South African Passport Photo Maker
Official 35 × 45 mm for passport and ID in South Africa — cropped correctly, then 6 copies on one printable sheet.
A photo of your face never leaves your deviceDrop your photo here
or click to browse — a phone selfie against a plain wall works
JPG · PNG · WebP · HEIC from iPhone
Requirements change. Confirm with Department of Home Affairs (DHA) before printing — official specification.
Three steps
No account at any point, and the photo never leaves your device.
Add your photo
A phone photo against a plain and light works. HEIC straight from an iPhone is fine — it is converted here.
Match 32–36 mm, about 70–80% of the frame
Drag and zoom until your chin and the top of your head sit on the two dashed lines. That range is what Department of Home Affairs (DHA) measures, and getting it wrong is the usual reason a photo comes back.
Print 6 at once
Download a 4 × 6 sheet holding 6 photos at 35 × 45 mm, then cut along the guides. One cheap print instead of a booth.
South African requirements at a glance
| Photo size | 35 × 45 mm |
| Head height | 32–36 mm, about 70–80% of the frame |
| At 300 dpi | 413 × 531 pixels |
| Background | Plain and light. Home Affairs does not publish a colour. |
| Glasses | Best avoided. There is no published rule either way, which is its own kind of answer: an officer decides. Without glasses there is nothing to argue about, and taking them off costs you nothing. |
| Expression | Neutral only. Neutral, mouth closed, looking straight at the lens. Full face, uncovered, with nothing across the eyes. |
| Authority | Department of Home Affairs (DHA) |
| Per 4 × 6 sheet | 6 photos |
What makes South Africa different
The honest difference here is that there is very little published to compare. Home Affairs does not put its photograph specification online — its own passport page refers to a separate specification sheet without linking it. Every site quoting an exact head height for South Africa, including the figures on this page, is repeating something that cannot be checked against a public source. What can be checked is more useful anyway.
What catches people out
- You may not need a photograph at all. Home Affairs' own travel-documents page says photos are "not needed at Home Affairs offices where this process is automated as ID images are captured digitally" — so ring your office before you spend anything.
- Where they are needed, it asks for two colour photographs, not one.
- Photo-booth strips and instant photographs are refused. This is one of the few rules Home Affairs states plainly.
- The figures above are the ones every guide repeats, but Home Affairs does not publish its photograph specification online — its passport page points to a separate sheet it does not link. Anyone quoting an exact head height for South Africa is repeating something unverified, including us.
Photo-booth strips and instant photographs are refused outright — that rule Home Affairs does state plainly. The other way to lose money here is quieter: paying for prints for an office that was going to photograph you at the counter.
Where the photo goes
Very possibly nowhere. The Home Affairs travel-documents page says photographs are "not needed at Home Affairs offices where this process is automated as ID images are captured digitally", which covers a growing number of offices. Where they are needed, it asks for two colour photographs. One phone call to your office decides whether you need to print anything at all.
Printing 6 for the price of one
At 35 × 45 mm, 6 photos fit on a single 4 × 6 inch print — the cheapest product at any kiosk or online print service, against a booth that charges for a set of four.
Print at actual size and turn off "fit to page", "scale to fit" and borderless printing. Each of those resizes the image by a few percent, which is enough to push the head outside the 32–36 mm, about 70–80% of the frame that Department of Home Affairs (DHA) requires.
Our main passport photo page covers the general advice on lighting, distance and expression that applies wherever you are applying. The rules above are the ones specific to South Africa.
Common questions
What size is a South African passport photo?
35 × 45 mm, with the head measuring 32–36 mm, about 70–80% of the frame. At 300 dpi that is 413 × 531 pixels.
Can I wear glasses in a South African passport photo?
There is no published rule either way, which is its own kind of answer: an officer decides. Without glasses there is nothing to argue about, and taking them off costs you nothing.
Can I smile?
Neutral, mouth closed, looking straight at the lens. Full face, uncovered, with nothing across the eyes.
What background colour is required?
Plain and light. Home Affairs does not publish a colour.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The cropping happens inside your browser using your own device. A photo of your face is never transmitted, which is also why there is no account and no watermark.
Other countries
The rules genuinely differ — background colour, glasses and expression are not the same everywhere.