Ireland passport photo
Drop a photo here
or choose a file from this device
JPG, PNG, HEIC or WebP, up to 25 MB
Your photo is processed on this device and never uploaded.
The requirements
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | 715 px |
| File size | 9 MB |
| File formats | JPEG |
| Head height, chin to crown | The authority publishes no head height |
| Background | Completely plain light grey, white or cream background with enough contrast to the face and no shadows |
| Glasses | Allowed, as long as the eyes are fully visible with no glare and no tint. |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open. |
| Head covering | Only for religious or medical reasons, and the face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead. |
| Ears | No |
| Photo age | 6 months |
| Also required |
|
The Passport Service accepts a printed photo between 35x45 mm and 38x50 mm; the 35x45 mm minimum is published here because it is the ICAO norm and the smaller of the two limits. The digital rule is a floor (at least 715x951 px), not an exact size, and no aspect ratio is published for the online upload, so no aspect is recorded. The 9 MB ceiling is written as 9 megabytes on the page and is stored here as 9437184 bytes (9 x 1024 x 1024); stay well under it. dfa.ie now redirects to ireland.ie, so the ireland.ie URL is the live official page. The Passport Service publishes no chin to crown height. Its framing instruction is head to mid torso with visible space around the head and shoulders, which is wider than the ICAO 70-80% band, so no fallback head band is applied: it would contradict the published framing.
Applying in Ireland
Ireland is the only authority we have read that states the problem outright: poor quality photographs are the main reason it has to reject passport applications. It then names the two failures it sees most. Selfies are not accepted, and an applicant who submits one is asked for another photo, which delays the application. Scanned photographs are not accepted either, because the online service takes digital originals only. Between them those two account for a great deal of avoidable delay.
The paper route carries a requirement that catches people even when the photograph is perfect. A postal application needs four identical prints, and your witness must write the form number from Section 9 on the back of two of them, then sign and stamp those two. The Passport Service is explicit about the consequence: if this is not done, you will be asked for a new form and new photos. The reverse of the prints must also be white and unglazed, so a glossy back fails.
One detail changes how you should think about clothing. You submit a colour photograph, but the passport photo is printed in black and white. Contrast that reads clearly in colour can collapse in greyscale, so a pale top against a cream background may separate on your screen and disappear in the document. The framing is also wider than most countries ask for: head to mid torso, with visible space around the head and shoulders.
Why photos get rejected here
A selfie
Named directly by the Passport Service. Applicants who submit selfies are asked to provide another photo, which delays the application rather than failing it outright.
A scanned photograph
The online service accepts digital photos only. Scanning a print, or photographing one, does not produce a file the system will take.
The witness did not stamp the back
On a paper application the witness writes the form number from Section 9 on the back of two of the four photos and signs and stamps them. Without that, the Passport Service asks for a new form and new photographs.
A uniform, or clothing bearing insignia
Civil and military uniforms are not permitted, and neither is clothing carrying insignia. This is rarer than most rules on this site, and it catches people photographed on a work day.
Glare, or frames across the eyes
Glasses are accepted if the frames do not cover any part of the eyes and there is no glare. Sunglasses and dark glasses are excluded. Glare comes from the lighting, so it is the condition you cannot solve by changing glasses.
A photo older than six months, or digitally enhanced
The six-month limit is applied as an ICAO requirement. Digital enhancement, compression artefacts and barrel distortion are all listed separately, and barrel distortion is what a phone lens produces at close range.
What helps
Dress for a black and white print
The passport photo is printed in greyscale even though you submit colour. A mid or dark top separates from a light background in both; a pale one may separate in colour and not in grey.
Frame wider than you would elsewhere
Ireland wants head to mid torso, with clear space around the head and shoulders. A crop that suits a tighter national template will be too close here.
Count the photos, then check the backs
A paper application takes four identical prints. Two of them need the form number, the witness signature and the witness stamp on the reverse, and the reverse itself must be white and unglazed.
Consider a Photo Code
Photo Codes are available in Ireland and the United Kingdom through Photo Me and ID Station Online, and you enter the code during the online application instead of uploading a file. A photographer or pharmacy can also send the image by email or on a USB stick.
Use the cropping tool for a very young child
The Passport Service offers a manual cropping tool for photographs of children from newborn to 36 months, which exists because an infant's proportions do not fit the automatic frame.
Babies and young children
A child who cannot support themselves should be photographed lying on a plain white surface, with no hands or arms visible in the frame and no soother in sight. Those three conditions are the whole method: the surface replaces the person who would otherwise be holding the child, which is why nothing may be supporting them visibly. For photographs of children from newborn to 36 months the Passport Service provides a manual cropping tool, because an infant's head sits differently in the frame than the automatic crop expects. Child passports are valid five years and cost EUR 20 online as of September 2026.
Glasses
Glasses are accepted, with two conditions: the frames must not cover any part of the eyes, and there must be no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and dark glasses are not accepted at all. Because glare is a property of the lighting rather than of the eyewear, it cannot be solved by choosing thinner frames, and it is frequently invisible on a phone screen at the moment you take the photograph. Removing them satisfies both conditions at once.
Head covering
A head covering worn for religious or medical reasons is accepted, provided the full facial features remain visible. The Passport Service then closes the door on everything else in one sentence: you cannot wear head accessories for any other reason. That rules out hats, hoods and hairbands, which some applicants assume are covered by a general tolerance. We did not find a requirement for a written declaration accompanying a religious covering, so we are not going to state one.
Applying online
Passport Online is the primary route and takes a digital photograph directly, or a Photo Code obtained through Photo Me or ID Station Online. The file must be a colour JPEG, must not be a scan, and must be free of compression artefacts, digital enhancement and barrel distortion. A photographer or pharmacy can supply the image by email or on a USB stick. Paper applications take four printed photographs instead.
Questions about Ireland photos
Why do two of my photos need a stamp on the back?
On a paper application the witness writes the form number from Section 9 on the reverse of two of the four photographs, then signs and stamps them. If that is missing, the Passport Service asks for a new form and new photographs, so it is not a formality.
Is the passport photo printed in colour?
No. You submit a colour photograph and it is printed in black and white. This is worth knowing when you choose what to wear, because contrast that works in colour can vanish in greyscale.
What happens if I submit a selfie to Passport Online?
You are asked for another photo and the application waits. Selfies are named as unacceptable, and Ireland states that poor quality photographs are the main reason it rejects applications.
How many photos does a postal application need?
Four identical prints, no more than six months old, on photo-quality paper with a white and unglazed reverse. Two of the four carry the witness details on the back.
Can I be photographed in uniform?
No. Civil and military uniforms are not permitted, and neither is clothing bearing insignia. Change into ordinary clothes before the photograph.
Which Irish turnaround time applies to my application?
The published averages as of September 2026 are 10 working days for a simple adult renewal, 15 for a complex adult renewal or a child renewal, and 20 for a first-time online application. A paper Post Passport application takes around six weeks, which the Passport Service notes is not a service guarantee.
Where these numbers come from
Official sourceEvery measurement on this page comes from the issuing authority's own published requirements.
- Photo guidelines for passportschecked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers