Passport photos
The Online Passport Service will be unavailable between 10:00 pm Saturday the 16th of December and 11:30 am Sunday the 17th of December due to planned system maintenance. You may want to check back from time to time as you may be able to access the website earlier. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
You need a photo when you renew or apply for a passport. The photo must meet our requirements.
We recommend that you apply with a digital photo using our online service. This will save you money on postage and remove the risk of a physical photo becoming damaged on the way to our office.
Most agencies that provide passport photos, can send you a copy of the image in a digital format, ready for use on our online service.
Online photo checker
You can check your digital photo by using our online photo checker before you apply.
When you apply for your passport through our online passport service, your photo will be assessed twice, first by our automated system and then later by our staff.
Your photo must be taken within the last 6 months.
We are not able to accept:
- selfies
- digital scans of physical photos
Get your passport photo taken
We recommend you get your photo taken:
- at a pharmacist
- at a PostShop
- by a professional photographer
If you are in Australia, you can check to see if your local post office will provide a digital photo
If you are getting a family or friend to take your photo, watch the video below to ensure that our requirements are met.
Watch our 'How to take a passport photo' video.
Transcript of 'How to take a passport photo' (txt 1.3kb)
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Passport photo requirements
Your photo must meet these requirements whether it is digital or paper. It needs to be taken within the last 6 months.
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