Maldives Passport Photo Requirements: Face 32–36 mm, 600 dpi Print, Taken Within 30 Days

Maldives Immigration publishes a “Maldives Passport Photo Standard Guide” (also on the IMUGA portal). It is aligned with the ICAO specifications for machine-readable travel documents, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a photo that meets it, with exceptions for applicants with special needs.

Why clothing matters

Second-generation e-passports have a polycarbonate biographic page with the image printed in black and white grey scale. Bald heads, white hair, fair skin tone, light attire and hijabs may therefore not appear clearly on a white background, and a darker shade of clothing is advised.

Format and quality

• Facial features clear from the bottom of the chin to the crown and the left and right sides of the face.
• The face takes up 70–80 % of the photo, i.e. 32–36 mm; a photo is rejected only if the face measures less than 27 mm or more than 40 mm.
• Sharp focus, clear, proper contrast; even lighting with no shadows, reflections or red eyes; sharp-edge edits are not accepted.
• Printed on high-quality paper at a print resolution of at least 600 dpi.
• Clean, undamaged, free of creases, staples, pins, paper clips, folding, ink marks or pen indentations.
• Taken within the last 30 days.

Background, head and eyes

• White background, in contrast with the face and hair, not patterned; the photo has no borders; only the person photographed, with no other persons or objects.
• Head neither tilted nor turned (portrait style); neutral expression with the mouth closed, looking directly at the camera.
• Eyes open, clearly visible and not covered by hair or eyeglass frames; no flash reflection on lenses and no sunglasses.
• Hats or head coverings not permitted; exceptions may be made in particular for religious reasons (women wearing hijab), with the face visible from chin to crown.
• No facial ornaments that obscure the face, and no non-neutral, deceiving make-up; photos in uniform are not accepted if they show any component of the uniform.

Children

For children aged 9 and under the face takes up 50–80 % of the photo from chin to crown (22–36 mm), and a photo is rejected only if the face measures less than 17 mm or more than 40 mm. For children aged 5 and under the child does not need a neutral expression or a direct look, and the head does not have to be centred.

See our Maldives passport photo page for the format.