Kuwaiti Passport Photo (4 x 5 cm, blue background, within 6 months): size and requirements
The Kuwaiti Passport Photo size is 40 x 50 mm (1.57 x 1.97 inches), or 472 x 591 pixels for online upload. The photo should have a blue background to be in contrast to your face; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-10 against Kuwait Government Online (e.gov.kw) for the Ministry of Interior, 'Issuing Passport (First Time)' - online passport photo requirements and specifications.
For the photo handed in with a first-time Kuwaiti passport application at a General Department of Citizenship and Travel Documents service centre, by Kuwaiti citizens (the legal representative applies for children). Not for a renewal filed through a different route, the Civil ID, a Kuwait visa or a residence permit.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 40 x 50 mm (1.57 x 1.97 inches), or 472 x 591 pixels for online upload
- Head height
- Head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height (You should keep your hair off your face in order to show your face outline (no head-height figure is published; ICAO Doc 9303 crown-to-chin 70 to 80 per cent applied))
- Background
- The photo should have a blue background to be in contrast to your face
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Allowed without glare or tint
- Head covering
- Allowed
- Photo age
- Taken within the last 6 months
- Prints needed
- 1
- We deliver
- 472 x 591 px (300 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckUnusual size and colour: 'Photo size should be 4x5 cm' and 'The photo should have a blue background to be in contrast to your face'. A standard white 35 x 45 mm print will not do.
- CheckRecent: 'The photo should be in high quality and bright clear colors, and shall not exceed 6 months after creation date'.
- CheckStraight face, hair back: 'You should look directly into the camera with a straight face' and 'You should keep your hair off your face in order to show your face outline'.
- CheckHijab and jewellery allowed: 'You are allowed to put on Hijab or jewelry.' but 'The hijab should be in one color and should allow your face to appear entirely from the lowest of your chin to the highest of your forehead along with the sides of your face'.
- CheckGlasses: 'glasses with thick or colored lenses are not allowed. There also should be no reflection from the glasses, the rings or any of the buttons etc.'
- CheckUnder-3s mouth OPEN, the reverse of most countries: 'Children less than 3 years old should have their mouth open in the photo and the photo should meet the other requirements; having no reflection in it.'
- CheckQuality: 'The photo should be clear with no blur and no red-eye effect' and 'taken with only one clear light with a suitable amount of brightness and contrast to show the face in its natural color'.
- CheckOne print: the required documents list 'One new photo 4x5 cm (please re-check requirements)'. Applicants sign and give fingerprints at the centre (no signature under 10, no fingerprints under 12).
- CheckThe portal is unreachable to automated readers (403); the rules above are from the government portal's own page as archived in September 2024.
Good to know before you pay
A Kuwaiti photo studio knows the 4 x 5 cm blue-background format; our file only helps if you want to shoot it yourself and print it.
Source and verification
Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-10 (archived copy dated 2024-09-20) at Kuwait Government Online (e.gov.kw) for the Ministry of Interior, 'Issuing Passport (First Time)' - online passport photo requirements and specifications.
Photo size should be 4x5 cm
The photo should have a blue background to be in contrast to your face
The photo should be in high quality and bright clear colors, and shall not exceed 6 months after creation date
You should look directly into the camera with a straight face
You should keep your hair off your face in order to show your face outline
You are allowed to put on Hijab or jewelry.
The hijab should be in one color and should allow your face to appear entirely from the lowest of your chin to the highest of your forehead along with the sides of your face
Eyeglasses and jewelry should not hide or change the details of your face; therefore glasses with thick or colored lenses are not allowed. There also should be no reflection from the glasses, the rings or any of the buttons etc.
Children less than 3 years old should have their mouth open in the photo and the photo should meet the other requirements; having no reflection in it.
The photo should be clear with no blur and no red-eye effect
One new photo 4x5 cm (please re-check requirements)
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 1-11 are from source.url, Wayback Machine capture 2024-09-20 (sources/kw/egov-apply-for-passport-wayback.txt; the live page returns 403 from Microsoft-Azure-Application-Gateway to curl and the text proxy). Quote 12 is ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/, Wayback 2024-09-12) and supplies only the head band. physical 40 x 50 mm from quotes 1 and 11; digital 472 x 591 px is our 300 dpi rendering (no pixel, kilobyte or format rule is published; JPEG is our choice). background 'blue' from quote 2; maxPhotoAgeMonths 6 from quote 3; headCovering 'allowed' from quotes 6-7; glasses from quote 8; child from quote 9; printsRequired 1 from quote 11.
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
