Most Irish passport applications and renewals now go through Passport Online, the Department of Foreign Affairs service on ireland.ie. That changes what you need. Instead of a pair of printed photos, the online form asks for a digital photo file, uploaded from your phone or computer. This guide explains the rules for that photo, the differences for children and babies, and how to avoid the problems that most often send an application back.
The rules at a glance
Here are the main measurements for adult and child passports, straight from our document rules:
| Document | Photo size | Background | Head size | Digital file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Passport | 35 × 45 mm | white, also accepted: light grey, cream | 45–55% of the photo height (20–25 mm, chin to crown, top of head, including hair) | JPEG, at least 715 × 951 pixels, up to 8.6 MB, for Passport Online (dfa.ie) |
| Irish Passport (Child) | 35 × 45 mm | white, also accepted: light grey, cream | 45–55% of the photo height (20–25 mm, chin to crown, top of head, including hair) | JPEG, at least 715 × 951 pixels, up to 8.6 MB, for Passport Online (dfa.ie) |
The full lists, including expression and head coverings, are on the Irish passport photo page and the Irish child passport photo page. Both link to the Passport Service photo guidelines, which are the final word on what is accepted.
The digital photo for Passport Online
When you apply online, the photo is uploaded as a file rather than posted. The file has to meet a minimum size in pixels and stay under a maximum file size, as shown in the table above. A modern phone camera produces far more pixels than the minimum, so resolution is rarely the problem. The trouble usually comes from cropping: if you crop the photo yourself and zoom in too far, you can drop below the minimum. Leaving the cropping to a tool that knows the rules avoids that.
The upload is checked against the same visual rules as a printed photo. Your head must be the right size within the frame, the background must be plain and light, and the photo must be sharp and evenly lit. Applications sometimes stall because the photo is a little dark, or because there is a shadow behind the head. Those are easy to fix at home with daylight from a window and a step away from the wall.
Background and lighting
The Passport Service accepts a plain light background. White is the safest choice, and other pale colours listed in the table are accepted too, but the background must be one even colour with no pattern, objects or shadow. Stand facing a window so the light falls evenly on your face, and switch off any lamps that throw coloured light. Do not use the camera flash.
If you cannot find a suitable wall, a background replacement is the simplest solution. PhotoPass ID replaces the background with an even colour for your document and checks the result before you pay, so you can take the photo in any room.
Expression, eyes and hair
For adults, the rule is a neutral expression with the mouth closed and both eyes open, looking straight at the camera. Keep your head straight rather than tilted. Your face must be clearly visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, so push hair away from your eyes and eyebrows. Glasses are allowed when the lenses are clear, there is no glare and the frames do not cover your eyes. If you can, take them off for the photo; it removes the risk of reflections altogether.
Religious and medical head coverings are allowed when your full face remains visible. Hats, caps and headphones are not.
Photos of children and babies
Children need a passport of their own, and their photos follow the same size and background rules with some sensible relaxations. Babies under one do not need a neutral expression, and the rules recognise that a very young child may not hold their head perfectly straight. What does not change is that the child must be alone in the photo. No hands holding them, no dummy, no toys and no other person in the frame.
A practical way to manage this with an infant is to lay the baby on their back on a plain white sheet and take the photo from directly above, with daylight coming from a window. Take plenty of shots and pick one where the eyes are open and the face is turned towards the camera. Our guide to baby passport photo tips covers this step by step.
Common reasons a photo is sent back
- A shadow on the background or under the chin.
- The face too small or too large in the frame, usually from cropping by hand.
- Glare on glasses hiding the eyes.
- A photo that has been filtered, smoothed or retouched.
- The photo being too old to show your current appearance.
Ready to take yours
The digital file costs £6.99 and is prepared to the size and file settings in the table above. If our processing gets the size, background or crop wrong, we fix it free or refund you in full under our Refund Policy. Final acceptance is decided by the Passport Service.
If you are applying for a child, start from the child passport page instead so the relaxed rules are applied: Take my Irish Passport (Child) photo