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Cuban Passport Photo (consulates: two colour 'tipo pasaporte' prints, light background; ICAO 35 x 45 mm reference): size and requirements

The Cuban Passport Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Con fondo claro (with a light background); head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-10 against Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba, Embajada de Cuba en México, 'Servicios consulares' (Renovación de pasaporte), with the Embassy in Canada's page and the ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 reference frame.

For the two colour photographs filed with a Cuban passport renewal or first issue at a Cuban consulate abroad (the Embassy in Mexico's list), by Cuban citizens of any age. The consulate publishes the look of the photo but no size, so the 35 x 45 mm frame here is the ICAO reference. Not for the tourist e-visa (no photo), a consular visa, the carné de identidad or an application inside Cuba, whose rule we could not read.

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Sunlit airport terminal with travellers and long shadows
VerifiedNo national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard appliesLast checked 2026-10-10Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba, Embajada de Cuba en México, 'Servicios consulares' (Renovación de pasaporte), with the Embassy in Canada's page and the ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 reference frame

Requirements at a glance

Size
35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches)
Head height
Head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height (Dos fotos a color tipo pasaporte de alta resolución (no size or head rule is published; ICAO Doc 9303 35 x 45 mm and crown-to-chin 70 to 80 per cent applied as a reference))
Background
con fondo claro (with a light background)
Expression
Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
Glasses
Allowed without glare or tint
Head covering
Not allowed
Photo age
Taken within the last 6 months
Prints needed
2
We deliver
413 x 531 px (300 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet

What trips people up

  • Check
    The rule is one sentence with no size: 'Dos fotos a color tipo pasaporte de alta resolución con fondo claro, de frente, con rostro y cabeza descubiertos y sin espejuelos oscuros.' (two high-resolution colour passport-type photos, light background, frontal, face and head uncovered, no dark glasses). The 35 x 45 mm frame here is the ICAO reference, flagged as such.
  • Check
    'Cabeza descubiertos' (head uncovered) is stated without a religious exception, so we set head coverings to not allowed; 'sin espejuelos oscuros' bans only dark glasses, so clear glasses without glare are fine.
  • Check
    Other documents at the Mexico consulate: 'Fotocopia de su pasaporte vencido (6 años) y el pasaporte.', the consular registration card copy if filing by post, and the form filled in black ink in block letters; a lost passport adds a police report.
  • Check
    Plan ahead: 'Si tiene necesidad de usar el pasaporte con cierta premura en los próximos meses, la solicitud del nuevo pasaporte debe hacerla con dos meses de antelación.' and you may apply up to 6 months before expiry.
  • Check
    Validity changed in 2023: 'A partir del 1ro de julio de 2023, los pasaportes cubanos que se confeccionen tendrán una validez de diez (10) años para los ciudadanos cubanos con dieciséis (16) o más años de edad.' (five years under 16) and 'Queda eliminado el requisito de prórroga cada dos (2) años para todos los pasaportes, sin importar su fecha de confección o tiempo de validez.'
  • Check
    Consulates differ: the Canadian offices list no photo for the passport ('Las solicitudes de pasaporte nuevo, se realizarán de forma presencial en las oficinas de Montreal, Toronto u Ottawa.', 'Pago de $298.00 CAD') but want 'Una foto a color tipo pasaporte.' for the emergency Documento de Identidad y Viaje; check your own consulate's list.
  • Check
    The only Cuban photo size we found is for a different document: the Residencia en el Exterior permit wants 'Cuatro fotos tipo pasaporte (4,5 x 4,5) cm', a square format, so do not assume 'tipo pasaporte' means 35 x 45 mm everywhere.
  • Check
    Consular registration (carné de inscripción consular) needs 'dos fotos' (Mexico) or 'Una foto' (Canada) with no rule, and must be done before any other consular service, except for Cubans on a trip abroad of up to 24 months.

Good to know before you pay

Any studio's colour passport photo on a light background, with your head uncovered and no dark glasses, meets the consulate's wording; use our file if you want to shoot it yourself and print two copies.

Source and verification

VerifiedLast checked 2026-10-10Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba, Embajada de Cuba en México, 'Servicios consulares' (Renovación de pasaporte), with the Embassy in Canada's page and the ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 reference frame

No national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard applies. Last checked 2026-10-10 at Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba, Embajada de Cuba en México, 'Servicios consulares' (Renovación de pasaporte), with the Embassy in Canada's page and the ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 reference frame.

  • Dos fotos a color tipo pasaporte de alta resolución con fondo claro, de frente, con rostro y cabeza descubiertos y sin espejuelos oscuros.
  • Renovación de pasaporte: Para renovar o confeccionar un nuevo pasaporte es necesario:
  • Fotocopia de su pasaporte vencido (6 años) y el pasaporte.
  • Si tiene necesidad de usar el pasaporte con cierta premura en los próximos meses, la solicitud del nuevo pasaporte debe hacerla con dos meses de antelación.
  • Cuatro fotos tipo pasaporte (4,5 x 4,5) cm
  • A partir del 1ro de julio de 2023, los pasaportes cubanos que se confeccionen tendrán una validez de diez (10) años para los ciudadanos cubanos con dieciséis (16) o más años de edad.
  • Queda eliminado el requisito de prórroga cada dos (2) años para todos los pasaportes, sin importar su fecha de confección o tiempo de validez.
  • Las solicitudes de pasaporte nuevo, se realizarán de forma presencial en las oficinas de Montreal, Toronto u Ottawa.
  • Una foto a color tipo pasaporte.
  • Submitted portraits should be 45.0 mm x 35.0 mm (1.77 in x 1.38 in) in dimension.
  • The crown-to-chin portion of the facial image shall be 70 to 80 per cent of the longest dimension defined for Zone V, maintaining the aspect ratio between the crown-to-chin and ear-to-ear details of the face of the holder.

Quotes 1-5 are from source.url (sources/cu/minrex-mexico-servicios-consulares.txt, direct curl on 2026-10-10 with tags stripped; quote 5 is from the page's Residencia en el Exterior section). Quotes 6-9 are from the Embassy in Canada's page https://misiones.cubaminrex.cu/es/canada/servicios-consulares (sources/cu/minrex-canada-servicios-consulares.txt, same day; its double spaces are collapsed in quote 6). Quotes 10-11 are ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/icao-9303-part3-portrait-excerpt.txt, Wayback capture 2024-09-12). printsRequired 2, background 'light', headCovering 'not-allowed' and glasses from quote 1; physical 35 x 45 mm, head 0.7-0.8, maxPhotoAgeMonths 6 and dpi 300 are ICAO-style defaults because no passport-photo size is published. The tourist e-visa portal https://evisacuba.cu/ (sources/cu/evisacuba-home.txt) lists only a valid passport and an e-mail address. Translations in parentheses are ours.

We are an independent service, not a government website. Applying for a passport or visa is done with your government; we only prepare the photo.

Frequently asked questions

Woman taking a selfie with her phone in front of a bright outdoor wall
A plain wall and daylight are enough.