Victorian Working with Children Check photo requirements

Last checked 30 October 2026 against official sources

If you apply for or renew a Victorian Working with Children (WWC) Check, you may need to provide a new photo. This is a summary of the requirements published on vic.gov.au, with links to the official pages below. Other states run their own checks with different rules.

When you need a new photo

The Victorian Government says you might need a new photo if you have renewed your Check before, or changed from a Volunteer to an Employee Check. If you lodge your application in person, its in-person applications page says you take your application and documents to a participating Australia Post outlet and have your photo taken there (at no charge to you).

Technical photo requirements

• jpg or jpeg format
• A minimum of 406 x 521 pixels
• Less than 5MB in size
• Less than 12 months old
• In colour, with a sharp focus
• A strong contrast between face and background
• Well lit with no shadows

Basic requirements

1. Face the camera with your head straight, not tilted.
2. Have a neutral expression on your face.
3. Only show your head and shoulders.
4. Be in front of a plain, light-coloured background.
5. Have your eyes open.

Acceptable accessories: glasses if you normally wear them, and apparel covering your hair if you do so for religious or medical reasons.

What happens if the photo is wrong

The application process page lists "your photo does not meet the specified requirements" as one of the reasons you may get a request for more information, which can slow your application down.

Getting the file right

• iPhone photo saved as HEIC? The photo must be jpg or jpeg. Convert HEIC to JPG. PNG or WebP photos can be changed with PNG to JPG or WebP to JPG.
• Too big? Modern phone photos are often 3–8 MB. Compress the image to under 5MB — but keep it at least 406 x 521 pixels, and check the face is still sharp after compressing.
• Cropping to head and shoulders: 406 x 521 is roughly a 3:4 portrait shape. Our 3:4 photo resizer crops to 3:4 and saves a 1200 × 1600 pixel JPEG, which is above the minimum, or use Resize an image for custom pixel sizes.
• Don't over-edit: the rules ask for a plain, light background and even lighting. Retake the photo against a light wall in daylight rather than trying to fix a dark or busy background.

Privacy

FileKivo's tools run in your browser, so your photo is converted and resized on your own device and is not uploaded to FileKivo. Provide the finished photo only through the official application — the Victorian Government says Working with Children transactions are available online via Service Victoria.