Irish Passport Photo

Irish Passport Photo

When applying for the Irish Passport, you have two ways of submitting your application and photos. You can choose between a traditional, paper form or online service. The important information is that besides technical specifications for printed and digital photos, the rest of requirements are exactly the same. If you decide to send a paper application form, remember to attach four identical photos. Of course when you apply online you upload a passport photo only once.

A perfect Irish Passport Photo - take it at home!

You do not need to go anywhere to get your passport photo as it was back in the day. Professional photography studios or photo booths are still an option but why to waste time and money when a convenient solution is close at hand? All you need to get a perfect passport-style photo are:

• a photographer who can be your friend or family member
  (selfies are not suitable)
• a digital camera or a smartphone with a camera
• list of requirements for an Irish passport photo which you will find below
• 3 minutes of spare time or even less if you are in a hurry!

Irish Passport Photo Guide

 Before submitting a photo to an Irish passport, make sure that it meets our requirements on pose and visuals. Reading our article will take you not more than 10 minutes and in that time you will know:

• what are required dimensions of the photo
• how you are obliged to pose
• what is allowed and forbidden in the picture (headgears, eyeglasses, piercing etc.)
• what color must be the background
• how to get a correct crop
• how to quickly verify if the photo matches all rules

How to prepare to take a photo?

You do not need to make any special preparations to take a photo to your Ireland passport. Of course, there is the requirement of a plain, light grey, cream or white background but it doesn’t mean that you need to hang up sheets or look for an ideal wall. You can take the picture on any background and then use our Intelligent Photo App to adjust your image to requirements. Neither you do not have to calcule how far from the camera you must stand to obtain a required crop. If you use our passport photo editor - it will automatically crop a picture. So if you want to prepare yourself for the photography session, just do your hair, choose a nice outfit, maybe put on some make up and relax. We will assist you during the process.

Biometric passport photo

Ireland passports are biometric like all the travel documents in the world nowadays. This means that the photos inside must be biometric too to facilitate an international identification system to read them with scanners. A possport’s holder's physical characteristics, such as the distance between the eyes, nose, ears and mouth are unique and thanks to machine-reading carried out by immigration officers on countries’ borders this is possible to check a person’s identity in a fast and effective way.

As is easy to guess, there are rigorous rules about the biometric photos and a passport application with an attached photo not-meeting those requirements will be rejected. That is why this is so important to know everything about passport photo size and requirements.

Anyway, photos aren't required to be professionally taken which is really good news. You can take it anywhere and everywhere and save your money and time!

Passport Photo App - valuable help!

Today we do almost everything on the Internet with a little help from diverse apps. We can control the temperature in our appartement from our office, track our children or calcule how long we must jog to burn calories from a donut. Apps help us to work more effectively, live healthier, and more pleasantly. They do a huge part of the job instead of us and we can enjoy our free time. This is exactly how our passport photo editor works.

You take a photo and our app will:

• resize it
• crop it
• adjust the background in it
• verify if it is correct

Short Irish passport photo crib sheet

There are some sections we will talk over in a nutshell. Focus especially on the composition and posing in the picture. Do not forget that smiling is not allowed, same as frowning or making grimaces. Instead you may not concern yourself with details like size, correct crop or background as with our smart passport photo app you will have them done! Anyway we will provide you with all needed information. Just read our guidelines below.

General rules about Irish passport photo

If you want to obtain your travelling document quickly and without any problems, you need to check twice if your application form is filled in properly. We cannot help you here… But when it comes to the pictures, we are for you! We will assist you with creating a passport photo and check if you satisfied all the demandings. When you are uploading a photo to our passport photo creator, please remember that your photo must be:

• taken within last 6 months
• in color
• properly exposed (not to dark, not to light)
• focus and sharp
• original (check next paragraphes)

And one very important rule at the end: you cannot take a selfie or use a webcam. They are not accepted as biometric photos.

Irish passport photo size

If you submit paper photos, remember to attach four identical prints. Irish passport photo dimensions are  minimum 35 mm x 45 mm and maximum 38 mm x 50 mm.

If you decided to upload your digital passport photo, here you have the digital specification for it. The photo must be:

• in JPEG format
• smaller than 9 megabytes (9MB)
• minimum 715 pixels wide and 951 pixels in height

Originality terms

As the first, your passport photo must be original - not scanned, not cut out from the larger image. If you use your camera or phone, do not use the zoom in function. Any compression, loss or compression artefacts are not allowed. Neither any alteration is acceptable. You cannot use filters, Photoshop, filters or other graphic software. If you have a problem with an unsuitable background, you can use the Passport Photo Removing Tool to help yourself - it is not forbidden.

Head position and facial expression 

There are some big musts and mustn'ts here. If you pose in a wrong way you will need to repeat all the action. 

You MUST:

• stay straight
• look straight into the camera
• keep your eyes open and mouths closed

You MUST NOT:

• tilt your head in any direction
• look aside
• smile or grimace

Tones and colors

The passport photo must obligatorily reflect your natural skin tones so it is obvious that it must be in color, not black and white. But this is not everything about tones and colors yet. “Natural colors” applies also to the eye’s color. It is not visible in such a small piece as in a document but during the machine-reading while the photo and application are being processed, the photos with so called “red eyes effects” are rejected. If you want to avoid this unnatural effect, do not use a flesh lamp as it is the main culprit in the case.

Coloring continued… - the background

Background in the Irish passport photo must be white, cream (off-white) or light-grey. No objects such as pictures, door panels or plants should be visible in your passport photo, neither other persons. Background must be plain, clear, free of designs or patterns. People often complain that it is a very unhandy rule because obtaining such a perfect, spotless background in home environnement is a real challenge. But we are here if you need a helping hand! Our online photo background remover is able to exchange the bad background into a homogenouslywhite, cream or light-grey one just in one second. Use the tool and forget about preparing a background to your picture!

Lightning and exposure

Your passport photo cannot be overexposed or underexposed so when you prepare a spot to take a photograph, make sure that the light source is in front of your face, not behind you and that the light is not too strong and not to faint.

The best idea is to stay facing the window, approximately 1,5-2 m from the camera. Light must be evenly distributed on both sides of your face. Control if your skin does not shine. It looks unattractively but there is also one reason to check it: any glare disqualifies a picture.

A correct crop

In the image all your head with hair, neck and mid torso must be seen. Your head must be centred. Please leave the visible space between your head and shoulders and the edge of your photo. You don’t have to cut your picture if you apply online, it will be done to the correct crop during the online application process.

If you want to print your picture, use a passport photo cropping tool and have it done automatically.

You can’t smile but you still can look good! - Dress-code in passport photo Ireland

Ok, this one was tricky because there is not such a thing as a dress-code for Irish passport photos. Only uniforms, civil or military (e.g. showing epaulets, insignia) should not be worn.

Besides uniforms you may wear what you like and choose an outfit bringing out your strong sides off the look. Our tip is pick up a color and pattern you feel attractive in. If people often give you compliments when you are wearing your casual, navy-blue dress, that will be also a perfect choice for the passport-style photo. If you feel good in white collar shirt and elegant suit, it will be a great option for this occasion!

We recommend you not to wear any clothes in the color of background. It is allowed but will not look good. And tank tops - don’t wear any if you don’t want to look like naked in your passport photo.

Photoshop or makeup?

Never Photoshop! If the Artificial Intelligence validating your photo detects any digital enhancements, your picture will be rejected. So: no graphic programs, no filters, no retouching at all. But it does not mean that you must expose all imperfections you would prefer to hide. Putting on some makeup is absolutely allowed. Especially face powder is recommended - it helps the skin to stop shining and covers imperfections.

Head coverings in Irish passport photo

If a hijab, headscarf, yarmulke or other head covering is a part of your religious attire, you can keep it while capturing a photo for an Irish passport. You are not obliged to prove your religious belongingness.

You may pose in a head covering also for medical reasons - for example after a recent surgery when it is necessary to protect your skin.

In both situations your full facial features must be visible. Headscarve or other headgear must not obscure your cafe or cast a shadow on it.

When it comes to fashion head covering like hats, caps, bands etc. - they are all forbidden in the official document photo. All massive hair accessories must be taken off.

Jewellery and piercing - should you remove it?

Generally speaking, jewellery in passport photos is allowed as long as it does not obscure face features. For this reason huge earrings which “touch” the facial oval cannot be worn but small pieces of jewelry is accepted. The same rule applies to facial piercing - you do not need to remove it if you wear it permanently and if it does not cover your features. There are no rules about necklaces or chains - if you like massive ones, there will not be a problem.

Eyeglasses in the Irish passport photo

You may wear them as long as their frames don’t cover any part of your eyes. There must be no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are not permitted in any case. 

The most common mistakes in MIY passport photos and how to avoid them

Today more people decide to capture a photograph by themselves at home than in a professional photography studio. And a dominant part of those pictures are impossible to distinguish from those taken professionally. But there is still a significant amount of photos which are rejected during the passport application process. Why? Because the AI (Artificial Intelligence) verifying them finds errors. With our passport photo requirements guide and Passport Photo Maker you are able to create a photo which satisfies in 100% all formal demandings. Check out which are most commonly made mistakes to avoid them. The are:

1. head tilted or not centred
2. view other than en-face
3. smile and open mouths
4. interfered by any kind of computer software
5. unnatural colors or black and white coloring
6. wrong exposition (photos overexposed or underexposed)

Remember also that your photo must be taken within the last 6 months. The AI cannot check it when you apply but if you attach an older photo, you may have troubles later on borders.

Passport photo template

Once you order a picture on our website, you receive it on your email address. Now you may upload it on a dedicated site if you apply online or print it on a high quality photographic paper and send 4 prints with the appropriate form. Of course you may use your template more than once. Most institutions now require biometric passport-style photos. You may also use it as an identifier photo or for an identity card.

Why Passport Photo Maker?

Maybe you have read the article above and you are thinking now: why should I use this online passport photo tool when I can prepare my photo on my own with no help?

The quickest answer is: to save your time. With us all you need to do is to take a proper pose and facial expression, look straight at the camera and take a shot. We will do the rest which is:

• resizing a photo to required dimensions and resolution
• saving it in a demanded format
• cropping the picture if needed
• erasing the wrong background and exchanging it into a suitable one
• validating the photo if it matches the official requirements

Irish passport photo online - Fast service, good prices!

We base on artificial intelligence and offer you entirely automated service - that is why we are so cost competitive. We offer you to help with creating a perfect Irish passport photo for the small part of the price you would pay in a photobooth or in a photography studio. Check out our price list!

So if you want to have it done quickly and not be worried whether your picture will be accepted or not, we are your best partner in this undertaking. You can have your photo ready in a couple of seconds without going anywhere from your living room. Start your passport application process right now and get it quickly!

100% satisfaction warranty!

If you don’t believe us, check out our opinions. We have satisfied clients in every country in the world! Not only because we are so efficient, fast and offer good prices. It is above all because with us you pay only for what you want to pay. You can take one million shots and pick up only one which makes you pleased. We will charge only for this one shot. But this is not the end of good news! As we guarantee you that our technology verifies your photo in terms of matching requirements, we will return you the money if it doesn’t for any reason.

So, if your photo ordered on our website is not accepted by the passport office, write to us and we will send you your money back.