The complete checklist the Department of Internal Affairs applies to a New Zealand passport photo — nine rules about you and the room, plus the file specification. If a photo fails, it is nearly always one of the nine.
Terms Privacy [email protected]Source: passports.govt.nz/passport-photos. Reviewed August 2026. Rules change — check the official page before you apply.
Full frontal view, looking straight down the lens. Your face must not be tilted or turned to the side, and both ears should be equally visible. Black and white photos are not accepted.
Your head sits in the middle of the frame with clear space above and to each side, and your shoulders and upper chest are included. Nothing may be cropped off.
One flat, light colour — light grey, cream or off-white works well — with strong contrast against your face and hair. No patterns, no gradients, no objects, and critically no shadow cast behind your head.
No smiling, no raised eyebrows, no pursed lips. Eyes open and looking at the camera, with no hair or reflection obscuring them.
A fringe is fine as long as it isn't over your eyes or casting a shadow. Long hair should be tucked back so the outline of your face is visible.
Sunglasses and tinted lenses are never allowed, and thick frames that obscure the eyes are not either. Clear prescription glasses may be worn if there is a visible gap between your eyes and the frames and no glare on the lenses.
Caps, hoods and headbands are out. Religious or medical head coverings are permitted, provided your full face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead is clearly visible and unshadowed.
No harsh shadows across the face, no over- or under-exposure, no blur. And no distortion from a camera held too close — an arm's-length shot enlarges the nose and forehead enough to fail.
Just you. No other people, no hands, no pets, no furniture. The photo must also be recent — taken within the last six months.
For an online application you upload one digital photo. For a paper form you attach printed photos. The numbers:
Children need their own passport and their own photo, held to the same size and background rules. New Zealand relaxes a few of the others for the very young:
A guided webcam booth is not the easiest way to photograph a wriggling one-year-old — for babies, a phone on a stand above a white sheet usually wins.
In our experience the same handful of problems account for nearly every failed home attempt — and all of them are avoidable in the room, before the shutter fires.
Standing too close to the background. Step half a metre forward.
The arm's-length selfie. Prop the phone up and back away.
Mouth must be closed and the expression flat. It feels unnatural; do it anyway.
Invisible on a small screen, obvious to the checker. Just remove them.
A few degrees is enough to fail an automated face check.
Phone screenshots and messaging apps compress below the 250 KB minimum.
Every rule on this page is checked before you download. $9.99, free retakes until it passes. If Internal Affairs rejects a photo you bought here, email the rejection notice to [email protected] and your reshoot is free — as many times as it takes.