🇳🇿 NZ Passport Photo Maker
Free NZ passport photo maker: upload any portrait and get a 35 × 45 mm passport size photo with a plain light grey (contrasting with face and hair) background, checked against the New Zealand rules and ready to print. Runs in your browser — your photo is never uploaded.
1Choose the document
- Photo size
- 35 × 45 mm
- Head height
- 32–36 mm
- Background
- Plain light grey (contrasting with face and hair)
- Output
- 827 × 1063 px · 600 dpi
Official requirements
- Colour photo, 35 × 45 mm (1.38 × 1.77 in)
- Head from top of hair to chin: 32–36 mm
- Plain light grey (contrasting with face and hair) background
- Full face, front view, looking straight at the camera
- Eyes open, level and clearly visible — no hair across the eyes
- Natural expression with the mouth closed
- Even lighting — no shadows on the face or the background
- Colour photo, sharp, printed on photo paper with no retouching
- Glasses: allowed only if the eyes are fully visible with no glare or tint — DIA recommends removing them
- Head coverings: only for religious or medical reasons, with the full face visible from chin to forehead
- Taken within the last 6 months
2Upload your photo
3Compliance check & download
Upload a photo and it will be cropped to the exact size, then checked against every measurable rule for the document you chose.
NZ passport photo requirements
The tool measures the first four rules for you and checks lighting, pose, expression, sharpness and background automatically. The rest are listed so you can check them by eye.
- ✓Colour photo, 35 × 45 mm (1.38 × 1.77 in)
- ✓Head from top of hair to chin: 32–36 mm
- ✓Plain light grey (contrasting with face and hair) background
- ✓Full face, front view, looking straight at the camera
- ✓Eyes open, level and clearly visible — no hair across the eyes
- ✓Natural expression with the mouth closed
- ✓Even lighting — no shadows on the face or the background
- ✓Colour photo, sharp, printed on photo paper with no retouching
- ✓Glasses: allowed only if the eyes are fully visible with no glare or tint — DIA recommends removing them
- ✓Head coverings: only for religious or medical reasons, with the full face visible from chin to forehead
- ✓Taken within the last 6 months
Specific to New Zealand
- Online / digital submission: Online applications take a JPG in 3 : 4 portrait, at least 900 × 1200 px and at most 4500 × 6000 px, 250 KB to 5 MB, colour, no filters or AI, and not a photo of a photo. Run it through the DIA online photo checker first — the head including hair may fill at most 80 % of the height with a clear gap around it, and pure white behind light hair often fails the contrast check.
- Printed copies: None online; 2 × 35 × 45 mm prints for paper forms
- Shoulders and upper chest should be visible.
- The 35 × 45 mm size and 32–36 mm head apply to printed photos for paper applications; the online photo is a 3 : 4 image, so export the single photo from this tool and re-frame it in the DIA checker if needed.
Source: New Zealand Passports (DIA) – Passport photos. Last reviewed 2026-09-20. Always confirm against your application form — the issuing authority has the final say.
How to make a NZ passport photo at home
- 1
Take the photo
Stand 0.5–1 m in front of a plain light wall, face a window, camera at eye level 1.5–2 m away. Neutral expression, mouth closed.
- 2
Upload it here
The face is detected, the head is levelled and the crop is set so the head measures 34 mm — inside the 32–36 mm range.
- 3
Fix anything flagged
Each check tells you what is wrong in millimetres — zoom, move, or retake. The background is replaced with the required colour.
- 4
Download & print
Save the single photo or the 4 × 6 sheet (8 photos) and print at 100% on photo paper.
Full details in the photo-taking guide and the accepted vs rejected examples.
NZ passport photo — questions
What size is a NZ passport photo?＋
35 × 45 mm (1.38 × 1.77 in). The head, measured from the top of the hair to the chin, must be 32–36 mm.
What is the NZ passport photo size in pixels?＋
At 300 dpi a 35 × 45 mm photo is 413 × 531 px; at 600 dpi it is 827 × 1063 px. This tool exports at 600 dpi. For online submission: Online applications take a JPG in 3 : 4 portrait, at least 900 × 1200 px and at most 4500 × 6000 px, 250 KB to 5 MB, colour, no filters or AI, and not a photo of a photo. Run it through the DIA online photo checker first — the head including hair may fill at most 80 % of the height with a clear gap around it, and pure white behind light hair often fails the contrast check.
What background colour is required?＋
Plain light grey (contrasting with face and hair). The tool replaces your background with the required colour automatically, or you can switch that off and it will check your real background instead.
Can I wear glasses in a NZ passport photo?＋
Allowed only if the eyes are fully visible with no glare or tint — DIA recommends removing them.
Are head coverings allowed?＋
Only for religious or medical reasons, with the full face visible from chin to forehead.
How do I print NZ passport photos at home?＋
Download the 4 × 6 inch sheet — it holds 8 photos with cut lines — and print it at 100% / actual size on photo paper, then cut along the grey lines. The file carries 600 dpi so it prints at the true size.
Related photo sizes
Ready? Make your NZ passport photo now — free, in your browser.
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