South African passport photos are 35 × 45 mm portraits with the head measuring 29–34 mm from chin to crown. Two rules differ sharply from the rest of the world: the background should be light grey or cream — not white, and the photo must be no more than one month old. Full Department of Home Affairs (DHA) specification below.
Make a South Africa Passport Photo →Per the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) photograph specification. Inside South Africa, biometric photos are usually captured on site at Home Affairs offices; printed photos are required when applying at South African missions abroad.
| Photo size | 35 × 45 mm portrait (1.4 × 1.8 inches) |
|---|---|
| Head height | 29 – 34 mm from chin to crown; the face should fill 70 – 80% of the photo |
| Background | Light grey or plain cream — not white — evenly lit, with strong definition between the face and the background and no shadow behind the head |
| Framing | Close-up of the head and the top of the shoulders |
| Expression | Neutral, looking directly at the camera, mouth closed, no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows |
| Glasses | Permitted only if the eyes stay clearly visible — no flash reflection, no dark-tinted lenses, no heavy frames over the eyes. Sunglasses prohibited |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only, with the face clear from chin to forehead and both edges of the face visible |
| Recency | No more than 1 month old — stricter than the usual 6-month rule |
| Print quality | Sharp focus, uniform lighting, no red-eye, printed on high-quality photo paper. Home-printed photos are likely to be refused |
| Copies | 2 identical colour photographs for a passport application |
You can prepare the file at home, but have it printed professionally — and shoot it fresh, since the photo may be only a month old.
Hang a plain grey or cream backdrop about 50 cm behind you. Avoid a bright white wall — the DHA spec does not ask for white.
Camera at eye level, shoulders square, mouth closed, no grin. Only you in the frame — no chair backs, toys or other people.
Upload to IDPhotoWork — we crop to the format, set the head to 29–34 mm and the face to 70–80%, then hand you a file to print at a photo lab.