Irish Passport Photo: Online and Paper Rules 2026

Ireland's Passport Service accepts a photo you take at home for an online application, with two conditions that surprise people: someone else must take it, because selfies are refused, and the file must be a JPEG of at least 715 x 951 pixels, no more than 9 MB, with no compression artefacts. If you apply on paper instead, you need four identical prints between 35 x 45 mm and 38 x 50 mm, and your witness must sign and stamp the back of two of them.

Age of photo

Taken in the last 6 months

Digital file

JPEG, colour, not scanned

Digital minimum

715 x 951 pixels

Digital maximum

9 MB

Digital quality

No compression, loss or artefacts; no edits; no barrel distortion

Printed size

35 x 45 mm minimum, 38 x 50 mm maximum

Printed copies

4 identical

Framing

Head to mid torso, visible space around head and shoulders

Background

Completely plain light grey, white or cream, with contrast

Expression

Neutral, no smile, mouth closed

Glasses

Allowed if clear, no glare, frames clear of eyes

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs - Passport photo guidelines

We read the Passport Service's photo guidelines, including the collapsible sections, in a browser on September 18, 2026, and read GOV.UK's and the US passport manual's glasses wording for the comparison. The page is written for both the online and paper routes, so we mark which applies. The Irish page gives no head-size figure in millimetres and no aspect ratio, and we do not invent one; our passport photo head size guide shows how the published numbers differ elsewhere.

Online: the digital photo

You need a digital photo to apply online for a Passport Book or a Passport Card. The page gives three ways to get one:

1. Take it yourself, with help. Use a smartphone, tablet or camera, and "you'll need someone to help you take the photo. You cannot take a selfie." It also says not to use the zoom function.
2. A photo shop. Have a digital photo emailed to you or saved on a USB key.
3. A participating photo booth. It gives you a code to add the photo to your application. The page names Photo Me and IDstation.online, and says the service is provided in Ireland and the UK.

Whichever you choose, the file has to meet the technical specification: colour, not scanned, JPEG, at least 715 pixels wide and 951 pixels high, no more than 9 MB, no digital enhancement, no barrel or other distortion, and "not have compression, loss or compression artefacts".

That last line sits oddly beside "JPEG", which is a lossy format by design. The page does not explain how to satisfy both. Our reading, which is not the Passport Service's advice: send the original file from the camera or phone, not a copy that passed through a messaging app or an email client that shrinks images, and do not re-save it repeatedly. If you keep hitting the size and format error, the page's own suggestion is to get a photo code or use a photo provider.

Once you upload, the online system accepts or refuses the file, then a member of the Passport Service team reviews the photo. If it is unacceptable, they contact you; an application with a poor photo is delayed. The page says poor quality photographs are the main reason applications are rejected.

1. 1

   Ask someone to take the photo

   Someone else holds the camera, phone or tablet. Do not use the zoom and do not take a selfie.

2. 2

   Stand against a plain wall

   Completely plain light grey, white or cream, with enough contrast between you and the wall. No shadow on your face or behind your head, and nothing such as a door panel or a plant behind you.

3. 3

   Look straight at the lens

   Neutral expression, mouth closed, head level. Hair must not cover any part of your eyes.

4. 4

   Frame from head to mid torso

   The page asks for head to mid torso with visible space between your head and shoulders and the edge of the photo. That reads as a looser frame than a typical passport crop.

5. 5

   Upload the original JPEG

   At least 715 x 951 px, under 9 MB, unedited. You can apply from the same phone or tablet the photo was taken on. If the site says the size or format is wrong, try a photo code.

Paper application: four prints and a witness

A paper application for a Passport Book needs printed photos. The requirements:

• Four identical photos, no more than six months old.
• Your witness writes the form number on the back of two of the four photos (it is in Section 9 of the application form), then signs and stamps the back of those two. If this is not done, the page says the Passport Service will need a new form and new photos.
• Size: at least 35 x 45 mm, at most 38 x 50 mm, capturing your image from head to mid torso, with visible space between your head and shoulders and the edge of the photo.
• Quality: photo-quality paper at high resolution, sharp focus, correct exposure, no ink marks or creases, no digital enhancements, and a white, unglazed reverse.
• Colour: black and white prints are recommended because the photo is digitally printed on the passport in black and white, but colour photos are also accepted.

The witness step is the one most people trip over, because it sits on the back of the photo rather than on the form. Do it in one sitting, before the prints are in an envelope. If you are comparing it with the UK's signing rules, our UK passport photo countersignature guide covers those separately. The UK's own rules for prints and codes are in the UK passport photo requirements pillar.

Pose and visuals: where Ireland differs

Ireland's pose rules are common to online and paper. Two differ from what you may have heard elsewhere.

Glasses are allowed. The Passport Service says you can wear glasses if the frame does not cover any part of your eyes, and there is no glare on the lenses; transparent lenses only, no dark glasses and no sunglasses. GOV.UK asks UK applicants not to wear glasses unless they have to, and the US passport manual and the Australian Passport Office accept them only when they cannot be removed for medical reasons. If you wear glasses, be sure the lenses do not reflect the phone screen or a window. We cannot detect glasses or glare in a photo, so you have to look for it yourself.

Head coverings are permitted for religious or medical reasons if your full facial features are visible. Other head accessories are not, and uniforms or clothing bearing insignia are not permitted either. For what to wear generally, see what to wear in a passport photo.

Other rules in the Irish page: the photo must be in focus and well balanced in colour, with natural skin tones; no red eye; no smile; no head tilt up, down or sideways. Photos must not be digitally altered or edited in any way. A photo is not reusable from a previous application, because ICAO requires it be taken in the last six months.

Babies and young children

For an infant or a child who cannot support themselves, the page says to photograph them lying down on a plain, white surface, with no one else in the picture: hands or arms supporting the child must not be visible. Soothers and pacifiers must not be present. Parents are asked to try for a natural expression, without a smile or open mouth. The Passport Service says it sometimes has difficulty checking photos of babies and small children (newborn to 36 months), and may prompt you to use a cropping tool to frame your child's face manually; the face does not have to sit perfectly inside the oval. Our UK child passport photo guide has the UK's version of the baby rules for comparison, and Ireland's should be read on its own page.

Checklist before you submit

If you want to test a home photo against a plain-wall check before you send it, you can start your photo here — our Ireland setting checks the file rules above, though the framing window it uses is ours since the Passport Service publishes no head size. For the wider set of upload problems that apply to any digital photo, see digital passport photo upload. For Ireland, check these first:

• Taken by someone else, not a selfie, and without zoom
• Colour JPEG, at least 715 x 951 px, under 9 MB, not scanned
• Plain light grey, white or cream wall, no shadows, no objects behind you
• Head to mid torso in frame with space around the head and shoulders
• Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes fully visible, clear of glasses glare
• Paper route: four identical prints, form number and witness stamp on two
• A selfie, or a photo that has been zoomed
• A scanned print, or a file that has been compressed by a messaging app
• Filters, smoothing or an edited background
• Sunglasses, dark lenses or a photo more than six months old

Frequently asked questions

Can I take my own Irish passport photo at home?

Yes, for an online application, but not as a selfie. The Passport Service says someone else must take the photo with a camera, phone or tablet, and that you should not use the zoom. Selfies are refused and you will be asked for another photo, which delays the application.

What size does an Irish digital passport photo need to be?

At least 715 pixels wide and 951 pixels high, in JPEG format and no larger than 9 MB, in colour and not scanned. The page also says no compression, loss or compression artefacts, no digital enhancement and no barrel distortion. It gives no aspect ratio or head size in millimetres.

How many photos does an Irish paper passport application need?

Four identical photos, no more than six months old. Your witness writes the form number on the back of two of them and signs and stamps those two. Each print must be at least 35 x 45 mm and no more than 38 x 50 mm; if the witness step is missed, you must submit a new form and photos.

Can I wear glasses in an Irish passport photo?

Yes. Transparent glasses are allowed if the frames do not cover any part of your eyes and there is no glare or shadow on the lenses. Sunglasses and dark glasses are not permitted. That is looser than the US and Australia, so do not carry those rules across.

Can I reuse my old Irish passport photo?

No. The Passport Service says the International Civil Aviation Organisation requires passport photos to be taken within the last six months, and that applies to every application.

Does an Irish passport photo have to be black and white?

No. Submit a colour photo for the online route; the passport itself prints it in black and white. On a paper application, black and white prints are recommended because they are printed in black and white, but colour prints are accepted.

Sources

• Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland) - Passport photo guidelines
• GOV.UK - Get a passport photo: printed photos
• GOV.UK - Get a passport photo: digital photos
• US Department of State - 8 FAM 402.1 Passport photographs (glasses)
• Australian Passport Office - Passport photos (glasses)