New Zealand passport photo · 3:4 digital
Checked and laid out to the official New Zealand Passports specification. Rules quoted from passports.govt.nz, page updated 2026-03-04, checked by us on 2026-08-16.
Check your photo
Free check, free watermarked preview — you pay only to download the finished file.
Head and shoulders in frame, with clear space above the hair — the head should fill about half the photo, not all of it.
This document needs a wider shot: include your chest, not just head and shoulders — the head can fill at most 58% of the photo height.
Drop your photo hereTap to choose a photoor click to browse your filestake one now or pick from your library
JPG · PNG · HEICshorter side at least 1200pxup to 12 MBor paste with ⌘V
Official specification
| Finished size | 1200 × 1600 px this authority specifies pixels, not a physical size |
| Head height (chin to crown) | not published by this authority |
| Eye height | not published by this authority |
| Background | plain and light-coloured, with strong contrast against your face and no shadows |
| File formats | JPG / JPEG |
| File size | 250 KB – 5 MB |
| Taken within | the last 6 months |
Full rules
- A colour portrait photo with a 3:4 aspect ratio.
- A digital photo in .jpg or .jpeg format.
- Between 250 KB and 5 MB in size.
- 900–4500 pixels wide and 1200–6000 pixels high.
- Less than 6 months old.
- Cropping is explicitly permitted: if the photo looks distorted, step back, take a wider shot including your shoulders, then crop it to the correct head size before submitting.
- Selfies will be rejected — someone else must take the photo, standing 1.5 m away with the camera at your eye level.
- There must be a clear gap around the sides and top of your head, and your shoulders and upper chest should be included.
- Use a plain, light-coloured background with strong contrast between your face and the background, and no shadows or objects behind your head.
- Keep your expression neutral — no smiling. Mouth closed, eyes open, face not tilted or turned.
- Prescription glasses are allowed if they are not tinted or thick-framed, with a clear gap between your eyes and the frames and no glare. No sunglasses.
- Take off hats, hoods, headbands and head coverings, except for religious or medical reasons — and then your face must be fully visible.
- Do not use filters or digitally alter your image: do not edit, apply filters, or use AI tools to modify how you look.
- Scans of printed photos will not be accepted.
Sources
https://www.passports.govt.nz/passport-photos/passport-photo-requirements/
New Zealand Passports — Department of Internal Affairs · page updated 2026-03-04 · we checked it 2026-08-16
New Zealand Passports — Department of Internal Affairs · page updated 2026-03-04 · we checked it 2026-08-16
a colour portrait photo with a 3:4 aspect ratio ... between 250KB and 5MB in size ... 900–4500 pixels wide and 1200–6000 pixels high ... less than 6 months old ... If the photo looks distorted, step back and take a wider shot, including your shoulders, then crop it to the correct head-size before submitting ... Do not use filters or digitally alter your image. Your image must show your natural appearance. Do not edit, apply filters, or use AI tools to modify how you look.Questions
What are the New Zealand passport photo requirements?
A colour portrait photo with a 3:4 aspect ratio, in .jpg or .jpeg format, between 250 KB and 5 MB, 900–4500 pixels wide and 1200–6000 pixels high, and less than 6 months old.
Am I allowed to crop my photo?
Yes, and New Zealand Passports says so directly: if the photo looks distorted, step back, take a wider shot including your shoulders, then crop it to the correct head size before submitting. What is not allowed is editing, filters or AI tools that change how you look.
Can I take a selfie for my New Zealand passport?
No. Selfies will be rejected. Someone else should take the photo, standing 1.5 m away with the camera at your eye level.
What head size does New Zealand require?
The public requirements page does not publish a head-height figure, so the proportion we lay out is our own choice rather than an official requirement. New Zealand provides an official online photo checker — run your photo through it before you apply.
Can I scan a printed passport photo?
No. Scans of printed photos will not be accepted.
Our own assumptions
- New Zealand publishes a pixel specification rather than a physical size, so we output 1200×1600 px (3:4) and do not write a DPI value.
- ⚠️ It does not publish a head-height figure on this page, so the 58% head proportion is our own choice, not an official requirement. New Zealand runs an official online photo checker — use it before submitting.
- 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.