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Nigerian Passport Photo (NIS portal upload, 600 x 800 px minimum): size and requirements

The Nigerian Passport Photo size is 900 x 1200 pixels for online upload (minimum 600 x 800), file under 2 MB. Must have white background. (Test Photo Upload instruction list); Subject must be surrounded by a plain, light-colored background with no distracting shadows on the subject or background. (Photo Guidelines); head 50 to 69 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-08 against Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Passport Application Portal (passport.immigration.gov.ng): 'Photo Guidelines' modal and 'Fundamental rules for uploading picture'.

For the colour photograph uploaded to the Nigeria Immigration Service passport portal (passport.immigration.gov.ng) when applying in Nigeria for a fresh standard passport, a renewal or re-issue, or a correction of data. Applicants outside Nigeria are directed to a separate portal (passportintl.immigration.gov.ng) whose rules we have not verified. Not for a Nigerian visa, and not for the printed 'passport sized photographs' that guarantors and consenting parents endorse on the paper forms.

Make this photo for $6.99Read the full rules
Golden dome and minarets of the National Mosque in Abuja
VerifiedRead from the official pageLast checked 2026-10-08Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Passport Application Portal (passport.immigration.gov.ng): 'Photo Guidelines' modal and 'Fundamental rules for uploading picture'

Requirements at a glance

Size
900 x 1200 pixels for online upload (minimum 600 x 800), file under 2 MB
Head height
Head 50 to 69 percent of the photo height (The head height or facial region size (measured from the top of the head, including the hair, to the bottom of the chin) must be between 50% and 69% of the height of the image. The eye height (measured from the bottom of the image to the level of the eyes) should be between 56% and 69% of the height of the image.)
Eye line
56 to 69 percent from the bottom of the photo
Background
Must have white background. (Test Photo Upload instruction list); Subject must be surrounded by a plain, light-colored background with no distracting shadows on the subject or background. (Photo Guidelines)
Expression
Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
Glasses
Not allowed
Head covering
Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
Photo age
Taken within the last 6 months
We deliver
900 x 1200 px , under 2048 KB, plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet

What trips people up

  • Check
    The portrait is a 3:4 upload, not a 35 x 45 print: 'Image resolution should be atleast 600x800 px.' The portal code caps the file at 2 MB (USER_IMAGE_REQUIRED_SIZE_IN_MB=2). JPG and PNG are accepted.
  • Check
    The free 'Test Photo Upload' list words the size as exact, 'Image resolution should be 600x800 px.', while the application upload step says 'atleast 600x800 px'. If the test tool rejects a larger file, export an exact 600 x 800 px copy for the test.
  • Check
    The head is smaller than in most passport photos: 50 to 69 per cent of the image height, with the eyes 56 to 69 per cent up from the bottom. A tight 70-80 per cent crop will fail the portal's own 'Test Photo Upload'.
  • Check
    No eyeglasses at all: 'Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in Passport photo.' Remove them even if you wear them every day.
  • Check
    Two background rules coexist: the Test Photo Upload list says 'Must have white background.' while the guidelines modal accepts a 'plain, light-colored background'. White satisfies both.
  • Check
    What you upload is what gets printed: 'Note: The photo you are uploading here will be printed on your passport.' You still attend the office: 'Applicants are required to appear at chosen Immigration Office for photograph and biometric data capturing.'
  • Check
    Hats or head coverings 'are only allowed if worn for religious reasons AND if they do not obscure any facial features'; hair must not cover the face or ears, and no headphones or masks.
  • Check
    The portal's example captions are copied from the US State Department and mention '2”x 2” (51 x 51 mm)', '600 by 600 pixels' and '54 kilobytes'. Those US numbers are NOT the Nigerian upload rule; follow the 600x800 px list.
  • Check
    Paper routes still ask for prints without a size: the NIS Passports page lists 'Completed passport application form and 2 passport sized photographs (passport photographs endorsed at the back by the Guarantor).'

Known portal issues

  • Note

    Photo refused before upload (2 MB limit)

    Export a JPEG under 2 MB; our 900 x 1200 pixel file is well inside the limit. Read the fix
  • Note

    Crop box cuts the photo and re-encodes it

    Upload the uncropped 3:4 file and let the portal crop, or crop to exactly 3:4 first so nothing is lost. Read the fix
  • Note
    Use the portal's 'Test Photo Upload' tile before paying: 'Click here to check your passport size photo compliance before you proceed to the passport application.'

Good to know before you pay

If a studio already gave you a 600 x 800 px (or larger, 3:4) white-background JPG under 2 MB with your head at roughly 60 per cent of the height, upload that; the portal's free 'Test Photo Upload' tells you whether it passes.

Source and verification

VerifiedLast checked 2026-10-08Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Passport Application Portal (passport.immigration.gov.ng): 'Photo Guidelines' modal and 'Fundamental rules for uploading picture'

Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-08 at Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Passport Application Portal (passport.immigration.gov.ng): 'Photo Guidelines' modal and 'Fundamental rules for uploading picture'.

  • Image resolution should be atleast 600x800 px.
  • Must have white background.
  • The head height or facial region size (measured from the top of the head, including the hair, to the bottom of the chin) must be between 50% and 69% of the height of the image.
  • The eye height (measured from the bottom of the image to the level of the eyes) should be between 56% and 69% of the height of the image.
  • Subject must be surrounded by a plain, light-colored background with no distracting shadows on the subject or background.
  • The image must be from a recent (within 6 months) photo of the applicant.
  • Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in Passport photo.
  • No sunglasses or other items that obscure the face. Hats or head coverings are only allowed if worn for religious reasons AND if they do not obscure any facial features.
  • The person must have a neutral expression with both eyes open and mouth closed. Smiling or frowning is not allowed, as it can alter facial features.
  • ICAO guidelines have relaxation for kids under the age of 5. Kids must look toward the camera and the face should be centered
  • Note: The photo you are uploading here will be printed on your passport.
  • Click here to check your passport size photo compliance before you proceed to the passport application.
  • Completed passport application form and 2 passport sized photographs (passport photographs endorsed at the back by the Guarantor).
  • Image resolution should be 600x800 px.
  • Applicants are required to appear at chosen Immigration Office for photograph and biometric data capturing.

Quotes 1-12 and 14 are UI strings of the NIS passport portal, an Angular app whose rules are not in static HTML; they were extracted from its compiled bundle main.c05f64f62a7498ff37e7.js on 2026-10-08 and saved in bundle order (sources/ng/nis-passport-portal-photo-guidelines-bundle.txt: quote 1 and quotes 9-11 are section 2, the application upload step; quotes 2 and 14 are section 3, the Test Photo Upload instruction list; quotes 3-8 are section 1, the Photo Guidelines modal; quote 12 is section 4, the home-page tile, also confirmed via the text proxy). Quotes 13 and 15 are from the NIS 'Passports' page (sources/ng/nis-passports.txt; quote 15 is a bold 'Note' repeated under several passport categories). 'Must have white background.' (quote 2) comes from the Test Photo Upload list, not the application upload step, which publishes no background line. The 2 MB cap is the code constant USER_IMAGE_REQUIRED_SIZE_IN_MB=2 (section 5); the user-facing toast that reports it was not captured in the saved extract and is not quoted. format 'jpeg-or-png' from ALLOW_IMAGE_LIST image/jpg,image/png,image/jpeg. The Test Photo Upload list words the resolution as exact ('should be 600x800 px.') while the upload step says 'atleast 600x800 px'; digital min 600 x 800 follows the upload step and the exact wording is recorded as a gotcha. No maximum pixel size is published, so the 900 x 1200 target is our 3:4 rendering choice above the 600 x 800 minimum. Scope is limited to applications inside Nigeria: the NIS Passports page links 'CLICK HERE IF APPLYING OUTSIDE NIGERIA' to https://passportintl.immigration.gov.ng/, a separate portal that was not read. No saved NIS source dates a reform; the earlier 'since the 2023 reform' wording was dropped in the fact-check. Head and eye-line fractions are copied from the guidelines table. The guidelines modal's 'Photo Examples' captions ('2”x 2” (51 x 51 mm)', '600 by 600 pixels', '54 kilobytes') reproduce US State Department text and conflict with the upload list; they are recorded as a gotcha and not used for any value. headCovering 'religious-medical-only' is the nearest type value to the portal's religious-only exception (the examples caption adds 'or medical purposes'). child.underAge 5 from the kids-under-5 sentence; which rules are relaxed is our reading (flagged in child.note). printsRequired left undefined for the upload route.

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.