Australia passport photo size — 35×45 mm

Australia passport photo requirements at a glance

Photo size

35 × 45 mm

In inches

1.4 × 1.8 in

Pixels at 300 DPI

413 × 531 px

Pixels at 600 DPI

827×1063 px

Shape

Portrait, about 1.3:1

Head height

32 – 36 mm (crown to chin)

Background

White or light grey

File size limit

None published

Copies per 4×6 in print

8

These figures were checked against an official or widely-cited source. Portals occasionally change their rules, so confirm on the page where you submit.

What Australia passport asks for specifically

The Australian Passport Office, part of DFAT, sets these rules, and it is one of the few authorities that publishes the size as a range rather than a single rectangle: 35–40 mm wide by 45–50 mm high, with the face 32–36 mm from chin to crown. Two photos are required with every application.

The one people get wrong

The APO says plainly that it does not recommend online passport photo services or mobile apps, because they “may put you in danger of identity fraud”. That is a fair warning about services that upload your face to a server, and it is worth reading carefully rather than ignoring. This page and this tool run entirely inside your browser — the photo is never uploaded anywhere, and there is no account and no server copy — so the risk being described does not arise here. The rest of the warning still stands: Australia also refuses retouched images and edited backgrounds, so use this to get the crop and the measurements right and have the photo itself taken and printed properly.

Background

Plain white or light grey, contrasting with your face, with uniform lighting and no shadows or reflections. The edges of your face must be clearly visible against it.

Glasses

Do not wear glasses at all unless you cannot remove them for a medical reason. The APO states specifically that vision impairment on its own is not an acceptable reason. Where glasses are unavoidable, the frames must not obscure the eyes and there must be no reflection.

Head coverings

A religious head covering worn habitually is accepted, but it must be plain — no patterns, including small ones — and worn so the entire face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and both edges of the face, remain visible.

Expression

Anyone over three faces the camera straight on, eyes open, neutral expression, head not tilted in any direction and hair not obscuring the edges of the face. Under three, the mouth may be open — but nobody else may appear in the photo, and a parent’s steadying hand in frame is a rejection.

Children

Under three, an open mouth is tolerated and a relaxed expression is not held against the child. Everyone else follows the adult rule. In every case the child must be alone in the frame.

How recent

Less than six months old.

Exceptions

Hearing aids may be worn, by adults and infants alike; wireless earbuds are explicitly not hearing aids and must come out. Jewellery and piercings are allowed only where they obscure no part of the face and throw no reflection. Where a medical condition makes a rule impossible, supply a medical certificate or a completed B‑11 form. Prints must be dye‑sublimation on heavyweight glossy paper of at least 200 gsm — an inkjet print is refused however good it looks.

Source: Australian Passport Office — Passport photos. Checked 2026-08-29. Rules change — confirm on the authority’s own page before you submit.

Getting the head size right

Head height is the measurement most photos fail on, and it is not the same as “how much of the frame your face fills”. It runs from the top of the head — the crown, not the top of your hair if it stands up — down to the bottom of the chin. For Australia passport that is 32 to 36 mm on a 45 mm tall photo, leaving the rest as space above the head and below the chin. The maker draws that band on screen while you position the photo, so you can see whether you are inside it before you export.

Printing a Australia passport photo at home

At 35×45 mm you get 8 copies on a single 4×6 in (10×15 cm) print, which is the cheapest size at almost every print counter and photo kiosk. Export at 300 DPI (413×531 px) for printing; some portals accept or prefer 600 DPI (827×1063 px) for digital submission. Cut along the guides with a straight edge rather than scissors — a crooked border is a surprisingly common reason for a photo to be handed back.