Make Hong Kong Passport Photo

The Immigration Department sets the travel document photo at 40mm wide by 50mm high. That is 5mm wider and 5mm taller than the 35x45mm photo used across Europe and much of Asia, and the aspect ratio is different too — 4:5 rather than 7:9.

So a leftover strip of European passport photos will not do, and neither will trimming one down. Re-crop from the original: stretching a 35x45mm image to fill 40x50mm distorts the facial proportions the biometric check measures.

This is the requirement that surprises people. Alongside the usual rules, the Immigration Department asks you to avoid overly dark and overly light-coloured clothing, and to avoid heavy make-up.

The reason is contrast. Against a plain white background, a white or cream top blends into the backdrop so the outline of your shoulders disappears; very dark clothing swings the exposure the other way and can leave the face under-lit. A mid-tone top — a medium blue, grey or green — solves both problems.

Head dress is not permitted. Religious head coverings are handled as exceptions elsewhere in immigration policy, but the standard photo guidance rules head dress out, so check directly with the Department if that applies to you.

Your head should measure 32mm to 36mm from chin to crown. On a 50mm frame that leaves a comfortable margin, which is why the Department asks for "sufficient headroom" rather than a millimetre figure.

No exact top margin is published, so this tool places a 36mm head with about 7mm above it. That gives visible headroom without inventing an official number — and if your head lands anywhere in the 32-36mm band, you are inside the published rule.

The background must be plain white. Stand about a metre clear of the wall so your shoulders cast no shadow onto it, and light your face evenly from the front.

The photo must show your full frontal face with clear facial features — looking straight at the camera, head level, both eyes open, mouth closed, nothing obscuring the face. Work from a sharp original rather than a compressed copy so the features stay legible.