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Rwanda e-Passport Photo (IremboGov upload: white background, JPG 200 KB, eyes in the upper half): size and requirements

The Rwanda e-Passport Photo size is 413 x 531 pixels for online upload, file under 200 KB. Background:The passport photo must be on a white background.; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Last verified 2026-10-10 against IremboGov (Rwanda's government services platform) help centre - 'Tips and Requirements for Uploading a Compliant Passport Photo' and 'Tips and how to apply for an E-Passport for the first time', with the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration's Ordinary e-Passport page.

For the passport photo uploaded on IremboGov with a Rwandan e-passport application (ordinary 5- and 10-year, service and diplomatic, adults and minors) before the biometric capture appointment at a DGIE office or Rwandan embassy: a JPG of at most 200 KB on a white background, face to the camera, eyes in the upper half, neutral expression or natural smile, no filters. Irembo publishes no millimetre or pixel size, so the frame and head band here are the ICAO reference. Not for a Rwandan visa (same portal, 500 KB limit, separate page here) nor the NIDA national ID.

Make this photo for $6.99Read the full rules
Sunlit airport terminal with travellers and long shadows
VerifiedRead from the official pageLast checked 2026-10-10IremboGov (Rwanda's government services platform) help centre - 'Tips and Requirements for Uploading a Compliant Passport Photo' and 'Tips and how to apply for an E-Passport for the first time', with the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration's Ordinary e-Passport page

Requirements at a glance

Size
413 x 531 pixels for online upload, file under 200 KB
Head height
Head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height ('Your eyes should be in the upper half of the photo (30-50% from the top)' and 'Ensure the photo shows your full head and the top of your shoulders.'; no crown-to-chin figure, so ICAO Doc 9303 70 to 80 per cent of the height is applied and flagged)
Eye line
50 to 70 percent from the bottom of the photo
Background
Background:The passport photo must be on a white background.
Expression
Natural, 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
We deliver
413 x 531 px , under 200 KB, plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet

What trips people up

  • Check
    Upload rule on Irembo: 'The passport photo must be on a white background.', face directly toward the camera, 'Neutral expression or natural smile.', 'Your eyes should be in the upper half of the photo (30-50% from the top)', face centred horizontally, high resolution with no pixelation, no over- or under-exposure and 'No filters or digital enhancements.' Our file places the eyes 30-50 per cent from the top and keeps the ICAO 70-80 per cent head band, which Irembo does not state.
  • Check
    Shape clause: 'Photo shape:Must be between square and portrait (height should be 50-100% of width)' - read literally, that allows a square to a wide frame, while the heading says portrait; we keep the ICAO 35:45 portrait (413 x 531 px), which fits 'portrait' and is the shape Irembo's examples describe as 'full head and the top of your shoulders'.
  • Check
    File limits from the e-passport how-to: 'Passport photo:JPG format, maximum size 200 KB.' (documents PDF 500 KB, signature PDF 50 KB). A 413 x 531 px JPEG is comfortably under 200 KB.
  • Check
    Common mistakes Irembo lists: more than one person in the frame, 'Smiling too broadly or making facial expressions.', poor lighting with shadows on face or background, 'Wearing headgear (caps, hats) without valid reasons.' and 'Uploading a scanned photo from an old passport or ID.' It also suggests 'Use a professional photo service when possible.' - a tip, not a requirement.
  • Check
    Then biometrics: after submission 'You will receive an email or SMS with the date and location for your biometric capture, either at the DGIE office or the Rwandan Embassy.' DGIE's own page says adults 'come at DGIE offices to give their biometrics (the 10 fingerprints and the digital photo)' and children (no fingerprints or signature under 16) 'are captured the portrait only' - so the uploaded photo supports the file and the passport portrait is taken live.
  • Check
    Children's paperwork on DGIE's page lists 'One recently taken colored passport size photo with white background' with the parents' IDs, birth certificate and 25,000 FRW; Irembo's table shows every type and age with a 'Passport Photo' attachment: ordinary 10 years 100,000 Rwf for adults, ordinary 5 years 25,000 Rwf at 16-17 and 2 years 25,000 Rwf at 15 and below, service 15,000, diplomatic 50,000; 4 working days from submission to collection.

Good to know before you pay

If you already have a white-background JPG under 200 KB with your eyes in the upper half, upload it; use ours when you want the background, eye position and file size handled from a phone photo.

Source and verification

VerifiedLast checked 2026-10-10IremboGov (Rwanda's government services platform) help centre - 'Tips and Requirements for Uploading a Compliant Passport Photo' and 'Tips and how to apply for an E-Passport for the first time', with the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration's Ordinary e-Passport page

Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-10 at IremboGov (Rwanda's government services platform) help centre - 'Tips and Requirements for Uploading a Compliant Passport Photo' and 'Tips and how to apply for an E-Passport for the first time', with the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration's Ordinary e-Passport page.

  • The passport photo must be on a white background.
  • Your eyes should be in the upper half of the photo (30-50% from the top)
  • Neutral expression or natural smile.
  • No filters or digital enhancements.
  • Photo shape:Must be between square and portrait (height should be 50-100% of width)
  • Passport photo:JPG format, maximum size 200 KB.
  • You will receive an email or SMS with the date and location for your biometric capture, either at the DGIE office or the Rwandan Embassy.
  • One recently taken colored passport size photo with white background
  • 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 1-5 are from source.url (sources/rw/irembo-tips-compliant-passport-photo.txt, read live via r.jina.ai on 2026-10-10). Quotes 6-7 are from https://support.irembo.gov.rw/en/support/solutions/articles/47001165759-tips-and-how-to-apply-for-an-e-passport-for-the-first-time (sources/rw/irembo-tips-apply-e-passport-first-time.txt). Quote 8 is from https://migration.gov.rw/our-services/e-passport-1 (sources/rw/migration-ordinary-e-passport.txt, direct curl with tags stripped). Quote 9 is ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/icao-9303-part3-portrait-excerpt.txt, Wayback capture 2024-09-12) and supplies only the head band. background 'white' from quotes 1 and 8; eyeLine 0.5-0.7 from the bottom = quote 2's 30-50 % from the top; neutralExpression false from quote 3; editing 'unaltered-required' from quote 4; format 'jpeg' and maxKb 200 from quote 6; eligibility 'yes' from the upload rule itself. digital 413 x 531 px, head 0.7-0.8, glasses and headCovering are ICAO-style defaults and our rendering choices; quote 5's shape clause is ambiguous and is not used for the frame. No maxPhotoAgeMonths is set because the pages say only 'recently taken'.

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

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A plain wall and daylight are enough.