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Passport, visa and ID photos · South Africa

South African passport photo: check and make yours

Your South African passport photo, checked against the official rules, framed and sized, ready to print. Official size: 35 x 45 mm. Background: light grey or plain cream-coloured (DHA leaflet); white at the Tokyo mission. Rules read on dha.gov.za on 4 November 2026.

  1. Take or choose a photo
  2. We check it against the official rules and frame it
  3. Download the exact file and a print sheet

Free check. Your South African passport photo, €6.99, only once it passes: the ready file and print sheet, unlimited retakes for 30 days. Refund if the authority rejects it.

Your photo: 413 x 531 px

Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.

Before you take it

  • Stand a step in front of a plain cream or light grey wall, with nothing behind you.
  • Face a window or soft light: even light on the face, no shadows on it or behind.
  • Phone at eye level, about 1.5 m away: ask someone, or hold it at arm's length.
  • Glasses only with no tint and no glare on them.
  • A neutral face, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.

Check and make your photo

The first photo loads the face finder and the background outline from this site, about 15 MB, once.

The face finder and the background outline run in this page from files served by this site (sources and licences). They find where a face is in the photo; they never recognise who it is.

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government.

Most Home Affairs offices and the banks that take applications now photograph you on the spot, so you need no photo there. Offices without live capture, and missions abroad, ask for two identical 35 x 45 mm colour prints less than one month old. Home Affairs says to print them professionally, as home prints are unlikely to be accepted: print the sheet at a photo lab. Missions may differ: the Tokyo embassy asks for a white background.

The rules at a glance

For the South African passport (tourist, child, official), printed photos where not captured live, as the official rules state them.

Size
35 x 45 mm
The file we make
413 x 531 pixels
Background
Light grey or plain cream-coloured (DHA leaflet); white at the Tokyo mission.
Head size
64% to 76% of the photo's height, chin to top of head
Glasses
Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression
A neutral face, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.
Taken
In the last 1 month
Edits
Background and light only: we never change your face. The official pages quoted don't forbid editing; we limit ourselves to the background and overall light.
All the official rules and sources
Printed size
35 mm wide, 45 mm tall (35 mm x 45 mm)
This page makes
A 413 x 531 pixel JPEG file (the printed size at 300 dpi)
Head height
64% to 76% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head
Background
light grey or plain cream-coloured (DHA leaflet); white at the Tokyo mission
Glasses
Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression
neutral, mouth closed, looking at the camera; no obvious grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows
Head covering
not permitted except for religious reasons; chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face clearly shown
Taken
In the last 1 month
Colour
Colour only
  • two identical colour photos for passports
  • natural colour, sharp focus, strong definition between face and background
  • facing square on, not portrait style or tilted; both edges of the face visible; no hair across the face
  • uniform lighting, no shadows or flash reflections, no red-eye; alone in the photo
  • glasses: eyes clearly visible, no flash reflection, no dark-tinted lenses or heavy frames, frames not covering the eyes
  • printed professionally; home prints are unlikely to be acceptable

For: passport application at a Home Affairs office without live capture (two identical colour prints); passport application at a South African embassy or consulate abroad (prints as the mission asks); none at live-capture/Smart ID offices and participating banks.

Official source: www.dha.gov.za, checked on 4 November 2026.

Applications made within South African borders can be submitted at any Home Affairs front office equipped with live capture capability/Smart ID card office,participating banks (refer to the DHA website for a list of banks) or through the eHomeAffairs channel.
Passport applications made outside of the country can be submitted at the nearest South African embassy or consulate.
Two colour photographs that comply with the Passport and ID Photograph Specifications (NOT needed at Smart ID card offices as ID images are captured digitally)
Two colour photographs that comply with the Passport and ID Photograph Specifications (Not needed at Home Affairs offices where this process is automated as ID images are captured digitally)

Official source: dirco.gov.za, checked on 4 November 2026.

Passport & ID Photograph Specifications
two identical colour photos for passports
not more than one (1) month old
35mm in width and 45mm in height
a close-up of your head and top of your shoulders so that your face takes up 70 – 80% of the photograph
At least 29mm No more than 34mm
be taken with a light grey or plain cream-coloured background
be printed professionally - photographs printed at home are not likely to be of an acceptable quality
show you looking at the camera with a neutral expression and mouth closed
no obvious grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows
the photograph must show your eyes clearly with no flash reflection off the glasses
no dark-tinted lenses or heavy frames
are not permitted except for religious reasons, but your facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of your face must be clearly shown
be taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows or flash reflections on your face and no red-eye

Official source: dirco.gov.za, checked on 4 November 2026.

Four (4) recent coloured photos in white background (showing head and shoulders measuring 35mm x 45mm and head to chin 29mm to 34mm with mouth closed)

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Rules change: check the official page before you apply.

How to use it

  1. Stand facing the camera in front of a plain, light wall, with even light on your face.
  2. Tap Take the photo and follow the outline and the tips on screen, or choose a photo you have. The page finds your face and frames it to the rules.
  3. Fix anything the page lists, each with its own tip. Adjust the framing if you need to, and move Top of head if the dashed line is not at the top of your head.
  4. Tick what only you can confirm.
  5. Save the file, or the print sheet to print at 100% on 4 x 6 inch photo paper.

Questions

What size is the South African passport photo?
Printed, 35 x 45 mm. The head takes 64% to 76% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026. This page makes a 413 x 531 pixel JPEG file (the printed size at 300 dpi).
What background does the South African passport photo need?
Light grey or plain cream-coloured (DHA leaflet); white at the Tokyo mission.
Can I wear glasses in my South African passport photo?
Yes, but only with no tint and no glare, and with your eyes clearly visible.
Can I smile in my South African passport photo?
Neutral, mouth closed, looking at the camera; no obvious grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows.
Can I wear a head covering in my South African passport photo?
Not permitted except for religious reasons; chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face clearly shown.
How recent must my South African passport photo be?
Taken in the last 1 month. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
Can I take my South African passport photo at home?
The official rules, as checked on 4 November 2026, ask for no photographer or studio, so a photo taken at home can meet them if it meets every rule on this page.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is read and checked in your browser, and any file is saved on your device. The page tells our server only that a photo was checked, that it passed, or that a file was saved; never the photo, your face or any measurement. It finds where your face is in the photo; it never recognises who you are.
How is the head measured?
The page finds your chin and eyes in the photo and estimates the top of your head from your forehead, since hair hides it: the dashed line shows the estimate. If it is not at the top of your head, move it with Top of head and the checks follow.
Will my photo be accepted?
Only the issuing authority decides. A photo that passes every check here meets the published size, head and background rules as checked on 4 November 2026; you confirm the rest, such as glasses, expression and how recent the photo is.
How do I print it?
Save the print sheet: a 4 x 6 inch (10 x 15 cm) photo at 300 dpi with as many copies as fit and thin lines to cut along. Have it printed at 100% (actual size) on 4 x 6 inch photo paper at a photo lab or shop, then cut out the copies you need.
What does buying your South African passport photo add?
Your South African passport photo, €6.99: the exact 413 x 531 px file, the 4 x 6 in print sheet, the acceptance report, the Detail check, unlimited retakes and the whole family's photos for this document for 30 days. Pay only once your photo passes. Refund if the authority rejects it. Paid once, with no subscription. In the Detail check our AI model, run in the EU, checks glasses, expression, shadows and more if you choose to send it the photo. Without buying you can check any photo and save a small preview with a watermark.