North Korean Passport Photo (no readable national rule; ICAO 35 x 45 mm reference): size and requirements
The North Korean Passport Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Not read; white is our rendering choice for the reference frame; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-10 against ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (Eighth Edition, 2021), Section 3.9 displayed portrait, standing in for a DPRK passport rule we could not read.
For a passport of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (조선민주주의인민공화국 려권) held by DPRK citizens, as a reference only: no DPRK government page could be reached on 2026-10-10 and the state publishes no passport-application procedure online that we could find, so the frame, head band and all other values are the ICAO Doc 9303 defaults. Not for a DPRK visa, for which no rule could be read either.
We could not read any DPRK passport photo rule and no public application route exists online; treat our 35 x 45 mm ICAO print as a framing reference only. See all North Korea documents.
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 national rule read; ICAO Doc 9303 crown-to-chin 70 to 80 per cent of the 45 mm height applied)
- Background
- not read; white is our rendering choice for the reference frame
- 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
- 413 x 531 px (300 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckNo DPRK rule was read: on 2026-10-10 www.mfa.gov.kp answered a single status probe and then refused every connection (its certificate also fails the hostname check), and naenara.com.kp, kcna.kp, rodong.rep.kp, tourismdprk.gov.kp, dprkportal.kp and friend.com.kp did not connect. Everything on this page is the ICAO Doc 9303 reference, flagged as such.
- CheckDPRK passports are issued by the state to citizens authorised to travel; whether an office captures the image or wants prints, and in what size, is exactly what we could not confirm, and there is no public application route for us to describe. Treat this page as a framing reference only.
- CheckForeign visitors do not use this page: no DPRK visa photo rule could be read either, so ask the mission or organiser handling your visa.
- CheckICAO reference frame: 'Submitted portraits should be 45.0 mm x 35.0 mm (1.77 in x 1.38 in) in dimension.' with the head 70 to 80 per cent of the height and a plain light background.
- CheckICAO recency: 'A submitted portrait shall have been captured within the last six months before application', and portraits older than three months 'should not be accepted' where the issuer is strict.
Source and verification
No national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard applies. Last checked 2026-10-10 (archived copy dated 2024-09-12) at ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (Eighth Edition, 2021), Section 3.9 displayed portrait, standing in for a DPRK passport rule we could not read.
Submitted portraits should be 45.0 mm x 35.0 mm (1.77 in x 1.38 in) in dimension.
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.
A submitted portrait shall have been captured within the last six months before application, as outlined in [ISO/IEC 39794-5]. Portraits with a capture time dating back more than three months should not be accepted.
Where the portrait is supplied to the issuing authority in digital form, the requirements specified by the issuing authority must be adhered to.
The submitted portrait shall be clean, not bent, not scratched, not folded and not damaged. There shall be no ink marks or creases on the printed portrait.
All quotes are ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/icao-9303-part3-portrait-excerpt.txt, Wayback capture 2024-09-12 of source.url). Nothing from the DPRK is quoted: sources/kp/_probe-log.txt lists the hosts tried on 2026-10-10 (www.mfa.gov.kp 200 once then curl 000, r.jina.ai ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID; naenara.com.kp, kcna.kp, rodong.rep.kp, tourismdprk.gov.kp, dprkportal.kp, friend.com.kp, ryongnamsan.edu.kp curl 000; korea-dpr.com is a private association, not read). physical 35 x 45 mm, head 0.7-0.8, maxPhotoAgeMonths 6 from quotes 1-3; background 'white', dpi 300, glasses and headCovering are ICAO-style defaults. The Korean alias is the DPRK's own word for passport (려권) and was not read from any DPRK page.
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
