Irish Passport Online Photo: Size, Pixels and Rules

From the photo guidelines page on ireland.ie (read on 27 October 2026). They apply to online applications for a Passport Book or a Passport Card. Your digital photo must:

• Not be a scanned photo.
• Be in colour.
• Be at least 715 pixels wide and 951 pixels high.
• Be in JPEG format.
• Not have compression, loss or compression artefacts.
• Not be digitally enhanced or changed.
• Not contain barrel or other distortion.
• Not be larger than 9 MB.
• Have been taken in the last six months, a requirement of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The page lists three options for an online application:

• Take it at home with a smartphone, tablet or camera. Someone else must take it: selfies are not allowed, and you should not use the zoom function.
• Go to a photo shop and ask for a digital photo, emailed to you or saved on a USB key.
• Use a participating photo booth, such as a Photo Me booth or an IDstation.online service, and get a code that adds the photo to your application.

These rules apply to digital and printed photos alike:

• Show your head to mid torso, with visible space between your head and shoulders and the edge of the photo.
• Stand in front of a completely plain light grey, white or cream background with enough contrast, and no objects such as door panels or plants.
• Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and do not smile. Look straight into the camera without tilting your head.
• No shadows on your face or behind your head, no red eye, and natural skin tones.
• Glasses are allowed if the frames do not cover your eyes and there is no glare. Sunglasses and dark glasses are not.
• Head coverings only for religious or medical reasons, with your full face visible. No uniforms or clothing with insignia.

1. 1

   Take the photo with a helper

   Ask someone to stand back and take the photo at your eye level without zoom, so your head to mid torso fits with space around it. Take several and keep the sharpest one.

2. 2

   Make sure it is a JPEG

   iPhones often save photos as HEIC, which is not accepted. Convert it with HEIC to JPG at the highest quality setting so no compression artefacts are added.

3. 3

   Check the pixels

   Open the photo in Resize Image. It shows the original width and height before you change anything. It must be at least 715 x 951 pixels, which any modern phone photo passes easily.

4. 4

   Check the file size

   The file must be 9 MB or less. If it is larger, reduce the pixels in Resize Image (for example to 1500 x 2000) rather than lowering the JPEG quality, because the rules forbid visible compression artefacts.

Do not use filters, beauty modes or apps that smooth skin, change the background or brighten your face: the photo must not be digitally enhanced or changed. If there is a lot of empty space around you, you can trim the edges in Crop Image, but keep the whole head to mid torso with space around it and stay above 715 x 951 pixels.

Once the online system accepts the photo, the Passport Service reviews it and contacts you if it does not meet the guidelines. A sideways photo is fine: there are rotate buttons on the preview page, and the Service will rotate it for you anyway. For other countries, see the photo and signature size chart.