Maldives Passport Photo (Maldives Immigration: 45 x 35 mm, face 70-80 %, white, 30 days): size and requirements

Requirements at a glance

Size

35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches), or 827 x 1063 pixels for online upload (minimum 413 x 531)

Head height

Head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height (The face must take up 70-80% of the photo. This corresponds to a height of 32-36mm (45 x 35 mm frame; rejected only below 27 mm or above 40 mm))

Background

The background must be in white colour in contrast with face and hair.

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 month

Prints needed

1

We deliver

827 x 1063 px (600 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet

What trips people up

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  The frame and face rule in the guide's own words: the sample is labelled '45MM' by '35MM', 'The face must take up 70-80% of the photo. This corresponds to a height of 32-36mm.', measured 'from the bottom of the chin to the crown (the top of the head, not the top of the hair)'; 'photos should be rejected only if the face measures less than 27mm or more than 40mm.'
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  Recency is unusually short: 'The photo must be taken with in the last 30 days.' and the How-to-Apply page says 'Upload a passport size photo taken within 1 month to the date of application'. The FAQ adds the photo must 'Be a digital photograph (not a scanned copy or a photograph of another photograph)'.
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  Background and borders: 'The background must be in white colour in contrast with face and hair.', 'The background must not be patterned.', 'The photo must not include any borders.' Blue backgrounds, busy backgrounds and line or thick borders are shown as rejects. 'It is important to wear a darker shade of attire as the photo must have a white background.' and 'Photos taken in uniforms will not be accepted if it has any components of the uniform.'
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  Editing: 'Sharp edge edits on the photo will - not be accepted.' - the reject examples are 'Sharp Edge edits on Hair'. Shoot against a real white wall rather than cutting the background out; we keep the original background for this document.
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  Head, eyes and glasses: 'The facial expression must be neutral with the mouth closed and looking directly at the camera.', 'The eyes must be open and clearly visible and must not be covered by hair or eyeglass frames.', 'Flash reflection on the lenses or sunglasses are unacceptable.', 'The edge of the lenses or frames should not cover any part of the eyes.'
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  Head coverings and accessories: 'Hats or head coverings are not permitted; exceptions may be made, in particular for religious reasons (women wearing hijab)' - 'If a head covering is allowed, the face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the crown.' The hijab must not cover the chin or eyebrows (reject example 'Hijab Covering Chin & Eyebrows'). 'Any facial ornaments that obscure the face shall not be worn.' and 'Make-ups that are non-neutral and deceiving look shall not be worn.' (contact lenses, fake eyelashes and heavy make-up are shown as rejects).
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  Prints: 'The photo must be printed on high-quality paper with a print resolution of at least 600 dpi (especially when taken with a digital camera).' and must be free of 'staples, pins, paper clips, folding, ink marks or pen indentations'. Prints are only needed when you cannot upload: in a medical emergency 'a third party can submit a passport-size photo of the applicant', and for citizens 65 and over 'The applicant's photograph will be taken by the Immigration Passport Section in case the individual does not have a passport-size photo.'
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  Process and fees: register on IMUGA, select 'Dhivehi Passport' and 'New Application', upload the photo and a clear photo of your signature, pay via the Bank of Maldives gateway after the SMS, then collect in person with a 'QueueBee' token. Electronic passport MVR 1,000 (32 pages) / 1,500 (48 pages), 5 years; non-electronic passport MVR 600 for children below 10, applicants 65 and above, residents abroad and medical cases; emergency passport MVR 250; passport card MVR 450. No pixel size or file format is published for the upload, so our 827 x 1063 px JPEG (600 dpi) is a rendering choice.

Good to know before you pay

Any Malé studio that follows the Immigration photo standard will give you a compliant JPEG and print; use our file when you shoot at home against a plain white wall in dark clothes.

Frequently asked questions