Pakistani Passport Photo (Regional Passport Office: captured at the counter): size and requirements
The Pakistani Passport Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Not stated for the counter route (the photograph is captured by the official). White is our reference rendering; it is also the colour the DGIP online portal demands.; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Last verified 2026-10-08 against Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGIP), Ministry of Interior, 'Passport Process' and 'Ordinary Passport' pages.
For a Machine Readable Passport applied for in person at a Regional Passport Office or Executive Passport Office in Pakistan (new, renewal, lost or modification). The office photographs you at the token counter; this page exists to tell you so. Not for the DGIP Online Passport portal, which takes an uploaded file, and not for a NADRA CNIC or NICOP.
For a counter application, bring your CNIC and previous passport and the Regional Passport Office photographs you. See the Pakistan documents we can prepare.
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 (Capturing of Photograph + Token Issuance with QR Code (the office captures the image; no national photo size is published for the counter route; ICAO Doc 9303 35 x 45 mm and crown-to-chin 70 to 80 per cent shown for reference only))
- Background
- Not stated for the counter route (the photograph is captured by the official). White is our reference rendering; it is also the colour the DGIP online portal demands.
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Only if you must; no tint, no glare
- Head covering
- Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
- We deliver
- 827 x 1063 px (600 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckYou do not bring a photo. Step 2 of the process is 'Capturing of Photograph + Token Issuance with QR Code': 'The Official will proceed with capturing of applicant’s data i.e. photograph, CNIC Number, application type etc.'
- CheckThe document list names no photograph: 'Original Valid CNIC/NICOP with a photocopy.', 'Previous Passport in original with its photocopy, (if issued).', and an 'NOC (No Objection Certificate)' for government, semi-government or autonomous-body employees. Nothing on the list is a photo.
- CheckDress rule for serving personnel: 'Members of the Armed Forces are required to be photographed in uniform for Official Passports .' while 'the requirement of a Picture in uniform for Ordinary Green Passports has been waived for Armed Forces Personnel .'
- CheckMinors need NADRA papers, not photos: minors aged 10 and above bring an updated Child Registration Certificate 'containing (fingerprints and photograph)' or a Juvenile Card; the passport photo itself is still captured at the counter.
- CheckIf you are abroad or renewing, the separate Online Passport portal DOES take an uploaded photo (see pk/passport-online).
Source and verification
No national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard applies. Last checked 2026-10-08 (archived copy dated 2024-09-12) at Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGIP), Ministry of Interior, 'Passport Process' and 'Ordinary Passport' pages.
The Official will proceed with capturing of applicant’s data i.e. photograph, CNIC Number, application type etc.
Capturing of Photograph + Token Issuance with QR Code.
Original Valid CNIC/NICOP with a photocopy.
Members of the Armed Forces are required to be photographed in uniform for Official Passports .
However, the requirement of a Picture in uniform for Ordinary Green Passports has been waived for Armed Forces Personnel .
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.
Quote 1 is from the Passport Process page at source.url (sources/pk/dgip-passport-process.txt, direct curl, tag-stripped; the page's apostrophe is a curly one). Quotes 2-5 are from the Ordinary Passport page https://dgip.gov.pk/passport/ordinary-passport.php (sources/pk/dgip-ordinary-passport.txt; quotes 4-5 keep the page's space before the full stop). Quote 6 is ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/, Wayback 2024-09-12), reference frame only; archiveSnapshot 2024-09-12 is the Wayback date of that ICAO excerpt, not of a capture of source.url, which was read live. eligibility 'no' rests on the photograph being captured by the official at Step 2 and on the absence of a photograph from the document list; DGIP does not say 'do not bring a photo' in so many words (inference flagged). physical, head band, background, glasses, headCovering, neutralExpression and mouthClosed are ICAO-style reference values, not DGIP rules. maxPhotoAgeMonths, printsRequired and child left undefined.
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
