Malaysia Visa Photo

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country in Southeast Asia and one of the wealthiest and most developed countries in the world. If you are considering travelling there you must meet some requirements regarding Malaysian visa photos as well as with your visa application.

In this guide, you will find out everything about the Malaysia visa photo requirements such as the photo size, colour of the background, head position, facial expression as well as clothing, head coverings, requirements about wearing glasses and finally, how to take a photo for a Malaysia visa by yourself.

Malaysia visa photo requirements

Visa applications require its future holders to submit plenty of documents. One of them is a visa photo. To take the right one you have to meet some specific photo requirements. The requirements regarding photos for a Malaysia visa are strict. Read on to find out about the photo guidelines as well as the visa application rules.

Remember that it is necessary to attach at least 1 (one) photograph in order for your application to be successful. So firstly, we advise that you meet the general requirements and try taking photos with PhotoAiD tool which will make the whole process easier and help you save time and money. 

Dimensions of Malaysian visa photo

The Malaysian visa photo size is 35 mm in width and 50 mm in height where the face covers about 30-35 mm of the picture. There must be approximately 5 mm of distance from the top of the head to the top of the picture and about 5-10 mm of distance from your chin to the bottom of the picture. There must also be no margins.

If you are not sure about the measurements of your photo, just use PhotoAiD photo cropping app or Photo AiD website and you won’t have to worry about the size of your photo at all.

Background

The background must be plain white, with no patterns or shadows. This may not be easy to obtain as the lighting in the room might be bad or the flash causes the background to change colour, so you will need to use a background remover instead. Luckily for you it doesn’t matter whether you took the picture in your house or outside. The background editor will change the background to the right one.

Head position

The head of the applicant must be centred and not tilted in any direction. The person being photographed must look straight ahead at the camera as only front facing photos are accepted. Taking the photograph at an angle or with any kind of profile view is strictly forbidden and your application will be rejected..

Face

You must have a neutral facial expression with your mouth closed and eyes clearly open. If you have long hair you must put it behind your ears as the hair must not cover your face. Additionally, try to avoid strong make-up and any large or flashy jewellery on your face or neck. If you have a beard and this is part of your everyday look, you don’t have to shave it for a Malaysia visa photo.

Attire

Malaysian authorities recommend that you wear clothes that contrast with the white background. This means that you should not wear a white shirt and must choose darker clothing. Our tip is to pick an outfit that is modest, a conservative top is best. Do not wear anything with open shoulders, such as tank tops or anything covering your neck such as a turtleneck or any uniform.

Head coverings

Headwear, such as a hat, headband or baseball cap are not allowed in Malaysian visa photos. If you wear headgear for religious purposes, you may keep it on in the picture, just make sure that it does not cover your face, forehead and chin, or cast any shadows on your face.

Glasses 

Wearing glasses if you need to (medical reasons) is allowed as long as they do not cover your face. If you do not have to wear them, it is better to take the glasses off as they can have thick frames or cause glare or reflections. Sunglasses or any other tinted glasses are always forbidden.

Lighting

There are no specifications regarding the lighting for Malaysian visa photos but it is always better to take your photos in daylight as this will give your skin and eyes a natural look. It is recommended that you do not use a flash lamp as this causes a red-eye effect.

Remember that you must not retouch or edit the picture. Any digital manipulation that has been done in order to alter your appearance or make you look better will cause your photo to be rejected, you must look natural. You are, however, allowed to use a photo editor which will specifically edit your picture for the purposes of meeting the requirements, without breaking the official Malaysian rules.

Malaysia visa photo for babies and young children

Nowadays, every person entering Malaysia must have their own visa. This means that age doesn’t matter as even newborns need to have their own visas. You might be wondering how to take the right photo for a visa for a baby or young child. This is a simple guide for you on how to take a visa photo for babies and young children.

The most important thing is to make sure that the child, or baby, is alone in the picture. This means that you cannot be in the picture holding them. Also, any objects, such as toys or bottles cannot be visible in the photo.

Secondly, the child, like adults, must be facing the camera with their mouth closed and eyes open. The facial expression should be as neutral and natural as possible. 

Malaysia visa photo creator

PhotoAiD tool available for many countries, including Malaysia and many more, is the perfect helper to take the right photograph for your Malaysian visa quickly and correctly. This photo editor crops, resizes and removes the background of your image, changing it to the required one, as stated in the official requirements. 

Afterwards, the intelligent photo maker verifies if the picture meets all of the Malaysia visa requirements. If you want to be sure that the picture that is attached to your application form is correct, use the Malaysian visa photo tool.

Download PhotoAiD app from the AppStore or GooglePlay store, depending on the phone you use, iPhone or with Android. Upload a picture you have just taken, with the help of a friend or tripod as selfies are not allowed and let the tool do the rest. We guarantee excellent quality and that you will only pay for one fully corrected picture that will satisfy both you and the authorities.

The most common mistakes on Malaysia visa photos

If this is your first time taking photos for documents, it might cause you some trouble. This is why, to help you with the process, we recommend that you look at the most common mistakes while taking photos for a visa:

• Uploading an old picture - bear in mind that the photo for the Malaysian visa must have been taken within the last 3 months, no later. 
• Tilted head - as we mentioned before, your head must be straight so it cannot fall to the sides at all.
• Looking sideways or having your eyes closed - the applicant’s eyes must be directed straight at the camera.
• Smiling, showing teeth, or having your mouth open is not allowed.
• Wearing sunglasses - any kind of tinted glasses is forbidden.
• An incorrect size - the size of the Malaysian visa is 35mmx50mm so be sure that you do not print it out in any different sizes.

Sources:

https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/passport/malaysian-international-passport/ 

https://imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/eservices/myPasport