports applied for inside the country are processed through Home Affairs' live-capture system, where your photo and fingerprints are taken at the counter and no printed photo is needed. South Africans applying at an embassy or consulate abroad, and at the few offices without live capture, must supply two identical colour photos, 35×45 mm, on a plain light background. This page covers that printed photo.

Make and check a ZA passport photo Free checker; files from A$6.99.

Can I take it myself? Yes, with conditions

Only when you are supplying printed photos, which in practice means applying at a South African mission abroad or at an office that does not have live capture. In those cases the mission accepts any photo that meets the standard, so you can take it yourself and print it on photo paper. Inside South Africa with live capture there is nothing to supply. Because the DHA page could not be re-checked, the values here are flagged for confirmation with the mission you will use.

How to take the photo

1. Confirm with the mission or office whether they use live capture; if they do, you do not need a photo at all.
2. Stand half a metre in front of a plain white or light-grey wall so no shadow falls behind your head, and face a window for even light.
3. Someone else takes the photo from about 1.5 metres at eye level with the shoulders in frame and space above the head.
4. Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open, hair off the face. No hats or head coverings except religious ones showing the full face.
5. Glasses are tolerated without glare, but missions often ask for them removed; take the photo without them to be safe.
6. Print two identical copies on photo paper from our 6×4 sheet, cut to 35×45 mm with no border.

Why ZA passport photos get rejected

1. Photo not needed and refused at live-capture office. Check first; most South African offices capture the photo themselves.
2. Head too small. Keep chin-to-crown between 31 and 36 mm on the 45 mm frame.
3. Shadows or dark background. Plain light background, light from the front, stand away from the wall.
4. Borders or uneven cut. Cut on the marks; no white border.
5. Photos not identical. Print both copies from the same sheet.
6. Glasses with glare. Remove them.

Infants and children

For a child applying at a mission abroad, lay the baby on a plain light sheet and photograph from above with the face fully visible and nothing else in frame. Eyes open where possible; missions are lenient with infants. Children applying inside South Africa are photographed at the live-capture counter.

What it costs

A pharmacy or studio in South Africa charges R60–120 for a set of passport photos; abroad A$17–25 or £10–16. Our Single licence is A$6.99 (charged in your currency) for the print sheets for 30 days. The free checker and watermarked sheet may be all you need to confirm the framing before a studio visit.