Pakistan passport photo
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The requirements
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | 350 x 467 px |
| File size | 3 MB |
| File formats | JPEG |
| Head height, chin to crown | 29-34 mm DGI&P dimension diagram: the head must measure at least 29 mm and no more than 34 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head on the 45 mm high photo. |
| Background | Plain white background with clear contrast to the face |
| Glasses | Allowed, as long as the eyes are fully visible with no glare and no tint. |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open. |
| Ears | No |
| Photo age | 6 months |
| Also required |
|
Inside Pakistan the photograph is captured at the passport office: the published process lists 'Capturing of Photograph' as a step at the counter, so most applicants never submit a photo. The 35 x 45 mm rules above are the ones DGI&P publishes for the online service, used mainly by overseas Pakistanis renewing or reprinting a passport, where the photo is uploaded. The two DGI&P pages disagree on the file ceiling (3 MB on the documentation list, 5 MB on the photo page); the stricter 3 MB is recorded.
Applying in Pakistan
Pakistan publishes its photo specification twice, on two Directorate General of Immigration and Passports pages, and the two do not agree with each other. The online passport service page gives 350 by 467 pixels, JPEG or JPG, a white background, and a file of not more than 3 MB. The photo requirements page on the online portal gives 45 millimetres high by 35 wide, plain white, no more than six months old, and says the file should not exceed 5 MB. Neither page mentions the other.
Where two official pages conflict, the safe file satisfies both. Build 350 by 467 as a JPEG on a plain white background, keep it under 3145728 rather than the higher ceiling, and take it within the last 6 months. That clears the stricter number on every axis and cannot be refused for having met the looser one. Knowing the conflict exists matters, because a photographer working from one page may hand you a file the other page rejects.
The upload route is also narrower than it looks. Inside Pakistan the online service handles renewals only, so a first adult passport means attending a regional office where the photograph and four fingerprints are captured. From abroad the same service additionally covers reprints of damaged, lost or exhausted books and new passports for newborns up to two years old. Online applicants also submit an inked fingerprint form scanned at 600 dpi in grayscale, and three rejected forms means attending an office in person.
Why photos get rejected here
A background that is not plain white, or a shadow behind the head
The requirement is a plain white background without any shadows in the picture. Standing close to a wall puts your own shadow beside your head, which is the usual cause and the easiest to fix.
Reflection or glare on spectacles
The eyes must be free from reflection or glare from glasses and must not be covered by sunglasses, tinted glasses, frames or hair. Glare comes from the lighting rather than the eyewear, so it survives a change of glasses but not a change of room.
A photo cut down from a larger picture
The guidance says you cannot use photos that have been cut down from larger pictures. Beyond the rule, a crop from a group shot rarely holds enough pixels for the required size.
An edited photograph
The instruction names the software: pictures must not be edited in Photoshop or anything like it. That covers retouching and the smoothing some phone cameras apply by default in the front camera.
Red eye or shadows in the picture
Both are excluded by name, and both are produced by a flash sitting next to the lens. Turning the flash off and facing a window removes them together.
A rejected fingerprint form
Not a photo failure but the one that ends an online application. Online applicants submit an inked form scanned at 600 dpi in grayscale under 3 MB, and after three rejections the application has to be completed at a regional office.
What helps
Build to the stricter number on both pages
Two official pages give different file ceilings. A file under the lower one satisfies both, and there is no advantage anywhere in being closer to the higher figure.
The background is white, not light blue
The light blue claim circulates widely and has no official Pakistani source behind it. Every DGI&P page we read says plain white. The confusion probably comes from identity card photographs, which is a different document.
Do not crop from a picture you already have
This is excluded explicitly, and it also tends to fail on resolution. Take a new photograph rather than rescuing an old one.
Inland, the online service is renewals only
A first adult passport is an in-person application at a regional office, where the photograph and four fingerprints are captured. Preparing a file for it is wasted effort.
Scan the fingerprint form at 600 dpi in grayscale
Use a black stamp pad and do not roll the fingers. The scan must be JPEG, grayscale, 600 dpi and under 3 MB. Three rejections and you are going to an office anyway.
The fees have not changed since March 2024
Any site advertising a 2026 fee schedule is recycling the March 2024 numbers. A standard 36 page five year book is PKR 4,500 normal or PKR 7,500 urgent as of September 2026, with online applications adding PKR 1,000 inland or PKR 2,500 from abroad.
Babies and young children
Pakistan publishes no relaxation of the expression, gaze or open-eyes rules for babies that we could find, and we are not going to infer one. What is published is procedural. From abroad, a new passport for a newborn up to two years old can be applied for through the online service, which is one of the few new-application types the portal accepts at all. Children under fifteen receive five year validity only. Inside Pakistan a child's application is an in-person one, so the photograph is captured at the office rather than prepared by you.
Glasses
The Directorate General does not ban glasses outright, but the conditions it publishes are strict enough to amount to the same advice. The eyes must be visible and free from reflection or glare, and must not be covered by sunglasses, tinted glasses, frames or hair. Separately, the NADRA photograph guide used for identity documents states no glasses at all. Given the two positions, and given that glare is a property of the lighting rather than the eyewear, take them off unless a medical reason prevents it.
Head covering
A head covering is permitted, and the condition is the standard one: the face must be clear from the chin to the forehead and both edges of the face must be visible. No written declaration is described in the guidance we read. Nothing may cover the face, which excludes a face veil while leaving a headscarf or a turban acceptable. As everywhere, the practical risk is not the covering but the shadow it casts under an overhead light, which is solved by photographing in window light.
Applying online
Inland the online service handles renewals only, where the passport has expired or has twelve months or less of validity remaining. From abroad it also covers reprints of damaged, lost or exhausted books and new passports for newborns up to two years. First-time adult applicants attend a regional office, where the photograph and four fingerprints are captured. From 1 July 2026 e-Passports replace the ordinary passport, with cashless QR payment and home delivery, and 24 hour services began on 1 January 2026.
Questions about Pakistan photos
Two official pages give different file limits. Which one applies?
Both are official, so satisfy the stricter. The online passport service page says not more than 3 MB and the portal's photo requirements page says not more than 5 MB. A file under 3 MB clears both and can never be refused for the difference.
Is the Pakistani background white or light blue?
White. Every Directorate General page we read says plain white, and the light blue claim has no official Pakistani source. It appears to come from identity card photographs, which are a different document with different rules.
Have the passport fees changed for 2026?
No. The current schedule took effect on 7 March 2024 and no later revision exists on any official page. Sites advertising a 2026 schedule are republishing the 2024 numbers under a new heading.
Can I apply online for a first passport?
Not inside Pakistan. Inland the online service is for renewals where the passport has expired or has twelve months or less remaining. From abroad it widens to include reprints and newborns up to two years old, but a first adult passport still means attending in person.
What happens if my fingerprint form keeps being rejected?
After three rejected forms the application can no longer be completed online and you attend a regional office. Use a black stamp pad, do not roll the fingers, and scan at 600 dpi in grayscale under 3 MB. Verifying through the NADRA PakID app is the alternative.
Are e-Passports replacing the ordinary passport?
Yes, from 1 July 2026, alongside cashless QR fee payment and home delivery. The e-Passport carries its own fee schedule, higher than the machine readable book: PKR 9,000 for a 36 page five year version on normal service as of September 2026.
Where these numbers come from
Official sourceEvery measurement on this page comes from the issuing authority's own published requirements.
- Capturing your photograph: photo requirementschecked September 2, 2026
- Online passport service: documentation requirementschecked September 2, 2026
- Passport application processchecked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers