Quick answer

What does a correct Australian passport photo look like?

A correct Australian passport photo is 35–40 × 45–50 mm with your head 32–36 mm, showing your full face looking straight at the camera with a neutral expression, open eyes and even light on plain white or light grey. The Australian Passport Office rejects smiles, glasses, tilted heads, shadows and retouching.

Comparing your picture with good and bad Australian passport photo examples is the quickest way to catch a problem before the Australian Passport Office does. Each sample below is marked correct or incorrect and explains the rule it follows or breaks.

Australian citizenship photos follow almost the same rules, so these samples are useful for citizenship applications too.

How to check your photo against these examples

Start with the correct samples. A correct photo shows your full face, centred and looking straight at the camera, with a neutral expression, open eyes and even lighting on a plain white or light grey background.
Compare it with each incorrect sample. Look for a smile, a tilted head, hair over your eyes, glasses, a patterned head covering, a coloured background, shadows or a blurry image.
Check the framing. Your face from chin to crown should measure 32–36 mm on a 45–50 mm high photo, and no one else may appear in it.
Run the final checklist. Tick off every item in the final checklist before you lodge your application.

Correct Australian passport photo examples

A correct photo shows your full face, centred and looking straight at the camera, with a neutral expression, open eyes and even lighting on a plain white or light grey background.

Correct photo example — Correct: **Correct** Plain light background, head straight, neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open, even light.

Correct photo example: religious head covering — Correct: **Religious head covering** Allowed when worn for religious reasons, if your whole face is visible from chin to forehead and both edges of your face show.

Correct photo example: under 3: mouth may be open — Correct: **Under 3: mouth may be open** Children under 3 may have their mouth open, as long as they face the camera with eyes open and no one else is in the photo.

Incorrect: expression and pose

Rejected photo example: open-mouth smile — Incorrect: **Open-mouth smile** Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed.

Rejected photo example: head tilted — Incorrect: **Head tilted** Face the camera directly with your head straight, not tilted or turned.

Rejected photo example: hair covering eyes — Incorrect: **Hair covering eyes** Both eyes must be open and fully visible. Move hair away from your face.

Incorrect: glasses and head coverings

Glasses are not allowed unless you cannot remove them for medical reasons, and religious head coverings must be plain.

Rejected photo example: wearing glasses — Incorrect: **Wearing glasses** Australian passport, licence and citizenship photos, and US visa photos, are taken without glasses unless you have a medical reason.

Rejected photo example: tinted glasses — Incorrect: **Tinted glasses** Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not allowed. Your eyes must be clearly visible.

Rejected photo example: patterned head covering — Incorrect: **Patterned head covering** Religious head coverings must be plain, without patterns, even small ones, and show the whole face.

Incorrect: background and lighting

Rejected photo example: coloured background — Incorrect: **Coloured background** Use a plain white or light grey background. Blue, patterned or cluttered backgrounds are rejected.

Rejected photo example: shadows on face — Incorrect: **Shadows on face** Uneven light leaves one side of the face dark and casts a shadow on the background.

Rejected photo example: too dark — Incorrect: **Too dark** Under-exposed photos lose facial detail. Face a window or use soft, even light.

Incorrect: framing, people and image quality

Your face from chin to crown should measure 32–36 mm on a 45–50 mm high photo, and no one else may appear in it.

Rejected photo example: head too small — Incorrect: **Head too small** On an Australian passport photo, your head should measure 32–36 mm from chin to crown.

Rejected photo example: head too large — Incorrect: **Head too large** Leave a little space above the head and show the top of the shoulders.

Rejected photo example: parent's hand in photo — Incorrect: **Parent's hand in photo** No one else may be visible in the photo, and the APO lists a parent's hand as unacceptable.

Rejected photo example: blurry or pixelated — Incorrect: **Blurry or pixelated** The photo must be in sharp focus. Avoid zooming, low light and heavy compression.

Final checklist before you lodge

35–40 mm wide × 45–50 mm high, head 32–36 mm
Plain white or light grey background, no shadows
Less than 6 months old
Head straight, neutral expression, eyes open
No glasses, unless you have a medical reason
Not retouched or edited, sharp and in focus
Two identical prints on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, not from an inkjet printer

Want the full rules? Read the Australian passport photo requirements or see why passport photos are rejected.

Samples are AI-generated images created for this guide to show each rule clearly; they are not real applicant photos.

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Official sources

Last checked October 2026. Requirements and fees can change, so always confirm with the issuing agency before you apply. This site is independent and not affiliated with any government agency.

Australian Passport Photo Examples: Correct vs Incorrect