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The New Zealand passport is recognized as one of the most powerful passports in the world, allowing you to travel without a visa to over 100 countries around the world. Applying for this document is easy and takes up to 10 business days to complete. The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs allows you to apply for a passport by mail or online. Regardless of how you submit your application, you must include a NZ passport photo that meets government requirements. Meet New Zealand passport photo requirements and take a photo with your smartphone with the help of our PhotoAiD app or online tool.
The formal requirements for a New Zealand passport photo do not differ much depending on whether you are applying through an online service or prefer to send your application by regular mail. We post New Zealand passport photo requirements for both types of photos below, so you can always check which tips will be useful for you. You will see for yourself that in many ways the requirements for these photos are the same. In the following sections of this guide, you will find tips to help you prepare your NZ passport photo with your smartphone using our online photo editor. Requirements for NZ online passport photo
If you apply via traditional mail, you need to provide 2 identical photos, printed on photo quality paper. The NZ printed passport photo size is 35 x 45 mm each (width x height). When applying online, you just need to submit one digital passport photo that is between 900 and 4500 pixels wide and 1200 and 6000 pixels high. It should be a portrait photo with a 4:3 aspect ratio, or 3:4 when you take it with a smartphone. The New Zealand digital passport photo file should be between 250KB and 10MB and must be submitted in jpg or jpeg format.
The picture must be in focus and in colour. It shouldn’t be blurred , and paper photographs cannot be damaged, scratched or folded. If you want to apply via postal office, The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs recommends applying with a digital photo as it removes the risk of a physical photo becoming damaged on the way to the office.
Your head needs to be centered in the frame. There must be a clear gap around the head. The photo frame should cover the upper arms or even the upper chest. You have to keep your face perfectly straight. You cannot tilt it in any direction and half-profile pictures are not accepted. It is very important that your face has a neutral expression. In NZ passport photo, don't smile, don't show your teeth or frost your eyes. The mouth must be closed and the eyes open.
You can wear prescription glasses in the NZ passport photo, as long as the frames are not covering your eyes. Also, do not wear glasses with thick frames. There must be a clear gap between your eyes and the frames. There must be no glare in the lenses of the glasses. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are not allowed.
No headgear, headscarf or headband should be worn on New Zealand passport photo. Exceptions are headcovers worn for religious or medical reasons. In this case, you will need a certificate from your doctor or religious community and the relevant endorsement in your passport. The scarf must not cover the face, so you have to fold it back to make the oval of the face visible. Hats and other headgear must not cast shadows on the face, background and shoulders.
In the New Zealand passport photo, you must pose against a plain, light background. Important: The background cannot be white and cannot contain objects or other people. There should be a visible contrast between the background and the person in the photo (foreground).
The face in the photo must be well and evenly illuminated. There must be no shadows on the face, background and on the shoulders. The color of the photo should be natural and reflect the true appearance of the person in the photo, especially the natural skin tone and eye color.
The requirements for New Zealand passport photos for children are the same as for adult pictures. With newborns and toddlers, the facial expression may be slightly different, i.e. the baby may have slightly parted lips. However, the baby cannot cry and the face has to be fully visible. Only the child must be visible in the frame, no other objects or other people may be seen. If you are supporting your baby's head, make sure your hand is not visible in the photo. For newborns and babies who can't sit up on their own, you can place your baby on a blanket on the ground and take a NZ passport photo from above.
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs allows you to attach a photo taken with your phone. Moreover, it even provides a number of tips for such photos. Only selfies are not allowed, but you can provide a photo taken with the phone by another person or yourself by a camera set on a tripod.
Remember, on New Zealand passport photo you can wear prescription glasses as long as they are not thick-rimmed glasses that can slide off and blind your eyes.
You cannot alter or change the photo for the passport in any way. Do not apply filters to the image. Do not remove the background itself - use our tool and be sure that it is done in a professional manner.
When submitting a photo to your passport by post or online, you must attach a photo taken within 6 months from the date of submission of the application. The photo must reflect your current appearance. If your appearance has changed a lot recently - do not risk and take a new photo. Especially since you can prepare them with your smartphone with the help of the PhotoAiD application and photo editor.
Generally, in biometric photos for documents, smiles, even light ones, are forbidden. This rule also applies to photos for the New Zealand passport.
You cannot attach a photo that is a selfie to your application. Selfies disturb the proportions of the face and are not accepted. Your application will then be rejected.
❓ Can I submit a scanned photo when applying online?
No. Scanned photos are not acceptable for NZ Online Passport Service.
❓ Can I attach a selfie to my application?
No, no selfies. Photo for NZ passport should be biometric.
❓ Can I take a New Zealand passport photo with an iPhone?
Yes, it is one of the forms recommended by The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. You can prepare a passport photo with an iPhone or other iOS tool. There is even an official tutorial for New Zealand passport photos taken with an iPhone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwPW_qYvKqE
❓ Can I prepare a passport photo with an Android phone?
Yes, you can upload a NZ passport photo taken with an Android phone or other device with a digital camera that takes high quality photos. You can even find the official guide for New Zealand passport photos taken with Samsung devices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQZrcRUjM7U&feature=emb_title that also works with other Android phones.
❓ How to check if a photo is correct?
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs provides an Online photo checker (https://onlinephotochecker.passports.govt.nz/home/TermsAndConditions) with which you can check if the NZ passport photo meets the requirements. In addition, our application and photo editor online verify passport photos.
❓ How does the PhotoAiD online photo app / editor validate New Zealand passport photo?
This is possible thanks to the use of artificial intelligence. The software quickly checks that the photo meets the requirements for biometric photos. That is - is the face oval visible, is the eyes open, mouth closed, head in the center of the frame, etc.
❓ What is the size of a New Zealand passport photo?
For printed NZ passport photos, the size is 35 x 45 mm (width x height). For a digital photo it is between 900 and 4500 pixels wide and 1200 and 6000 pixels high.
❓ How many photos should I attach to my New Zealand passport application?
When applying online, you attach one digital photo. When sending a printed application by post, you attach 2 identical printed photos.
The New Zealand passport is a travel document also used to confirm the identity of the holders that is issued by The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. There are basically six types of passport in New Zealand (diplomatic, temporary), the most common of which is, of course, the ordinary passport carried by nationals of the country. This document serves for ordinary travel, such as holidays and business trips.
Only New Zealand citizens are eligible to hold NZ passports. In the case of children, their parents or legal guardians can apply. Remember that to renew or apply for a passport you need someone to confirm your identity. That person is called a witness or identity referee and has to meet formal requirements, like e.g. being 16 years or older, knowing you for more than one year, or since birth for a child under 12 months or having a valid New Zealand passport. However, that person can’t be related to you in any way. The witness has to complete and sign the witness declaration which is a part of your application form.
You can apply for an adult passport in the traditional way via postal services and online on https://www.passports.govt.nz/. This applies to both first-time passports and renewals and requires attaching the New Zealand passport photo. Standard turnaround time is up to 10 business days plus delivery, unless the applicant has made an Urgent Service or Call for Assistance.
When applying online, you get a notification to say the Office has your application. Also, the Office will email you when your passport will be sent. The passport will be couriered to you (you don’t have to visit the Office).
An adult passport costs NZD $ 191.00 (includes $ 24.91 GST) and Children Passport costs NZD $ 111.00 (includes $ 14.48 GST). Urgent passport service processed in up to 3 working days costs NZD$382.00 for Adults (includes $49.82 GST) and NZD$302.00 for children (includes $39.39 GST).
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