Do I need to supply a photograph for a passport?

Usually not. Home Affairs photographs applicants at the office for passports. Supplied photographs are mostly for visa applications, permits and the supporting forms, which is what this specification covers.

Why was my photograph returned as badly framed?

Almost always because it was cropped too close. South African document photographs include the top of the shoulders, and a head-only crop — which is correct for several European passports — reads as wrong here.

Can I scan an old printed photograph?

No. Scans and photocopies are explicitly excluded, and the loss of sharpness against a photographic original is easy to see. Start from a digital photograph rather than a print.

How many copies should I print?

Visa applications commonly ask for two. A 4 × 6 sheet holds eight, costs the same as a single print, and covers repeat applications within the photograph's validity.

South Africa Passport & Visa Photo — 35 × 45 mm

35 × 45 mm at 300 dpi (413 × 531 px), plain white or light grey.

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Options

Country and document

Sets the millimetre size, the head-height range and the background colour.

Background

Anything but 'keep' cuts you out with a model that runs on this device and puts you on a plain colour. 'Keep' skips the model entirely, so it is instant.

Cutout tightness0%

Only used when the background is being replaced. Raise it to trim a halo, lower it to rescue hair that was cut into.

Print sheet

A sheet tiles as many copies as the paper takes, with a cut line around each. Any print shop can run it.

Also save a framing guide

A second file with the crown and chin bands drawn on, so you can check the head is the right size. Never submit that one.

Show exact numbers

Frame measured in

The frame is written as a percentage so it means the same thing whatever the photograph's resolution.

Frame from the left

Frame from the top

Frame width

Frame height

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Ask about South Africa Passport & Visa Photo — 35 × 45 mm

Questions about what this tool does, which option to pick, or what it can and cannot handle.

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About the South Africa Passport & Visa Photo — 35 × 45 mm

Home Affairs works to a 35-by-45 frame, sizing the face anywhere from 30 up to 36 millimetres, over white or something very close to it. The Department of Home Affairs captures a photograph directly at the office for most passport applications, so the supplied photograph is chiefly for visa applications, permits and the forms that accompany them.

The requirement people most often miss is about the shoulders. A document photograph here carries the shoulders as well as the head, squarely to the lens, and a tight head-only crop of the kind that suits a European passport comes back marked as badly framed. The taller-looking composition is intentional.

Photographs must be recent and in colour, with a neutral expression, the mouth closed and both eyes open and visible. No hat, no sunglasses, no uniform. Head coverings worn for religious reasons are permitted where the whole face is visible.

Home Affairs is also explicit that photographs must not be scans of existing prints or photocopies. A scanned photograph loses sharpness in a way that is obvious next to a photographic original, and it is refused.

For visa applications made through VFS or a similar service, the photograph is usually submitted as a print alongside the paper form, and two copies are common. The number varies by visa type.

Check the Department of Home Affairs page or the visa service handling your application, since supporting-document lists differ between permit categories.

How to use it

1Take a photograph showing your head and the tops of your shoulders, squarely to the camera rather than cropped tight.
2Keep South Africa selected for the 35 × 45 frame and the 30–36 mm head range.
3Set the background to white, replacing whatever wall or room is behind you.
4Check the guide copy: the head should sit inside the bands with the shoulders visible below.
5Print a 4 × 6 sheet — visa applications commonly want two copies and the sheet gives you eight.

Questions

Do I need to supply a photograph for a passport?: Usually not. Home Affairs photographs applicants at the office for passports. Supplied photographs are mostly for visa applications, permits and the supporting forms, which is what this specification covers.
Why was my photograph returned as badly framed?: Almost always because it was cropped too close. South African document photographs include the top of the shoulders, and a head-only crop — which is correct for several European passports — reads as wrong here.
Can I scan an old printed photograph?: No. Scans and photocopies are explicitly excluded, and the loss of sharpness against a photographic original is easy to see. Start from a digital photograph rather than a print.
How many copies should I print?: Visa applications commonly ask for two. A 4 × 6 sheet holds eight, costs the same as a single print, and covers repeat applications within the photograph's validity.