New Zealand Visa Photo Requirements
A geometric trap: Immigration NZ's online photo (3:4) and paper photo (35x45mm) are not the same shape. Use the one for how you are applying.
Immigration New Zealand publishes two visa photo specs, and they are different shapes. Apply online and it is a 3:4 portrait JPG between 512KB and 3.14MB; apply on paper and it is 35 x 45mm. Those look interchangeable and are not - 3:4 is 0.750, and 35 x 45mm is 0.778 - so a print-size crop is not a valid online upload. Pick the spec for how you are actually applying.
This covers the photo for a New Zealand visa. For why a visa photo rarely matches a passport photo, see visa photos are not passport photos.
The two specs, and why they are not the same
The trap is geometric. The online photo is a 3:4 rectangle; the paper photo is 35 x 45mm, a 7:9 rectangle - very close, but not equal. 3:4 works out to 0.750 and 35 x 45mm to 0.778, so a 35 x 45mm crop is fractionally too tall to be a valid 3:4 upload. Make the print-size photo, upload it, and you have submitted the wrong shape. Immigration New Zealand sets the two for the two routes, and which one you need depends only on how you lodge the application.
- Online - a portrait 3:4 JPG, between 512KB and 3.14MB. INZ states no pixel dimensions or DPI, only the shape and the file-size window.
- Paper - 35 x 45mm, the international print size.
The file size is a floor as well as a ceiling
The online window is 512KB to 3.14MB, which means there is a minimum file size, not just a maximum. A very flat, plain photo can compress below the 512KB floor, in which case it has to be scaled up until it clears it - INZ caps no pixel dimension, so that is exactly what the spec asks for. A normal portrait sits comfortably inside the window without any of this coming up.
Background: neutral and plain, no colour named
Here is where most guides add something INZ did not say. Immigration New Zealand describes the background as "neutral and plain" and does not name a colour - it is not stated as white. A plain, unpatterned, evenly-lit backdrop is what the requirement actually asks for, so use one, and do not assume a specific shade is mandatory when INZ has not made it so.
An NZeTA is not a visa
The NZeTA is a travel authorisation, not a visa, and it has its own photo rules - INZ notes that a professionally-taken NZeTA photo should be under 10MB. If you are visa-waiver and only need an NZeTA, this is not the page you want; it covers the visa photo.
How to make the right one
The New Zealand visa photo maker asks which route you are on, above the crop box, because the answer changes the shape. The online option outputs a 3:4 image and pushes the file into the 512KB-3.14MB window; the printed option outputs 413 x 531px, which is 35 x 45mm at 300 DPI. Everything runs in your browser, with nothing uploaded. It sets the shape, the size, and the file weight; it does not judge your framing, lighting, or expression, so check those against INZ's own guidance. To compare across countries, the visa photo maker hub lists only those verified against their own issuing authority.
FAQ
What size is a New Zealand visa photo?
It depends how you apply, and the two answers are different shapes. Online: a 3:4 JPG, 512KB to 3.14MB. On paper: 35 x 45mm. 3:4 (0.750) and 35 x 45mm (0.778) do not interchange - a print-size crop is not a valid online upload.
What background colour does INZ require?
Immigration New Zealand says "neutral and plain" and names no colour. Sites that tell you white are adding something INZ has not said. A plain, unpatterned, evenly-lit backdrop is the actual requirement.
Why might my photo come back larger than expected?
INZ sets a 512KB minimum as well as a 3.14MB maximum. A very plain photo can compress below the floor, so the tool scales it up until it clears the minimum. INZ caps no pixel dimension, so that matches the spec.
Is an NZeTA photo the same as a visa photo?
No. NZeTA is a travel authorisation with its own rules - INZ notes a professionally-taken NZeTA photo should be under 10MB. This tool makes the visa photo.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser using the Canvas API, so your photo never leaves your device.