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Checked against the Australian Passport Office rules
Take it on your phone. We check it against the Australian Passport Office’s rules and lay out 35 × 45 mm photos for a photo lab to print, ready for a paper application. Free to check, $4.99 to download.
or drop a photo anywhere on this page
Head 32–36 mmChecked for an Australian passport
Example photo, AI-generated.
On paper or online?
Australia takes printed photos with a paper application. Renewing online works differently, and it’s worth knowing before you start.
Australian passport photo requirements
Most of these are checked on your photo before you pay. We can’t check when it was taken or how it’s printed.
| Rule | the Passport Office says | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 35–40 mm wide, 45–50 mm high; 32–36 mm from chin to crown | CheckedCropped to 35 × 45 mm from the top of your head and your chin |
| Background | Plain white or light grey, in contrast with your face | CheckedColour, shadows, patterns and anything behind you |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed | CheckedSmiles and an open mouth |
| Eyes | Open and clearly visible | CheckedClosed eyes |
| Glasses | Not allowed since July 2018, unless a doctor certifies you can’t take them off | CheckedGlasses, so you can take them off |
| Pose | Facing the camera, head straight; nobody else in the photo | CheckedTilt, turn, and other people or hands in the frame |
| Unedited | Photos with a changed or removed background are rejected | Our promiseWe never change it, unless you choose to replace the background |
| Printing | Photo-lab quality on glossy paper of 200 gsm or more; no inkjet prints | Up to youWe lay out the sheet; take it to a photo lab |
| How recent | Taken in the last 6 months | Up to youWe can’t tell when a photo was taken |
From passports.gov.au, checked November 2026. The passport office always makes the final call. Compare every passport photo size.
Children and babies
Australia relaxes one rule for young children. Tell us the photo is of a child or a baby and we check against it.
An open mouth is OK.
Australia doesn’t say whether a baby’s eyes can be closed, so open eyes are the safer choice.
No hands or toys in the photo. Lay your baby on a plain, light sheet.
Taking a baby’s photo? How to take it at home, step by step.
Questions
Yes, for a paper application. The photo has to meet the Passport Office’s rules and be printed by a photo lab, not on a home inkjet. We check the photo before you pay and lay it out for printing. Renewing online is different: it needs a photo code from a photo shop or post office.
35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high, with 32 to 36 mm from your chin to the top of your head. We crop to 35 × 45 mm, which is inside that range.
No. Online renewal doesn’t take an uploaded photo: it asks for a photo code, which a photo shop or post office gives you when they take your picture. We can’t issue those codes. Our prints are for paper applications.
No. Australia hasn’t allowed glasses in passport photos since July 2018, unless a doctor certifies that you can’t take them off. We spot glasses in your photo so you can retake it.
Plain white or light grey, with enough contrast against your face, and no shadows. Don’t fix it with an editor: Australia rejects photos with a changed or removed background.
At a photo lab, on glossy photo paper. Inkjet prints aren’t accepted. Order our sheet as a standard 6 × 4 in print and cut out two identical photos.
It must have been taken in the last six months.
Free to check. $4.99 to download the print sheet and a digital copy.
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