Irish Passport Photo Requirements

The Irish passport photo requirements depend on how you apply: Passport Online takes one digital colour photo, a JPEG at least 715 pixels wide by 951 pixels high and no larger than 9 MB, while the paper form takes four identical printed photos between 35 x 45 mm and 38 x 50 mm. Either way the photo must have been taken in the last six months against a plain light grey, white or cream background, with a neutral expression.

Every figure here is from the Department of Foreign Affairs' Photo guidelines page, read on 13 October 2026. The same page says poor quality photographs are the main reason the Passport Service has to reject applications. This guide covers Ireland only. For the rules every country shares, see passport photo requirements explained, and for how the size compares elsewhere, passport photo size by country.

What size is an Irish passport photo?

An Irish passport photo has two specs, one in millimetres for prints and one in pixels for the online upload. The printed size is a range, so a photo slightly larger than 35 x 45 mm is fine as long as it stays within 38 x 50 mm.

The guidelines page gives no chin-to-crown head height in millimetres. Some third-party sites print one for Ireland; the Department's own instruction is the head-to-mid-torso framing in the table.

What photo does Passport Online need?

Passport Online needs a digital photo, for a Passport Book or a Passport Card. The Department lists three ways to get one: have someone take it at home with a phone, tablet or camera; get a digital copy from a photo shop or pharmacy by email or USB key; or use a participating photo booth, which gives you a code that pulls the photo into your application. The booth-code option is offered in Ireland and the UK.

Three rules catch home photographers:

• No selfies. Someone else has to take the photo. The Department says applicants who submit a selfie are asked for another photo, which delays the application.
• No zoom. Do not use the zoom function on a camera or smartphone. Have the other person step back or forward.
• No scans. A scanned paper photo is not accepted online, so a booth strip you already have is no use here unless it came with a code.

715 x 951 pixels is the minimum. Phone cameras generally produce a much larger image than that, and you should upload it as it is, because the guidelines rule out a photo that has been digitally enhanced or changed, or one showing compression artefacts. Do not compress a photo to get it under 9 MB; retake it at a lower camera resolution. If your picture arrives sideways, the upload page has rotate buttons and the Department says it will rotate it for you anyway.

The file must be a JPEG. iPhones save HEIC by default, so if your upload is refused on format, see how to stop your iPhone saving HEIC photos and retake it. For the shoot itself, how to take a passport photo at home covers lighting and shadows.

What do you need for a paper application?

A paper application for a Passport Book needs four identical printed photos, none more than six months old. Your witness then has to write the form number, found in Section 9 of the application form, on the back of two of the four, and sign and stamp those two. If that is missed, the Department says you will need to submit a new form and new photos.

The prints must be on photo-quality paper at high resolution, in sharp focus, with no ink marks or creases, and the reverse must be white and unglazed. The Department recommends black and white prints, because the photo is printed onto the passport in black and white, though it also accepts colour. The online route is the reverse. There you must upload colour, and the Passport Service converts it.

Background, glasses, expression and clothing

• Background. Completely plain light grey, white or cream. No door panels, plants or other objects, and no shadows on your face or behind your head.
• Glasses. Allowed, which is not true everywhere. The frames must not cover any part of your eyes and there must be no glare on the lenses. Dark glasses and sunglasses are out. See smiling and glasses in passport photos for how other countries differ.
• Expression. Neutral, mouth closed, no smile. Look straight at the camera without tilting your head.
• Hair and head coverings. Hair must not cover any part of your eyes. A head covering is allowed for religious or medical reasons if your full facial features stay visible.
• Clothing. Uniforms, civil or military, and clothing bearing insignia are not permitted.
• Red eye. Not acceptable.

Photos of babies and young children

An infant who cannot support themselves should be photographed lying on a plain white surface. No one else may appear, so supporting hands and arms must stay out of the frame, and a soother cannot be in the child's mouth. For children up to 36 months, Passport Online may prompt you to frame the child's face with its own cropping tool; the Department says the face does not need to sit perfectly inside the oval. Our baby and infant passport photo rules has practical ways to get the shot.

Where a sizing tool fits, and where it does not

For the paper route, the 35x45mm Passport Photo Maker crops a JPG, PNG or WebP photo to the print shape. It gives you a crop box locked to the 35:45 ratio that you drag and resize, and saves a 413 x 531 pixel JPEG, which is 35 x 45 mm at 300 DPI. It runs in your browser, so the photo is never uploaded. Leave room in the box: Ireland wants head to mid torso with visible space around your head and shoulders. The tool crops, resizes and saves a JPEG, and it leaves an ordinary photo's background as it is. Be aware that the Department's FAQ says photos "must not be digitally altered or edited in any way" and does not say whether a crop counts, so the cautious option is to have a photo shop print at size from the untouched file.

Because 35 x 45 mm is Ireland's minimum, a print that comes out even slightly small fails, while one slightly large passes up to 38 x 50 mm. Check the first print with a ruler. How to print passport photos at home explains why a file often prints at the wrong size.

Do not use that output for Passport Online. At 413 x 531 pixels it is below the 715 x 951 minimum, and the online service wants your original photo. For other countries, start at the Passport Photo Maker hub.

Irish vs UK passport photo specs

If you are applying for both, the two digital specs differ: GOV.UK asks for at least 600 x 750 pixels and a photo taken in the last month, against Ireland's 715 x 951 pixels and six months. A photo under a month old that clears the Irish pixel floor meets both of those numbers, but check each country's background and framing rules separately. The UK side is in UK passport photo size and requirements.

FAQ

What size is an Irish passport photo in pixels?
For Passport Online, not less than 715 pixels wide and 951 pixels high, as a JPEG no larger than 9 MB. That is a minimum. The Department sets no pixel size for printed photos, only millimetres.

Can I take my own Irish passport photo at home?
Yes, for an online application, but someone else must hold the camera. Selfies are not accepted, and the zoom function should not be used.

Can I wear glasses in an Irish passport photo?
Yes. The frames must not cover any part of your eyes and the lenses must show no glare. Dark glasses and sunglasses are not permitted.

Can I reuse the photo from my last passport?
No. The Department says the photo must have been taken within the last six months, which it describes as an International Civil Aviation Organisation requirement.

Will my photo be in colour on the passport?
No. The photo on an Irish passport is black and white. Online you still upload a colour photo, and it is converted during processing.

Can I scan a printed photo and upload it?
No. Passport Online accepts digital photos only, and the guidelines say scanned photos are not permitted.