Ireland Passport Photo Maker, 35x45 mm

The official requirements

Ireland accepts a size range rather than one fixed dimension, anywhere from 35×45 mm up to 38×50 mm, and the rest of the DFA Passport Service rules are enforced just as strictly:

• Size: 35×45 mm minimum, up to 38×50 mm maximum (printed photos)
• Background: plain white, light grey or cream — no patterns, marks or visible objects
• Head size: face must fill 70–80% of the frame
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, no smile; head straight, eyes looking at the camera
• Glasses: allowed, but frames must not cover any part of your eyes and there must be no glare on the lenses. Tinted or dark glasses are not allowed.
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months and a true likeness of you today
• Colour: colour photo with natural skin tones and even lighting
• Prints (paper applications): four identical photos on photographic-quality paper

For Passport Online (book or card renewals and most first-time adult applications), you upload a single digital photo instead. The file must be a JPEG, at least 715×951 px, and under 9 MB.

How to take a compliant photo

A modern phone camera is good enough — Irish passport photos fail on framing, lighting and background far more often than on camera quality. The setup that works:

1. Stand 1.5–2 metres in front of a plain white, light grey or cream wall, with the same distance between you and the wall so you don’t cast a shadow.
2. Face a window. Natural, even light from the front avoids the shadows under the eyes and nose that overhead lighting creates.
3. Have someone else take it. Selfies distort facial proportions and almost always frame the head wrong for the 70–80% rule.
4. Look straight at the camera, neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes fully visible. Tuck hair behind your ears if it covers your face.
5. Crop so your face fills 70–80% of the frame. For Passport Online, upload the file directly; for a paper application, send the file to a photo printer for four identical prints — and remember the witness needs to sign two of them (see Submitting below).

Why photos get rejected

DFA reviewers bounce the same handful of problems again and again. Each one, and the fix:

• Wrong size — between 35×45 mm and 38×50 mm. A 50×70 mm print (common for UK family snaps) is rejected.
• Smiling or mouth open — keep the mouth closed and the expression neutral.
• Glare on glasses — lenses must be clear, frames must not touch the eyes. If you can’t avoid reflections, take the glasses off.
• Hair across the eyes — both eyes and the full outline of the face must be visible. Pull hair back.
• Shadows — on the face or on the wall. Move away from the wall and light yourself from the front.
• Background not plain — gradient walls, picture rails, door frames and posters all fail.
• Selfie submitted — DFA explicitly rejects selfies. Have someone else take the photo.
• Photo older than 6 months — it must reflect your current appearance.
• Missing witness signature (paper applications) — two of the four prints must be signed and stamped on the back.

What to wear (and not wear)

Unlike the US and Australia, Ireland does not ban prescription glasses, so the trap here is not whether to wear them but the glare and frame rules: keep the frames clear of your eyes and the lenses reflection-free, and take them off if you can’t.

Avoid: hats or caps, headphones or earbuds, dark or tinted glasses, uniforms, and anything that obscures the face or hairline. A white or very pale top can also blend into a white or cream background — wear a darker, solid colour instead.

Fine: normal everyday clothing, light makeup that doesn’t change your everyday look, clear prescription glasses worn correctly (frames clear of the eyes, no glare on lenses), religious head coverings worn daily as long as the full face is visible from forehead to chin, and medical devices like hearing aids.

Where to get your photo

You can take the photo yourself and have it printed, or pay a high-street photographer or pharmacy to do both. For paper applications you need four prints; for Passport Online you only need the digital file. Prices and trade-offs:

A high-street photo shop or pharmacy is the default for paper applications: staff shoot to DFA spec and hand you four prints ready for the witness step. Photo booths are cheaper and often pass for Passport Online, but they don’t review the photo against the guidelines, so a re-shoot can erase the saving. Online is cheapest if you already have a usable shot; for paper applications you’ll still need to send the file to a kiosk for four prints.

Submitting your photo

Two channels apply: Passport Online takes a single digital upload, while paper applications need four printed photos with two of them witnessed on the back.

Passport Online (most adults and children). You upload a single digital photo through the Passport Online portal. The portal accepts JPEG files of at least 715×951 px and under 9 MB, and runs an automated check at upload — wrong size, wrong background or a face that fills the wrong share of the frame is caught before you submit.

Paper applications (Post Passport / APS1, and applications from overseas). You submit four identical printed photos. A witness from the DFA’s eligible list — a Garda, solicitor, notary or comparable professional — must write your application form number on the back of two of the four photos, then sign and stamp those same two. The other two are submitted unsigned.

Missing or incomplete witness details on the back of the photos is one of the most common reasons paper applications are returned. Bring all four prints to your witness in one go.

Children, witnesses and special situations

Children and infants follow the same size, background and expression rules as adults — no toys, no dummies, no hands in the frame. For babies, lay the child on a plain white or light grey sheet and shoot from directly above; a parent’s hand supporting the head is fine if it doesn’t appear in the crop. The mouth-closed rule is relaxed for infants who can’t hold a neutral expression.

The witness rule (paper applications). Your witness must come from the DFA’s eligible list — typically a Garda for Irish residents, or a notary, solicitor or doctor for applicants overseas. They sign both your application form and the back of two of your four photos; the signatures must match. Online applications do not need a witness for the photo.

Foreign Births Register / dual citizenship applicants — a common path for UK applicants since Brexit — need four photos with two witnessed on the back, not a single online upload; the FBR photo guide covers the certification and the two accepted sizes.

Religious head coverings are allowed if worn daily, as long as the full face is clearly visible from forehead to chin and both edges.