All photo formats / Asia & Pacific
New Zealand passport photo for the online application
New Zealand's online passport application takes a colour JPG portrait photo with a 3:4 aspect ratio, between 900-4500 px wide and 1200-6000 px high, and between 250 KB and 5 MB. It is one of the few applications with both a minimum and a maximum file size - and it rejects selfies. This tool crops to 3:4 and exports 1200 x 1600 px inside the size range, on your device.
The official requirements
| File format | Colour JPG (.jpg or .jpeg) |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 3:4 portrait (this tool outputs 1200 x 1600 px) |
| Dimensions | 900-4500 px wide, 1200-6000 px high |
| File size | 250 KB to 5 MB - both bounds enforced |
| Background | Plain, light-coloured, strong contrast with the face, no shadows; stand at least 0.5 m in front of it |
| Framing | Clear gap around the sides and top of the head; shoulders and upper chest included |
| Other rules | Less than 6 months old, face forwards, hair out of eyes, neutral expression with mouth closed (no smiling); selfies are rejected; scans of printed photos are not accepted; do not digitally alter the image |
Checked against the official sources below on 7 Nov 2026.
NZ Passports states: do not digitally alter your image - filtered or edited photos are shown as unacceptable examples. This tool only crops, resizes and compresses.
The 250 KB minimum surprises people: a clean, well-compressed photo can fall under it. This tool raises quality to the maximum first and never pads the file; if the file is still too small it says so and asks for a more detailed original.
How to do it
- Ask someone else to take the photo - selfies are rejected. Stand 0.5 m before a plain, light wall; the photographer stands 1.5 m away at your eye level.
- Upload it below and frame the head between the guide lines, leaving a clear gap above the crown.
- Create the file and check that every line in the checklist passes.
- Download and upload the .jpg in your online application at passports.govt.nz.
Common questions
Can I take the photo myself?
Not as a selfie - NZ Passports rejects selfies because close shots distort the face. Have someone else take it, or use a passport photo service (Warehouse Stationery, pharmacies, photographers).
Why is my file under 250 KB?
Aggressive compression shrinks clean photos below the minimum. This tool exports at 1200 x 1600 px and lifts the file size into the 250 KB - 5 MB window.