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14-day refund if the authority rejects the photo
SourceDepartment of Internal Affairs of New Zealand — New Zealand Passports
Verified
Quick answer: Background for the New Zealand passport photo: light plain background without shadows or extraneous objects; DIA explicitly rejects a pure white background (LIGHT but NOT WHITE). Neutral expression, clear lenses only, no glare. Last verified .
Requirements
| Background | Light plain background without shadows or extraneous objects; DIA explicitly rejects a pure white background (LIGHT but NOT WHITE). |
|---|---|
| Pose | Full face, head centred, no tilt or rotation. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Ordinary prescription glasses are allowed: untinted lenses, a thin frame that does not cover the eyes, no reflections; sunglasses are prohibited. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Photo must be clear, well-lit, and without digital alterations. |
| Head covering | Only for religious, medical or cultural reasons, without covering the facial oval. |
| Attire | Clothing must not blend into the background; face and shoulder line must be clearly defined. |
| Digital resolution | 900 × 1200 to 4500 × 6000 px |
| File format | JPEG / JPG |
| File size | min 250 KB · max 5 MB Compress photo to 2 MB — New Zealand passport → |
A New Zealand passport photo is digital only: New Zealand Passports (Department of Internal Affairs) says it must be a portrait image, in colour, taken within the last 6 months, and that scans of physical photos and selfies are not accepted. The technical requirements are a 4:3 aspect ratio (3:4 on a smartphone), a .jpg or .jpeg file between 250 KB and 5 MB, 900 to 4500 pixels wide and 1200 to 6000 pixels high, which the site's online photo checker tests.
Someone else takes the photo, standing about 1.5 m away with the camera at your eye level; the background is plain and light-coloured — light blue, grey or cream — with you at least half a metre in front of it and a strong contrast between face and background. Your head is centred with space around the top and sides, with part of the shoulders and upper chest, the whole face visible, not tilted or turned, hair out of the eyes and away from the sides of the face, a neutral expression with the mouth closed.
Prescription glasses are allowed if not tinted or thick-framed, with a clear gap between eyes and frames and no glare; head coverings only for religious or medical reasons (with an endorsement in the passport); no filters or digital alteration and no black-and-white. For babies: lying flat on a plain light-coloured sheet, photographed from above, eyes open.
Examples and mistakes
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for New Zealand passport applications. These are the differences that most often determine whether a document photo is accepted.
Typical reasons a photo is rejected under the rules Department of Internal Affairs of New Zealand — New Zealand Passports publishes: what is wrong and what to change.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| A selfie, or a photo taken too close to the face | Have someone take the photo from about 1.5 m with the camera at eye level. |
| A scan of a printed photo, black-and-white, or a file not in .jpg or .jpeg | Use a digital colour photo saved as .jpg or .jpeg. |
| A file under 250 KB or over 5 MB, or outside 900–4500 × 1200–6000 pixels, or not 4:3 or 3:4 | Use a portrait file of 250 KB to 5 MB with the right pixel ranges and ratio. |
| Shadows on the face or behind the head, or a background that is not plain and light | Use even light and a plain light-coloured background with no objects or people. |
| Tinted or thick-framed glasses, glare, a head covering without a reason, a smile, filters or digital edits | Remove such glasses and hats, keep a neutral mouth-closed expression, and do not edit the photo. |
How to take it
Background: plain light
The tool puts in the required background. Stand half a metre from a plain light wall, face a window and shoot without flash — then there are no shadows on your face or on the wall.
Camera at eye level, about a metre away; head and shoulders in the shot. The tool crops it to the required size.
Clear lenses only, no glare
If you wear glasses, check the shot: no glare on the lenses, eyes clearly visible.
Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open
Look straight into the lens with your head level; keep hair away from your eyes and eyebrows.
An ordinary selfie will do: we fix the background, light and framing ourselves — to this document's rules. The preview is free.
Head straightHold the phone at eye level and your head straightens by itself.
Face uncoveredMove your hair away so your eyes and eyebrows show.
No glare on glassesStand so that no light reflects in the lenses.Printing and submission
A New Zealand passport is applied for online; the digital photo is uploaded in the application after it passes the online photo checker, and the photo can come from a photo service, a professional photographer or someone you know.
passports.govt.nz — start application; test the photo with the online photo checker
Digital colour JPG, 250 KB to 5 MB, 900–4500 × 1200–6000 pixels, 3:4, taken in the last 6 months.
Authority page| Authority | Department of Internal Affairs of New Zealand — New Zealand Passports |
|---|---|
| Source | New Zealand passport photo technical requirements |
| Verified |
Questions
A digital colour portrait photo taken within the last 6 months by someone else about 1.5 m away, saved as a JPG or JPEG of 250 KB to 5 MB with a 4:3 (3:4 on a phone) ratio and 900–4500 pixels wide by 1200–6000 high, on a plain light-coloured background, with a neutral expression and the mouth closed, no filters and no selfies.
There is no print size: the photo is digital, 4:3 (3:4 on a smartphone), 900 to 4500 pixels wide and 1200 to 6000 high, 250 KB to 5 MB, as a JPG or JPEG.
Not as a selfie: someone else has to take it, standing about 1.5 m away with the camera at your eye level; photo services and professional photographers can email a digital copy.
Prescription glasses, yes, if they are not tinted or thick-framed, with a clear gap between the eyes and the frames and no glare or flash reflection; sunglasses are not allowed.
The New Zealand passport photo must meet the authority requirements shown in the table above. For digital upload, use 900 × 1200 to 4500 × 6000 px.
Light plain background without shadows or extraneous objects; DIA explicitly rejects a pure white background (LIGHT but NOT WHITE). No gradients, textures, shadows or objects behind the subject are permitted. The tool removes background shadows automatically, but starting with a flat, evenly lit wall gives the best result.
Yes. Stand in front of a flat, plain wall in good natural light, face the light source and use the rear camera of your phone with a 3-second timer. The tool handles the crop, background normalisation and compliance check against the New Zealand biometric standard.
Most passport authorities require the photo to be taken within the last six months. Do not reuse an older portrait even if your appearance has not changed.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the photo is rejected by the New Zealand authority and you supply the official rejection notice. See the refund policy page for the exact process.
Ordinary prescription glasses are allowed: untinted lenses, a thin frame that does not cover the eyes, no reflections; sunglasses are prohibited. In practice, the biometric scanner at submission points flags even minor lens glare that looks fine to the naked eye. Removing glasses before shooting is the only option that eliminates the risk entirely.
Only for religious, medical or cultural reasons, without covering the facial oval. The face must stay fully visible from chin to forehead and on both sides, with no shadow across it.