Photo Size
35 x 45 mm
The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP), under Pakistan's Ministry of Interior, issues both the machine readable passport (MRP) and the newer e-passport, and both require the same photograph specification: 35x45 mm, a plain white background, and a head that fills roughly 70 to 80 percent of the frame in line with ICAO Doc 9303. Photos are still rejected most often for the same handful of reasons—wrong dimensions, an off-white or shadowed background, a photo older than six months, or a head captured too close or too far from the camera. Get those right and the paper file, the online consular form, or the NICOP submission all move faster.
Passport Photo Maker sizes to 35x45 mm, replaces your background with clean DGIP-style white, and centres the head inside the correct biometric range.
You can crop a photo yourself in Photoshop or a phone editor, but a Pakistan passport photo has three simultaneous constraints—35x45 mm dimensions, a plain white background, and a chin-to- crown head height inside the ICAO 70–80 percent range—and missing any one of them triggers a rejection at the DGIP counter or the online portal. The maker handles all three at once, without asking you to measure or eyeball anything.
These specifications reflect the DGIP guidance issued for MRP and e-passport applications and align with ICAO Doc 9303, the international standard Pakistani travel documents follow. The same values apply for supporting photographs on NICOP, POC and family registration files handled by NADRA at Pakistani missions abroad.
| Rule | Requirement | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Expression | Neutral face, mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight into the lens. | Smiling with visible teeth; head slightly turned. |
| Head Position | Head centred, level, and directly facing the camera. No tilt. | Chin tucked or lifted; face rotated a few degrees. |
| Glasses | Remove where possible. If worn for medical reasons, no glare, no tint, eyes fully visible. | Prescription lens reflection covering an eye. |
| Head Covering | Religious head coverings (hijab, dupatta, turban) are accepted. Face must remain fully visible from forehead to chin. | Fabric shadowing the eyes or covering an eyebrow. |
| Photo Age | Taken within the last six months and matching current appearance. | Reusing a photo from an older CNIC or NICOP file. |
| Print Type | Matte or glossy photographic paper. Home prints on plain paper are not accepted. | Home printer on standard A4 paper. |
| Digital Submission | JPEG upload for online consular forms; live capture at the DGIP office replaces upload for in-country applications. | Uploading a scan of a printed photo instead of the original file. |
| Editing | No filters, no beauty modes, no digital removal of features. Retouching invalidates the photo. | Phone camera beauty mode left switched on. |
Passport photographs for Pakistani citizens are governed by the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, commonly written as DGIP, which sits under the Ministry of Interior. DGIP is the issuing authority for the MRP and the newer e-passport, and it also runs the network of Passport Offices and Regional Passport Offices where the biometric capture actually happens.
DGIP does not operate in isolation. It coordinates with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), which holds the underlying CNIC, NICOP and family registration data. When you apply for a Pakistani passport, DGIP verifies your identity against NADRA's records, then captures a fresh biometric photograph, fingerprints, and signature. The photo you supply for the paper file or the online form still has to meet the same standard the live-capture backdrop is engineered to produce.
This is important because it explains why the rules feel unusually strict. Pakistan is issuing an ICAO-compliant, chip-based travel document, and any photograph attached to that document has to fit inside the biometric envelope automated border systems use to read it. DGIP is not being fussy for its own sake; it is protecting the interoperability of your passport at the gate in Dubai, London, Kuala Lumpur, or Toronto.
Understanding where your photo is actually used helps clarify why it has to be compliant before you begin. There are three practical entry points into a Pakistani passport, and the photograph plays a slightly different role in each.
For fresh passports, most renewals, and adult applications submitted inside Pakistan, DGIP captures the photograph live at the counter. You still submit a printed 35x45 mm photograph with your application form so the paper file is complete, and staff use it as a cross-check against the live capture. If the printed photo is out of spec, staff can flag the application before the biometric session even starts.
For applicants under 18, especially infants, DGIP relies more heavily on the submitted photograph. Live capture is possible but often impractical for babies, so a compliant home or studio shot at 35x45 mm becomes the primary photo of record. This is one of the most rejected categories, precisely because the compliance burden shifts back to the parent.
Pakistani citizens applying abroad through embassies, consulates and high commissions submit their applications through the online portal, then attend the mission for biometric capture. The uploaded photo is used until the biometric appointment, and in some missions it forms part of the printed passport application booklet directly. Photo compliance checks are strict because the mission cannot always re-shoot on the spot.
Some of these rules are shared with other ICAO countries, but a few are stricter or looser than you might expect if you have applied for a US or Schengen photo before. This section explains the differences.
Pakistan is stricter than several Western countries on background colour. Where the US State Department accepts a range from white to off-white, DGIP's live-capture backdrop is a true white, and staff comparing a submitted photo to that backdrop can reject grey, cream, or subtly tinted backgrounds. Aim for a clean white with no visible seam behind the shoulder.
Hijab, dupatta, turban and other head coverings worn for religious reasons are accepted. The practical rule DGIP applies is that the face has to be fully visible from the forehead down to the chin and across both cheeks. Fabric that casts a shadow across the forehead or covers an eyebrow is a common cause of rejection even when the head covering itself is permitted.
Facial hair is not restricted, so a beard is fine as long as the underlying face shape is visible. Glasses are strongly discouraged and are only accepted with medical justification; tinted lenses, sunglasses, and heavily reflective frames are always rejected. Small jewellery is fine; large pieces that alter the face silhouette or cast shadows can trigger a manual review.
Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight into the lens. DGIP's biometric software picks up eyes-closed and half-smile cases automatically. Even a subtle grin can push the mouth outside the neutral tolerance window.
The photograph should have been taken within the last six months and reflect your current appearance. This rule bites hardest for younger applicants and for adults who have grown or shaved a beard since the previous photograph.
Pakistan issues passports to minors under a separate category that reuses the same 35x45 mm photograph standard used for adults, with a few practical relaxations to make the shot possible. The rejection rate for child passport photos is high, so this section is worth reading before you shoot.
The most common rejection pattern for a Pakistani minor passport is a photograph where a parent's hand or arm is visible supporting the child. DGIP wants a photo of the child alone, which is genuinely difficult without a small setup. Shooting overhead onto a plain white sheet is the most reliable technique.
Pakistan is in the middle of a long-running transition from the machine readable passport to the chip-based e-passport. The photograph standard is unchanged—still 35x45 mm, still ICAO biometric proportions—but how the photograph is used differs slightly between the two.
One practical note: if your appearance has changed significantly—visible weight change, beard grown or shaved, hairstyle change—since your previous passport, treat the new photograph as a fresh application photo. DGIP has flagged this at the biometric stage in reported cases where the submitted photo did not match the live capture closely enough.
The photograph standard used by the Pakistani mission network overseas is the same 35x45 mm, white background, biometric-proportion rule DGIP uses inside Pakistan. What differs is the submission route.
Because overseas missions cannot always re-shoot on the day, uploading a photo that fails an automated compliance check delays the entire appointment. If you are applying from abroad, the single best time-saver is producing a compliant photograph before you enter the portal, not after it rejects your first upload.
The photograph on your Pakistani passport is not just a picture; it is an entry in a biometric chain that runs from NADRA's citizen database, through DGIP's passport issuance system, into the chip on your e-passport, and eventually into border-scanner memory abroad.
Understanding the chain helps explain the rules:
A photograph that meets DGIP's rules is a photograph that fits every downstream check in that chain. A photograph that fails one link tends to fail others in the same way. That is why a single well-produced 35x45 mm biometric image, done once, does the entire job.
Yes, you can take a Pakistan passport photograph at home, and many applicants do, particularly for children and for overseas submissions. There is no rule requiring a commercial studio. What there is, is a set of practical constraints that home shots often miss.
Any modern phone camera can produce an acceptable Pakistan passport photograph. Use the rear camera, not the front-facing selfie camera, because the rear sensor is sharper and less prone to fisheye distortion. Turn off portrait mode, beauty mode, and any HDR effect that softens skin tone; DGIP's rules count digital retouching as invalidating.
Face a window during daytime with the light hitting your face directly, not from the side. Avoid harsh overhead lighting that casts shadows under the eyes and jawline—overhead shadow is one of the most common home-shoot rejections. Two lamps at 45 degrees on each side of the camera, slightly above eye level, is a reliable indoor setup when window light is not available.
Stand about 60 to 80 cm from a plain white wall so the shadow of your head does not fall onto the wall. If your walls are not white, hang a large sheet of plain white paper or a plain white bedsheet, pulled taut with no folds. Our tool replaces the background automatically, so a slightly imperfect wall works if the rest of the shot is clean.
Position the camera about 1 to 1.5 metres from your face, at eye level. Closer than that introduces fisheye distortion that enlarges the nose and shortens the head. Further than that reduces resolution and makes the head-size crop harder to hit the 32–36 mm range.
If you plan to submit a printed copy, print onto photographic paper at 100 percent scale with all "fit to page" options switched off. A 4x6 inch photo lab sheet is the most practical format—you get several 35x45 mm copies from a single sheet. Home printers on plain paper are not accepted at DGIP counters.
The Pakistani and US passport photo standards look similar at first glance—both are biometric, both use a white background, both align with ICAO principles—but the concrete dimensions differ in ways that matter if you are applying to both, or moving between the two standards. Head shape, background tolerance and print format are the three places the standards diverge most.
| Specification | Pakistan | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Photo Size | 35 x 45 mm (portrait rectangle) | 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm, square) |
| Head Height | ~32–36 mm (70–80% of frame) | 25–35 mm (1 to 1⅔ in) |
| Background | Plain white (strict) | White to off-white (tolerant) |
| Head Covering | Accepted for religious reasons; face fully visible | Accepted for religious reasons; face fully visible |
| Glasses | Discouraged; medical exception only | Not allowed since November 2016 |
| Submission Format | Printed photo + online JPEG upload (consular) | Printed 2x2 in photo or online JPEG (600x600 px minimum) |
| Photo Age | Within 6 months | Within 6 months |
| Home Printing | Not accepted; requires photographic paper | Accepted on photographic paper |
| Issuing Authority | DGIP (Ministry of Interior) | US Department of State |
The biggest practical difference is the shape of the print. A US 2x2 inch photo will not fit on a Pakistani passport application, and a Pakistani 35x45 mm photo will not fit on a US form. The head sizes also differ—Pakistan's ICAO-aligned 70–80 percent target is proportionally larger than the US 25–35 mm range inside a wider frame. Cropping one photo into the other format loses part of the head; re-shoot or re-size cleanly for each application.
Five steps take a raw phone shot to a DGIP-ready 35x45 mm photograph with the correct white background and biometric head height. Total time is typically under a minute.
Almost every DGIP rejection traces back to one of the failures below. Each card names the failure, explains why it triggers a rejection, and describes the fix that actually works.
Photo printed at a size other than 35x45 mm, most often at a US 2x2 inch or a Schengen 35x45 mm layout that fits the same numbers but at a different aspect ratio.
Why it fails: DGIP staff physically measure the printed photograph against a 35x45 mm gauge; sizes outside that fail on inspection.
Fix: use a Pakistan template and print at 100 percent scale with all "fit to page" options switched off.
Cream, grey, or subtly coloured backgrounds that pass in some Western countries but fail Pakistan's stricter plain-white rule.
Why it fails: DGIP live-capture uses true white; a submitted photograph that differs is rejected in comparison.
Fix: use automatic background replacement to drop in a clean white, or shoot against a large white paper backdrop.
Head fills more than 80 percent of the frame, with the crown or the ears cropped off by tight framing.
Why it fails: biometric software cannot measure feature distances at that scale; the head-height check fails automatically.
Fix: re-shoot from a slightly greater distance, roughly 1 to 1.5 metres from the camera, and re-crop.
Head fills less than 70 percent of the frame with excess white space above the crown or beside the shoulders.
Why it fails: feature detail is too low; enlarging digitally reduces resolution below the print standard.
Fix: re-shoot closer or reframe in the maker to bring the head into the target range without digital upscaling.
Standing too close to a wall creates a dark shadow line behind the head; overhead lighting creates shadows under the eyes.
Why it fails: shadows change the biometric measurement of the eye and jaw region and are treated as photo defects.
Fix: step 60–80 cm away from the background wall; use window light or 45-degree lamps rather than overhead lighting.
Reflection on prescription lenses obscures one or both eyes even when the frames themselves are compliant.
Why it fails: the pupil position cannot be located reliably; a required biometric landmark is invisible.
Fix: remove glasses for the photograph where medically possible; if not, tilt the head very slightly to eliminate reflection and re-shoot.
Reusing a photograph from an older CNIC file, NICOP submission, or previous passport application.
Why it fails: DGIP explicitly requires photos taken within the last six months to match the applicant's current appearance.
Fix: take a fresh photograph; the shoot is 30 seconds and avoids a return trip to the office.
Skin smoothing, background blur, or a beauty filter applied by the phone camera or by an editing app.
Why it fails: DGIP treats digital retouching as invalidating; biometric software also detects filter artefacts.
Fix: switch off all beauty and portrait modes before shooting; use a plain camera app.
Hijab, dupatta, or turban positioned in a way that casts a shadow onto the forehead or covers an eyebrow.
Why it fails: the head covering is permitted, but shadowing or partial coverage of the face is not.
Fix: adjust the head covering so the full face from forehead to chin is evenly lit and clearly visible.
The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) uses a 35x45 mm passport photo, aligned with ICAO Doc 9303 for machine readable and e-passport submissions. The head should fill roughly 70 to 80 percent of the image height, which works out to a chin-to-crown measurement of about 32 to 36 mm.
For fresh passports and biometric renewals inside Pakistan, DGIP captures the photograph live at the Passport Office along with fingerprints and signature. You still need a compliant 35x45 mm photo for supporting documents, NICOP or POC applications, minor passport files, and most consular submissions abroad.
Pakistan passport photos require a plain white background with no shadows, no patterns, and no coloured tint. Off-white or very light grey is tolerated when the background is uniform, but a true white background is safest and matches the DGIP live-capture backdrop.
Yes. DGIP permits head coverings worn for religious reasons, including hijab and dupatta. The face must remain fully visible from the forehead to the chin and across both cheeks, with nothing covering the facial features or casting a shadow across the eyes.
DGIP recommends that applicants remove glasses for the passport photograph. If glasses cannot be removed for medical reasons, the frames must not cover the eyes and there must be no glare on the lenses. Tinted glasses and sunglasses are not accepted.
The photograph should be taken within the last six months and clearly reflect your current appearance. Using an older photograph is a common cause of rejection at DGIP counters, especially for minor passports and for adults after visible changes to hair or facial hair.
Both use the same 35x45 mm dimensions and the same ICAO-aligned biometric rules. The e-passport rollout by DGIP moves the photograph onto an embedded chip in higher resolution, so the same compliant image is captured but stored digitally rather than only printed on the bio-data page.
The photo standard for NICOP and POC applications submitted through NADRA at Pakistani missions abroad follows the same 35x45 mm, white background, biometric-framing rule used for passports. Some consulates request a specific digital resolution for online forms, so check your mission's page before uploading.
You have the rules, the dimensions, and the reasons DGIP rejects the photos it does. The last step is the easy one. Upload a phone or camera shot and Passport Photo Maker sizes it to 35x45 mm, replaces the background with clean DGIP-style white, positions your head inside the 70 to 80 percent biometric range, and returns a print sheet and a digital file in a single pass. No ruler, no Photoshop, no reprint at a studio, no rejection at the counter.