How to take an Australian passport photo at home

The numbers behind the picture

The frame of an Australian passport picture is 35 by 45 mm. Your face is judged by head size, and the head is measured from the chin up to the crown of the skull, not to the top of the hair. The range on the maker’s rule card is 32 to 36 mm. Because hair is left out of the measurement, a big hairstyle does not shrink your face on paper, and a shaved head is measured the same way.

The background is white or light grey, and the card asks for a frontal view, a neutral expression and an unretouched picture. Two items are stricter than in many other countries: glasses are not allowed at all, and neither are hats. Treat that as the starting point and keep the issuing office’s own page open next to you, since it has the last word and the rules can change.

• Frame 35 × 45 mm
• Chin to crown of the skull: 32–36 mm
• Background: white or light grey
• Facing the camera, neutral expression
• No glasses, no hat, no retouching

Set up the maker before you shoot

Start in the first step of the photo maker. Set ‘Country’ to Australia and choose the passport line in ‘Document and size’. ‘Show size and rules’ opens a card; read it once, as the checks later use exactly those figures.

Decide now whether you will submit a file or a printed photo. An online application wants a digital picture, while a paper route needs a print. One shot can serve both, yet knowing the destination tells you whether to worry about pixels or about print scale.

A wall, a window and a bit of patience

Scan the flat for a plain surface: a painted wall without hooks, a wardrobe door, or the inside of a pale cupboard. White is fine, and so is light grey. Stand a full step in front of it. If you touch the wall, your own shadow lands on it, and a soft grey edge behind the head is one of the easiest things for a reviewer to notice.

Turn towards a window around midday so the light reaches both cheeks equally. Strong afternoon sun, which is common in Australian summers, makes half the face bright and half dark, so move to a shaded room or wait for a cloudier hour. A ceiling light on its own puts dark patches under the eyes and the nose. If that is all you have, switch on a second lamp in front of you at the same height as your face.

Taking the shot

Rest the phone on a shelf or a pile of books so the lens sits level with your eyes, a little over an arm’s length off. No tripod is needed. A housemate can press the button for you. On your own, choose ‘Open the camera’: an outline guides you, a countdown runs, and the shutter fires only once position, shoulders, expression and light pass.

Sit tall, shoulders even, chin level. Stare into the lens. Keep your lips together and let the face relax: a grin, a raised eyebrow or a tight jaw can all read as a non-neutral expression. Take a dozen frames rather than three. People tend to blink or tilt early on, and the keeper tends to arrive after you have stopped trying so hard.

Glasses, hair and clothes

Take your glasses off. Other countries allow clear lenses without glare, but this rule card makes no such exception, so even a pair you wear all day has to go. If the screen is a blur without them, ask someone else to shoot or lean on the countdown and look at the lens.

Pull hair back from the eyes and keep the ears and the line of the jaw visible where you can. Lose hats, headbands, earphones and any dangling jewellery. If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons, read the issuing office’s guidance before you shoot, because exceptions are handled by that office and not by this tool. For clothes, wear a mid-tone or darker top, since a white shirt dissolves into a white wall and leaves no clear shoulder line.

Check the result before you save

Work down the list in ‘Checks’. A line under ‘Some things need a new photo’ states why and suggests a retake, such as a tilted head or a visible shadow. Colour, brightness and background have been corrected already, so leave those alone.

Next, judge the head size. If it falls outside 32–36 mm, ‘Fine-tune’ moves the picture and resizes the head inside the allowed range. Leave ‘Face, hair and clothes’ set to ‘No touch-ups’, because airbrushing or restyling is the quickest route to a refusal. One more test: put the result next to your current passport and ask whether a border officer would match the two.

Saving a file or a print sheet

For an online form press ‘Save file’. The maker picks the pixel size for this document, so never crop or stretch the picture later; if the upload page objects, return and save again. Read the form’s own limits on the day, as they vary between applications.

For a printed photo press ‘Save print sheet’ and pick one of the three paper sizes offered. Print at actual size, with scaling to fit the page turned off, or the faces shrink below 32 mm. Lay a ruler on one printed head from chin to crown before cutting. Photo paper in a matt or semi-matt finish is best, and the prints should stay flat and clean.

Common reasons a home photo is returned

Most problems are small and avoidable. Read the list below ahead of submitting, and hold on to the originals so a retry is quick. The receiving office makes the call, and it may ask for another picture even when yours seems fine.

• Glasses left on, even clear ones
• Head smaller or larger than the 32–36 mm range
• Shadow behind the head or across the face
• A wall that looks greenish, patterned or blotchy
• A grin, parted lips or a leaning head
• Filters or a swapped backdrop
• A likeness that has drifted from your real face