New Zealand Passport Photo Online Requirements

Technical file specification

A scan of a printed photograph is not accepted for the online route. Ask a professional provider for the digital file or capture a new digital original.

Do not submit a selfie

The New Zealand passport guidance says selfies will be rejected. A close phone creates perspective distortion: the center of the face appears larger and the ears less visible. Cropping cannot undo that geometry.

Have another person stand about 1.5 metres away. Hold the camera at the subject's eye level. If the face still looks distorted, step back and include a wider view of the shoulders before making the final crop.

Leave space around the head

Center the head with a clear gap at the top and both sides. Include the shoulders and upper chest. A tight original makes it difficult to obtain the required head position and may tempt the user to add a generated background.

The official online checker evaluates technical and composition requirements. Use it before starting the application, but remember that a later manual assessment can still occur.

Background and subject distance

Use a plain, light-colored background with strong contrast from the face. Stand at least half a metre in front of it so there are no shadows or objects behind the head. Use even light and inspect the wall as well as the face.

Do not remove a shadow or replace the wall with software. Retake the photograph with more distance and softer lighting.

Pose and expression

Face forward and look directly into the lens. Keep the head level, eyes open and mouth closed with a neutral expression. Hair should be out of the eyes and away from the face. No other person or object should appear.

For a baby, the official guidance recommends a plain light sheet and a photograph from above. The entire face should appear, with eyes open, and no supporting person or object visible.

Glasses and headwear

Remove tinted or thick-framed glasses. Prescription glasses may appear only when there is clear space between the eyes and frames and no glare or reflection. Sunglasses are not accepted.

Remove hats, hoods and headbands. Religious or medical head coverings can be allowed when the face remains fully visible. Follow the current official instructions if an exception applies.

No filters or AI changes

The photograph must show natural appearance. New Zealand explicitly tells applicants not to edit the image, apply filters or use AI tools to modify how they look. Keep the original and save any required technical version under a new filename.

Changing the aspect ratio or JPEG file size should not become an opportunity to smooth skin, reshape the face or reconstruct hair. For the distinction, read our editing and AI guide.

Fixing common online-checker errors

• Wrong ratio: return to the original and crop to 3:4 without stretching.
• Wrong format: export a genuine JPG or JPEG; do not merely rename the extension.
• Below 250 KB: export from the original at higher quality.
• Above 5 MB: reduce JPEG quality gradually while preserving detail.
• Head too large: use a wider original; do not generate missing background.
• Face distorted: retake from farther away at eye level.
• Shadow or glare: correct the physical light and capture again.

Submission workflow

1. Read the current New Zealand passport-photo page.
2. Capture a digital original less than 6 months old.
3. Keep the untouched file.
4. Prepare the required JPEG and 3:4 crop without appearance edits.
5. Verify pixels and the 250 KB-5 MB range.
6. Run the official online photo checker.
7. Keep the check reference and upload the unchanged checked file.

For detailed file troubleshooting, use our JPEG file-size guide. For the room setup, see how to take a phone photo at home.

Primary sources reviewed: New Zealand Passports photo requirements and the technical requirements and online checker guidance. Review date: June 29, 2026. New Zealand Passports remains the final authority.