Ireland is one of the few passport authorities that accepts a size range rather than one fixed photo size: the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) takes anything from 35 × 45 mm up to 38 × 50 mm. That flexibility catches some applicants out in a different way — DFA is strict about how the photo was produced, rejecting scanned prints and any sign of digital retouching outright.
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Common checks include submitting a scanned copy of a printed photo instead of a genuine digital photo, a size that falls outside the 35 × 45mm–38 × 50mm range, and a background that is not one of the three shades DFA accepts: plain light grey, white or cream.
DFA guidance states a digital photo must not be a scanned photo. A printed photo that is then scanned back into a digital file is rejected even if the size and background are otherwise correct — submit a genuine digital capture instead.
DFA publishes a minimum of 35 × 45 mm and a maximum of 38 × 50 mm rather than one fixed size. A print smaller or larger than that range, or a digital file under the matching 715 × 951 px minimum, is rejected.
DFA guidance is explicit that a photo must not be digitally enhanced or changed. Skin-smoothing filters, background clean-up and colour correction from phone camera apps all count as enhancement.
The accepted background is plain light grey, white or cream. Patterned wallpaper, coloured walls or an uneven shadow behind the head fall outside all three accepted shades and are rejected.
Glasses are allowed for this photo, unlike many other passport authorities — but the frame must not cover any part of the eyes, there must be no glare on the lenses, and dark or tinted glasses are not permitted at all.
The Passport Service asks for a photo that captures you from head to mid torso, with visible space between your head, your shoulders and the edge of the photo. That is a wider frame than the head-and-shoulders crop most countries want. Keep your head level, look straight into the camera and do not tilt up, down, left or right.
DFA requires a photo taken in the last six months. A photo that still resembles you but was clearly taken longer ago is rejected at the application stage.
No — the Department of Foreign Affairs publishes a range rather than a single size: a minimum of 35 × 45 mm and a maximum of 38 × 50 mm for a printed photo, with a matching digital minimum of 715 × 951 pixels. Any size inside that range is accepted, which is different from most passport authorities that fix one exact size.
Yes, unlike several other countries. DFA guidance allows glasses as long as the frame does not cover any part of the eyes and there is no glare on the lenses. Dark or tinted glasses, including sunglasses, are not permitted under any circumstance.
No. DFA guidance states a digital photo must not be a scanned photo — it must be an original digital capture. A scanned copy of an older print is rejected even when the size, background and pose all look correct on screen.
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