Ethiopian Passport Photo (ePassport; biometrics taken at the ICS branch): size and requirements
The Ethiopian Passport Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Not stated; the ICS branch captures your biometrics against its own backdrop. Light grey is our rendering choice for the reference frame only.; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Last verified 2026-10-09 against Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS), Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, ePassport portal www.immigration.gov.et, with ICAO Doc 9303.
For the Ethiopian ePassport issued by the Immigration and Citizenship Service to citizens who apply on www.immigration.gov.et, attend a verification appointment and then visit a branch for biometrics before collecting the passport. The portal names no photograph, so this spec is the ICAO Doc 9303 reference frame only. Not for the e-Visa (et/e-visa), the Ethiopian Origin ID (et/origin-id) or the Fayda national ID.
The ePassport process is online application, appointment, biometrics at the branch, collection, with no photograph named. See the Ethiopia documents we can prepare.
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 (No applicant photo is named (the process ends with 'Visit branch for biometrics'); ICAO Doc 9303: crown-to-chin 70 to 80 per cent of the image height)
- Background
- not stated; the ICS branch captures your biometrics against its own backdrop. Light grey is our rendering choice for the reference frame only.
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Only if you must; no tint, no glare
- Head covering
- Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
- We deliver
- 413 x 531 px (300 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckThe portal's four-step process names no photo: 'Submit your application online', 'Verification on appointment date', 'Visit branch for biometrics', 'Collect your ePassport'. We read this as the branch capturing your face image, but the application form behind the login was not read.
- CheckApply only on the official portal: 'Welcome to the official portal of the Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service where you can apply for and manage your passports, Ethiopian Origin ID cards, visas, and work permits.' The former address ethiopianpassportservices.gov.et no longer resolves.
- CheckStatus is checked on passport.ics.gov.et ('Check Status'); the ICS FAQ page renders empty, so no photo FAQ could be read.
- CheckIf your branch or an Ethiopian mission abroad asks for prints, use the ICAO 35 x 45 mm frame here as a fallback; the ICS publishes no size.
Source and verification
No national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard applies. Last checked 2026-10-09 (archived copy dated 2024-09-12) at Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS), Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, ePassport portal www.immigration.gov.et, with ICAO Doc 9303.
Welcome to the official portal of the Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service where you can apply for and manage your passports, Ethiopian Origin ID cards, visas, and work permits.
Submit your application online
Verification on appointment date
Visit branch for biometrics
Collect your ePassport
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 the ePassport portal landing page at source.url (sources/et/immigration-epassport-home.txt, read via r.jina.ai with x-no-cache on 2026-10-09; the portal is a JavaScript app and its /faq route renders as a 692-character shell, sources/et/immigration-epassport-faq.txt). Quote 6 is ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/, Wayback 2024-09-12) and supplies the reference head band; archiveSnapshot is that excerpt's date, not source.url's. The 'no' verdict is an inference from the 'Visit branch for biometrics' step and the absence of any photograph on the landing page; the application form behind the login was not read (flagged). eligibility.officialWording is the portal's welcome sentence, the only full sentence on the page; it does not itself address photos. physical 35 x 45 mm / 300 dpi, light-grey background, glasses 'discouraged' and headCovering are ICAO-style defaults for the reference frame. maxPhotoAgeMonths, printsRequired and child undefined. editing 'unaltered-required' is the conservative default.
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
