head 70–80 %
Free: cropping, background replacement, check
14-day refund if the authority rejects the photo
SourceMinistry of Interior of Saudi Arabia — General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat)
Verified
Quick answer: A Saudi Arabia passport photo must be 40 × 60 mm. Plain white background. Head occupies 70–80% of photo height. Neutral expression, clear lenses only, no glare. Last verified .
Requirements
| Format | 40 × 60 mmICAO 9303: 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 70–80% of photo height |
| Background | Plain white background. Make photo background white — Saudi Arabia passport → |
| Pose | Strictly full face, head without rotation or tilt, shoulders level. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Clear glasses only, no reflections; sunglasses prohibited. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows on the face and background not permitted. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
| Attire | Neutral clothing, shoulders visible, without uniform or distracting accessories. |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| Millimetres | 40 × 60 mm |
|---|---|
| Centimetres | 4 × 6 cm |
| Inches | 1.57 × 2.36″ |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 472 × 709 px |
| Pixels at 600 dpi | 945 × 1417 px |
For a Saudi passport — issuing for the first time, renewing, or replacing a lost, stolen, damaged or full one — the General Directorate of Passports prints in the photo box of the application form «photograph of the beneficiary: size 6 x 4, in colour, with a white background, not instant or reprinted», and asks, for a minor in custody, for «two recent photographs, in colour with a white background, not instant or reprinted, of the passport holder». The size is printed without a unit; the profile reads it as 4 × 6 cm, a tall print. The procedure for a minor takes an electronic appointment through the Absher platform, payment of the fee electronically, a visit to the Passports office with the original custody deed, the application form filled in electronically on the Directorate's site, the original national ID and family register of the custodian, the two photographs and, for a renewal, the old passport. The Directorate gives no head size, expression or glasses rule on these pages.
Examples and mistakes
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for Saudi Arabia 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 Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia — General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) publishes: what is wrong and what to change.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| A photograph that is not in colour or not on a white background | A colour photograph on a white background. |
| An instant (Polaroid-type) photograph or a reprint of another photograph | A proper print made for the application, not instant and not reprinted. |
| A print that is not the 6 × 4 size the form names (read as 4 × 6 cm) | A 4 × 6 cm print. |
| Fewer than two photographs for a minor in custody | Two recent photographs of the passport holder. |
How to take it
Background: plain white
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.
Head: 70–80 % of the photo height
Camera at eye level, about a metre away; head and shoulders in the shot. The tool crops it to 40 × 60 mm.
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
| 10 × 15 cm · 4 × 6″ | 4 (2 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 21 (3 × 7) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
A Saudi passport is applied for at a Passports office (Jawazat) with an electronic appointment through Absher, after the electronic payment and the electronically filled-in form, with the photograph on the form (two photographs for a minor in custody) and the identity documents.
moi.gov.sa — General Directorate of Passports
A colour photograph, size 6 x 4, white background, not instant or reprinted.
Authority pageQuestions
The form says «size 6 x 4», in colour, with a white background, not instant or reprinted; the unit is not printed and the profile reads it as 4 × 6 cm.
Two recent photographs of the passport holder, in colour with a white background, not instant or reprinted.
No — the form and the procedure both say «not instant or reprinted».
Through the Absher platform, then the fee is paid electronically and the Passports office is visited with the documents.
The Saudi Arabia passport photo must be 40 × 60 mm. The head must occupy 70–80% of the photo height.
Plain white background. 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 white 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 Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia authority and you supply the official rejection notice. See the refund policy page for the exact process.
Clear glasses only, no reflections; sunglasses 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.
40 × 60 mm = 4 × 6 cm = 1.57 × 2.36 inches. At 300 dpi that is 472 × 709 pixels; at 600 dpi, 945 × 1417 pixels.
2 identical photographs, 40 × 60 mm each.
Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. The face must stay fully visible from chin to forehead and on both sides, with no shadow across it.
Yes. The same 40 × 60 mm format and head size apply to: ID card.