Quick answer: A South Africa passport photo must be 35 × 45 mm with plain white, light grey, or cream background. Head occupies 64–76% of photo height (29–34 mm chin to crown). Neutral expression, see glasses rule. Last verified .
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| Format | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 64–76% of photo height |
| Head height (mm) | 29–34 mm chin to crown |
| Background | Plain white, light grey, or cream background. |
| Pose | Full face, head centred, no tilt or rotation. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows on the face and background not permitted. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
| Attire | Clothing must not blend into the background; face and shoulder line must be clearly defined. |
| Digital resolution | Check the authority portal before digital upload |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| File size | Check the authority portal before upload |
South Africa passport photos are administered by the **Department of Home Affairs (DHA / dha.gov.za)**. The format is 35×45mm with head 29-34mm chin-to-crown (UNIQUE NARROWER range than typical 32-36mm — similar to Swiss/UK passport). DHA is STRICT about background: must be PURE WHITE (RGB 255,255,255 or very close) — off-white commonly rejected. No glasses (any type — prescription/sunglasses all forbidden). Head coverings only for documented religious or medical reasons. Photo within 6 months. DHA office captures photo on-site for in-person applications.
| Authority | Department of International Relations and Cooperation / DHA |
|---|---|
| Source | South African passport photograph specifications |
| Verified | |
| Confidence | Official — exact |
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for South Africa passport applications. The final decision always belongs to Department of International Relations and Cooperation / DHA, but these are the differences that most often determine whether a document photo is accepted.
Upload a portrait — the tool crops, removes the background and checks compliance against the 35 × 45 mm rule automatically.
Use a blank white wall or tape a white bedsheet flat — avoid creases. Stand at least 50 cm from the surface so your shadow does not fall onto it. Patterned wallpaper or any textured surface creates a gradient that fails the automated background check, even if it looks white to the eye.
Face a large window during daylight hours. Even, frontal, diffused natural light produces the cleanest indoor result. Never use on-camera flash — it creates hard shadows on the background and washes out facial geometry. Turn off any coloured indoor light sources.
Extend your chin slightly forward and downward — this elongates the neck and sharpens the jawline. Keep your head level: the camera must be exactly at eye height. Tilting up or down distorts the biometric head-height ratio.
Keep both shoulders square to the camera. Passport standards require a straight-on stance — turned shoulders shift the perceived centre of the face and will cause the automated alignment check to fail.
Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections In practice, the biometric scanner flags even minor glare invisible to the naked eye. Removing glasses before shooting is the only option that eliminates the risk entirely.
Look directly into the lens. Keep a completely neutral expression — no smile, raised eyebrows or squinting. Mouth closed and relaxed. Biometric matching calibrates against the neutral reference stored in the passport chip; any muscular movement lowers the match confidence score.
Avoid white or very light tops — they merge with the white background and make the shoulder outline hard to detect. Deep solid tones work best: navy, dark teal, burgundy or charcoal. No uniforms, hats or accessories that cover the face or neck.
Groom your beard one or two days before shooting — a freshly trimmed beard photographs with the cleanest edge definition. If shaving completely, do so the morning of the shoot and apply a calming balm to reduce redness, which can alter the skin-tone map used by background removal.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation / DHA publishes the following rejection codes. Knowing the exact code on your notice tells you precisely what to fix in the reshoot.
| Code | Reason | Fix |
|---|---|---|
ZA-PS-01 |
Background not pure RGB 255,255,255 white | Re-shoot against true white — DHA strict |
ZA-PS-02 |
Head outside 29-34mm | Re-shoot — South African narrow range |
ZA-PS-03 |
Glasses worn (any type) | Remove glasses — no exception |
ZA-PS-04 |
Smile, frown or raised eyebrows | Re-shoot completely neutral |
ZA-PS-05 |
Photo older than 6 months | Re-shoot |
The required background is Plain white, light grey, or cream background. Even a slightly off-white, grey or cream tone may fail the automated colour check used by passport submission systems. Shadows from the subject onto the wall behind them are the most common cause of this rejection.
The head must be straight and centred. A tilt of even 3–5 degrees is flagged by the ICAO face-alignment algorithm used in South Africa passport biometric verification. Place the camera at exactly eye level and centre your face horizontally.
Both eyes must be fully visible and clearly open. Glasses glare, a fringe across one eye, or a shadow from overhead lighting across the eye area are automatic rejection triggers in the biometric check.
Biometric matching calibrates against a neutral reference stored in the passport chip. A smile or even a slightly parted mouth shifts facial geometry and lowers the match confidence score, causing the application to be returned.
The digital file must be at minimum 600 × 600 px and free of motion blur or JPEG compression artefacts. Overexposed highlights on the forehead or cheeks erase facial geometry the biometric scanner needs to read.
Most passport authorities require a recent photo taken within the last six months. Even if your appearance has not changed, the application is delayed until a new photo is provided.
The head must occupy the specified percentage of the photo height (see the spec table above). Too close (face fills the frame) or too far (head appears small) both fail at the automated dimension check.
The South Africa passport photo must be 35 × 45 mm. The head must occupy 64–76% of the photo height.
Plain white, light grey, or cream 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 South Africa 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 — many submission systems check the photo timestamp against the application date.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the photo is rejected by the South Africa authority and you supply the official rejection notice. The refund covers the €4.99 download fee in full. See the refund policy page for the exact process.
Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. 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.
Anfas.Pro is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any government authority. The final decision to accept or reject a document photo rests solely with the issuing authority. Requirements change — always verify on the official authority portal before submitting.