Irish Passport Photo (digital, Passport Online): size and requirements
The Irish Passport Photo size is 1200 x 1596 pixels for online upload (minimum 715 x 951), file under 9 MB. Completely plain, light grey, white or cream background; head 50 to 70 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Passport Service, Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland).
For the digital photo uploaded to Passport Online for an Irish Passport Book or Passport Card, including renewals and first-time applications made online. Not for the paper application form, which takes four printed photos, and not for a UK passport, which has its own gov.uk rules.
You can take this photo at home, but only the unaltered camera file is accepted: use our checker to verify framing, lighting and background, then upload the original frame without cropping, enlarging or retouching. See the Ireland documents we can prepare.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 1200 x 1596 pixels for online upload (minimum 715 x 951), file under 9 MB
- Head height
- Head 50 to 70 percent of the photo height (The photo must capture your image from head to mid torso; visible space between your head and shoulders and the edge of your photo (no millimetre or percentage figure is published; 50-70 percent is our framing band))
- Background
- completely plain, light grey, white or cream background
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Allowed without glare or tint
- Head covering
- Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
- Photo age
- Taken within the last 6 months
- We deliver
- 1200 x 1596 px , under 9216 KB, plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckPassport Online wants the camera's own frame: the file must 'not be digitally enhanced or changed', must not be a scanned print and must not show compression artefacts or barrel distortion. Users report rejections for photos that were 'cropped, enlarged, enhanced', so upload the camera's own file: our tool checks it for free and does not sell a cropped file for this document.
- CheckDo not use the zoom function on the phone or camera, and no selfies: someone else must take the photo at a normal distance showing head to mid torso.
- CheckMinimum 715 x 951 pixels, JPEG only, maximum 9 MB. Sideways or upside-down uploads are fine; the Passport Service rotates them.
- CheckThe Passport Service reviews the photo after the portal accepts it and contacts you if it fails ('If the photo does not meet our guidelines, we will contact you'), and the application is delayed; a photo that passes the upload is not yet approved.
- CheckBlack-and-white is only recommended for printed photos; the digital upload must be in colour and is converted to black and white by the Passport Service.
- CheckGlasses are allowed only if the frames cover no part of the eyes and there is no glare; dark glasses and sunglasses are refused. Head coverings only for religious or medical reasons with the full face visible.
Known portal issues
- Note
Too close / too far away
Stand so the frame shows the top of the head down to mid torso. Read the fix - Note
Photo cannot be cropped, enlarged, enhanced or changed
Use the photo exactly as the camera saved it. Read the fix - Note
Place the face in the oval (babies and toddlers)
Drag the photo so the face sits roughly inside the oval. Read the fix
Source and verification
Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-07 at Passport Service, Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland).
Did you know that for online applications you can have your photo taken at home with a camera, tablet or phone?
You cannot take a selfie.
Do not use the zoom function on a digital camera or smartphone.
Not be less than 715 pixels wide and 951 pixels in height.
Be in JPEG format.
Not be digitally enhanced or changed.
Not be larger than 9 megabytes (9MB).
The photo must capture your image from head to mid torso.
Please ensure there is visible space between your head and shoulders and the edge of your photo.
You need to stand in front of a completely plain, light grey, white or cream background.
You must submit a photo that has been taken in the last six months.
You can wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons. Your full facial features must be visible.
Photos must not be digitally altered or edited in any way, follow the photo guidelines above.
All quotes from the Passport Service 'Photo Guidelines For Passports' page at source.url (dfa.ie/passports/photo-guidelines/ redirects here). ireland.ie answers HTTP 403 to direct requests; the page was read via the r.jina.ai text proxy and saved as sources/ie/ireland-ie-passport-photo-guidelines.txt. The Passport Service publishes no head-height or eye-line figure for either the digital or printed photo; the 0.5-0.7 band is our framing choice derived from 'head to mid torso' and is flagged in head.statedAs. The 1200 x 1596 target keeps the 715:951 ratio for the size pages only: /make exports no file for this document, because every output it renders is cropped and re-saved and the Passport Service refuses that (eligibility.checkoutBlocked). The 'restricted' verdict follows the product brief and pain-points.md section 5d (portal strings 'cannot be cropped, enlarged, enhanced'); the page itself says home photos are accepted. The 'too close / too far away' and 'cannot be cropped, enlarged, enhanced' strings in portalQuirks and gotchas are user reports from docs/pain-points.md (PP-17, section 5d), not text on the official page, and are labelled as such. child.underAge 3 is the page's cropping-tool age (newborn to 36 months), not a waiver (see child.note). ireland.ie is not matched by the validator host rule; see the file header.
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
