Australian citizenship photo requirements

Last checked 23 October 2026 against official sources

This is a plain-English summary of the Department of Home Affairs page on photo requirements for citizenship applications. Check the official page linked below before you submit, because rules can change.

Online applications (ImmiAccount)

• Digital JPEG format.
• File size between 70 Kb and 3.5 Mb.
• Preferred resolution 1200 × 1600 pixels.
• A scan of a photo, or a photograph of a photo, is not acceptable.

Paper applications

• Passport-sized: 35–40 mm wide and 45–50 mm high.
• Face from chin to crown: 32–36 mm.
• The Department's additional guidance asks you to write the applicant's name on the back of the photograph.

Photo quality

The photo must be no more than 6 months old, show your full face, be good quality and in colour against a neutral or light grey background that contrasts with your face, and be unedited — do not remove the background, moles, wrinkles, scars or red eyes. It needs a clear, focused image with no marks or red eye, and uniform lighting with no shadows, reflections, or brighter or darker areas of the face.

Pose and expression

Your face must be centred and looking straight at the camera, not tilted. Hair must be off your face so its edges are visible. Eyes open, mouth closed and a neutral expression (not smiling, laughing or frowning). For infants under 3, an open mouth is acceptable, but no other person or object can be visible.

Glasses, head coverings and jewellery

• Glasses must be removed. If you can't remove them for medical reasons they should be untinted, the frames can't obscure your eyes and there can't be reflection from the lenses. Vision impairment alone is not an acceptable reason.
• Religious head coverings are allowed if they show your whole face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and both edges of the face (including the outer eye corners), and are plain material without patterns.
• Jewellery can't obscure any part of your face, especially around the eyes, mouth and nose, and nose rings or studs can't reflect light.

Who should take it

Home Affairs recommends a professional passport photo provider — it names the Australian Post Office — and suggests asking for a digital copy to be emailed to you. It says it doesn't recommend online passport photo services or mobile apps, because the images may not meet its quality requirements and you may be in danger of identity fraud.

Getting the file right

If your digital copy is the wrong size or shape, our 1200 × 1600 photo resizer crops it to 3:4 and saves a JPEG in the 70 KB–3.5 MB range without editing your appearance. It runs in your browser, so the photo is never uploaded. For other attachments, see ImmiAccount upload limits; for passports, see the passport photo requirements, which have different printing rules.