Our online passport service will be unavailable on Saturday 14 June 2025 from 7:00 am to 11:59 pm (NZST) due to system updates. Please save your application and log off before 7:00 am on 14 June.
Your photo must be a portrait photo with an aspect ratio of 4:3 (3:4 on a smartphone).
If you get an aspect ratio error when using the online photo checker, make sure:
the measurements of your photo have the correct ratio
your photo is in portrait format (vertical), not landscape (horizontal)
the region and language on your device are set to New Zealand/English (New Zealand).
Your photo must be saved in .jpg or .jpeg format.
If you get a 'file type' error on the online photo checker, try re-saving your file as a .jpeg or .jpg.
The file size of your photo must be between 250KB and 5MB.
Your photo is too small
If your photo is smaller than 250KB, you need to upload a larger photo.
If it was sent to you in an email, open the attachment again and re-save the image.
Your photo is too large
If your photo is larger than 5MB, you need to upload a smaller photo.
You can reduce the size by using an online photo tool to compress the file.
If the online photo checker gives you the error message “Your photo does not meet our photo requirements”, it cannot identify the problem with your photo.
Compare your photo to the technical requirements at the top of this page. You may need to retake your photo.
