South African passport photos are 35x45mm at 600 DPI. Home Affairs offices and bank branches capture your photo live, so your own file matters most when applying from abroad.
Fit your head inside the guide
Chin to crown should measure 32-36mm.
Leave at least 3mm above your hair
The head must not touch the top edge.
Center your face on the vertical line
Head straight, shoulders square.
The 35x45mm format used for South African passport applications.
Teeth must not be visible
Closed mouth, no smiling.
No sunglasses or headgear
Religious head coverings are the only exception.
Plain white or light grey background
Even lighting, no shadows.
Taken within the last 6 months
Must reflect your current appearance.
35x45mm at 600 DPI — and when you actually need to bring your own photo.
A closed-mouth, unsmiling expression is required.
Religious head coverings are the only exception.
Either background works if it is evenly lit.
Higher resolution than most countries ask for.
Domestic offices photograph you live; missions abroad often do not.
At Department of Home Affairs offices and participating bank branches in South Africa, your photo and biometrics are captured on site, so you generally do not bring a photo with you.
Where your own photo matters is applying from abroad through a South African mission, and for the supporting forms and copies that some applications require. The specification is the same 35x45mm photo either way.
A 31.5-36mm head with at least 3mm of space above it.
Published guidance puts the head between 31.5mm and 36mm from chin to crown — about 70-80% of the 45mm frame. This tool's guide targets 32-36mm, comfortably inside that range.
Keep at least 3mm between the top of your hair and the top edge of the photo. Cropping tight to the hairline is a common and avoidable rejection.
600 DPI, roughly 827x1063 pixels at 35x45mm.
South Africa specifies 600 DPI rather than the more common 300 DPI. At 35x45mm that is about 827x1063 pixels.
Work from the largest original file you have. A photo pulled from a messaging app has usually already been compressed and downscaled, and enlarging it back up will not restore the detail.
Eyes visible, teeth not, no sunglasses.
South African guidance is unusually specific: your eyes must be visible and your teeth must not be. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed.
Sunglasses are not allowed and reading glasses are only tolerated without reflections. Headgear is prohibited except for religious reasons, and your face must remain clearly visible.
Printed at 35 x 45mm, 827 x 1063px, JPG/PNG. Computed from this photo's own specification, not typed by hand.
Requirements verified
Create the 35x45mm photo a South African passport application needs — 600 DPI, correct head height, free and 100% private.
Choose a clear, recent photo from your phone or computer.
We crop to 35x45mm with a 32-36mm head and a 3mm top margin.
Save the file for a mission abroad or print it at 600 DPI.
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