Official rules: 900 to 4500 px wide and 1200 to 6000 px high, 250 KB to 5 MB, background: plain light colour (light blue, grey or cream). Source: passports.govt.nz, checked 28 Sep 2026.
The New Zealand Passport photo is 900 to 4500 pixels wide and 1200 to 6000 pixels high, uploaded as a file from 250 KB to 5 MB.
| Printed size | No print size given |
|---|---|
| Pixels (official rule) | Portrait 3:4, 900–4500 pixels wide and 1200–6000 pixels high |
| File size | 250 KB to 5 MB |
| Background | Plain light colour (light blue, grey or cream) |
| Head size | 60% to 75% of the photo height, chin to top of head (the official rules give none; this is a usual range for this shape of photo, not an official rule) |
| Source | passports.govt.nz |
| Checked | 28 Sep 2026 |
For a New Zealand passport you can use a photo from Warehouse Stationery, a pharmacy that offers the service or a professional photographer, or take one with your own device. The photographer emails the file for an online application or prints it for a paper one. Scans of printed photos are not accepted. Selfies are rejected, so someone else takes the picture, standing 1.5 m away with the camera at your eye level, because photos taken too close distort the face.
Leave a clear gap around your head and include your shoulders and upper chest. Prescription glasses are allowed if they are not tinted or thick-framed, with a gap between your eyes and the frames and no glare. Head coverings are only for religious or medical reasons, with your face fully visible. Do not edit the photo, add filters or use AI tools. For a baby, lay them on a plain, light-coloured sheet and shoot from above, with their eyes open. The official online photo checker tests your file before you apply.
Source, checked 5 Oct 2026: Passport photos (passports.govt.nz).
Official pixel rule: Portrait 3:4, 900–4500 pixels wide and 1200–6000 pixels high. SafeResize makes a 1500 × 2000 pixel file that meets it.
The official rule is in pixels: Portrait 3:4, 900–4500 pixels wide and 1200–6000 pixels high. It gives no size in inches or cm.
Between 250 KB and 5 MB. SafeResize checks the size before you download, and keeps it inside the limit whether the website counts 1 KB as 1,000 or 1,024 bytes.
Plain light colour (light blue, grey or cream). Stand in front of a plain wall with no pattern, and face a window so there are no shadows behind you. The official rules do not allow edited photos, so SafeResize does not change the background for this document: a plain wall is the way.
From the chin to the top of the head, your head should fill 60% to 75% of the photo height. The official rules do not state this, so we use a usual range for this shape of photo. The face guide in the tool shows both lines.
The official rules say: No tinted or thick-framed glasses.
Colour, from the last 6 months, taken by someone else (no selfies). Head centred with space around it; part of shoulders and upper chest showing. Neutral expression, mouth closed. No tinted or thick-framed glasses. No filters or edits. No people, objects or dark shadows behind you. Try the official online photo checker.
JPG or JPEG (no scans of printed photos). SafeResize saves a JPG (JPEG) file.
Yes. A photo taken at home is fine if it follows the rules above. It is easier if someone else takes it for you.
No. The photo is processed inside your browser and never leaves your phone or computer.
Source: passports.govt.nz, checked 28 Sep 2026. Rules can change, so confirm on the official page before you apply.