HKSAR passport photo · 40 × 50 mm
Checked and laid out to the official Immigration Department specification — including the 1280 × 1600 px file that satisfies both digital minimums at once. Rules quoted from immd.gov.hk, checked by us on 2026-08-17.
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Head and shoulders in frame, with clear space above the hair — the head should fill about half the photo, not all of it.
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Official specification
| Finished size | 40 × 50 mm |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 32 – 36 mm |
| Eye height | not published by this authority |
| Background | plain white |
| File formats | JPEG |
| File size | up to 5 MB |
| Taken within | “recent” — no figure published |
Full rules
- The photograph must be 40 mm wide by 50 mm high.
- The size from chin to crown should be 32 mm to 36 mm.
- It should show your full frontal face with clear facial features, against a plain white background.
- The guidance notes ask for one recent colour photograph with a white background — no month figure is published.
- Do not wear head dress, and avoid heavy make-up and overly dark or overly light-coloured clothing.
- Photos are rejected for being off-centre, a frame across the eyes, hair across eyes or eyebrows, flash reflection on face or glasses, shadow, or being too light or too dark.
- Online and mobile-app submissions: JPEG, 5 MB or below. From a scanner: the 40 × 50 mm photograph at 600 dpi. From a digital camera: at least 1200 pixels wide and 1600 pixels high.
- Whether an uploaded photograph meets the requirements is determined later — the Immigration Department may ask you to submit another photograph to process the application.
- For printed submissions, do not fold, staple, clip or write on the back of the photograph, or it becomes unusable for passport personalisation.
Sources
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/residents/immigration/traveldoc/photorequirements.html
Immigration Department, Hong Kong SAR — Photograph Requirements for Travel Document · we checked it 2026-08-17
Immigration Department, Hong Kong SAR — Photograph Requirements for Travel Document · we checked it 2026-08-17
The size of the photograph must be 40mm (width) X 50mm (height). The size from chin to crown for the person in the photograph should be 32mm to 36mm. The photograph should show your full frontal face with clear facial features. The photograph should have a plain white background. ... Image type: JPEG. File size: 5MB or below. [Scanner] Photograph size: 40 mm(W) x 50 mm(H) [at 600dpi]. [Digital camera] Image size: at least 1200 px(W) x 1600 px(H).https://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID(E)841An.pdf
Immigration Department, Hong Kong SAR — Guidance Notes ID(E)841A · we checked it 2026-08-17
Immigration Department, Hong Kong SAR — Guidance Notes ID(E)841A · we checked it 2026-08-17
One recent colour photograph (must be with white background) (Please refer to the Photograph Requirements)Questions
What are the HKSAR passport photo requirements?
A recent colour photograph, 40 mm wide by 50 mm high, showing your full frontal face with clear features against a plain white background, with the chin-to-crown distance between 32 and 36 mm.
Is the Hong Kong passport photo the same size as other passports?
No — 40 x 50 mm is a 4:5 shape, not the 35 x 45 mm most authorities use and not the square US format. A photo sized for another document will not fit, which is exactly why we lay out to the Hong Kong dimensions.
What are the online submission requirements?
JPEG at 5 MB or below. From a scanner, the 40 x 50 mm photo at 600 dpi; from a digital camera, an image at least 1200 pixels wide and 1600 pixels high. We output 1280 x 1600 px — the smallest size that satisfies both minimums at the official 4:5 shape.
How recent does the photo have to be?
The Immigration Department asks for a recent photograph but publishes no month figure, so we do not invent one. Keep it as current as you reasonably can.
What gets a Hong Kong passport photo rejected?
The official examples: not centred, a frame across the eyes, hair across eyes or eyebrows, flash reflection on the face or glasses, shadows, or the photo being too light or too dark. Head dress, heavy make-up and overly dark or light clothing are also to be avoided.
Will my uploaded photo be accepted automatically?
No. The Immigration Department decides later whether the uploaded photograph meets the requirements, and may ask you to submit another one to process your application.
Our own assumptions
- ⚠️ Hong Kong publishes no recency figure — the guidance notes say only “recent”. We do not invent a month count; keep the photo as current as you reasonably can.
- The official digital specs pull in two directions: the scanner route implies 4:5 (40 × 50 mm at 600 dpi = 945 × 1181 px) while the camera route demands at least 1200 × 1600 px, which is 3:4. We keep the printed 4:5 shape and output 1280 × 1600 px — the smallest size satisfying both minimums at the official aspect ratio.
- The Immigration Department publishes no rule about software editing on these pages. We stay conservative and never replace or repair the background anyway.
- Head height is laid out at 34.0 mm, the centre of the official 32–36 mm — on the 50 mm frame that is 68% of the height, not the 75.6% used by 35 × 45 mm documents.
- The chin is measured by 68-point facial landmarks; the crown comes from the top of the cut-out outline. Assumed accuracy ±5%, calibrated only on synthetic fixtures.
Where the authority does not specify something, we say so rather than pretending it does. The points above are our engineering choices, not official requirements.