NSW Driving Licence Photo

Get your perfect biometric photo (compliance guaranteed)

1M+
approved
ID photos
200%
Guarantee of
acceptance
NSW Driving Licence Photo
1M+
approved
ID photos
200%
Guarantee of
acceptance

How does it work?

Perfect biometric photo within 3 minutes.

Check how simple and smart is it!

Take or upload a photo

Take or upload a photo

That's the only thing you need to do. Take or upload a photo - we will take care of the rest.

AI prepares the photo

AI prepares the photo

Artificial Intelligence will check your photo, crop it to the right size and remove the background.

Expert verification

Expert verification

Our Photo Expert will make additional verification to check if your photo meets the official requirements.

Digital or printed photos

Digital or printed photos

You can download a digital version and order a printout which we will send within 3-5 days. Delivery is free!

Why?

Take a biometric photo conveniently without leaving home

You save time and money

Convenience

Don't waste time, effort or money. You can take your passport photo without leaving home.

Professional service

Over 1 million people have used our services within the past 11 years. Our Photo Experts are available 24/7.

Money-back guarantee

We give you a guarantee of acceptance by authorities or otherwise we will refund you double the price!

Satisfaction guarantee

Take as many photo shots as you want - you pay only when you are satisfied.

How to take a photo?

Taking a photo for your ID has never been so easy.

Follow simple instruction to take a perfect ID photo.

1

Body-camera distance

The distance between the face and the camera should be about 40 cm. Ideally the photo should be taken by the other person.

2

Posture: Straight ahead

Place your face in front of the lens. Hold the camera at eye level and keep neutral face expression.

3

Lighting

Stand facing the light source, for example an exposed window. The background will be cut out, don't worry about it.

Photo for NSW Driving Licence - size & requirements

Digital Photo for Nsw Driving Licence
Size
Width: 35 mm
Height: 45 mm
Resolution
600 dpi
Is it suitable for online submission?
Yes
Image definition parameters
Head height: 36 mm
Top of the Photo to Top of the Hair: 2 mm
Is it printable?
Yes
Background Color
Show more

Was this helpful?

Rating: 4.71
Votes: 107

More about NSW Driving Licence Photo - Requirements

NWS Driving Licence Photo Guidelines

The requirements for a driver's licence in Australia vary between states. New South Wales is one of Australia's six nations, situated in the south-east of the country with Sydney as its capital. The standards for a driving licence photo are quite the same all over the world, but there are still some differences that need to be considered to avoid problems with the application.

When you apply for your learner’s licence for the first time, you need to prove your identity. For this purpose, you can use your NSW Photo Card, but if you have never submitted a photo to the systems of Transport for NSW, it is compulsory to do it in this circumstance. 

This is the identity photo that will appear on your NSW Driving Licence, so make sure it meets the following guidelines. 

  • Your eyes should be wide open, and you should look directly at the camera.
  • Your expression should be neutral, with your mouth closed and no smile
  • In any case, you should not have glasses or sunglasses
  • Your face is clearly visible and your hair isn’t covering any part of it

NWS Driving Licence Photo Requirements

The NSW Driving Licence Photo is a biometric photo, meaning that it needs to be suitable for facial recognition. Facial recognition works by measuring the distances between facial features, such as eyes, nose and mouth. The measurements are then compared to look for potential duplicates and therefore identity fraud.

So that facial recognition works properly, all the photos must meet international standards for pose and quality. An application containing a photo not following these requirements will be rejected. Read on to find out what these requirements are!

Size and quality of the NWS Driving Licence Photo

Photos must be between 35mm and 40mm wide and 45mm and 50mm high. The size of the face from the chin to the top of the head has to be between 36 and 32mm.

The photo for the driver's licence must be clear and focused, with no retouching at all. The printing needs to be high quality, heavy‐weight and glossy.

Background and Lighting

The background has to be of a uniform and light colour, preferably white or light grey. It has to contrast with your face and your clothes. The brightness and the contrast must show your natural colours (skin tone, eyes, and hair colour). The red-eyes effect is not accepted, and it can not be removed by editing. 

The lighting needs to be uniform too: photos with shadows or reflections (both on the subject and the background) are not acceptable. For this reason, we suggest you take off your jewelry while taking the photo. Small jewels and facial piercings which don’t cover any part of your face are accepted, but they risk creating reflections on your face.

Head position and expression

The face has to be centred, facing the camera and not tilted in any direction. It has to be completely visible, from edge to edge. You can’t have hair, jewelry, or head coverings hiding any part of your face.

The expression should be as neutral as possible: smiling, laughing, or frowning is not permitted. The eyes must be open, clearly visible and looking directly at the camera. The camera needs to be positioned in front of the eyes of the subject. The mouth must be closed. 

Glasses

You can’t wear glasses in your photo for a driving licence, even if you always wear them in your everyday life and use them while driving.

If you can’t take off your glasses for medical reasons, you have to provide a medical certificate to Transport for NSW. This has to be signed by a registered medical practitioner with their contact data included. You must also pay attention to the fact that the frames can’t obscure your eyes and the lenses can’t reflect light. 

Headcovers

You may only wear head coverings if you wear them for cultural or religious reasons in your everyday life. Those that only have a decorative function are not admissible.

Religious head coverings have to be plain-colored and not be patterned. You should wear them so that your face is clearly visible from edge to edge and from the chin to the top of the forehead. Moreover, the headcover can’t create shadows on your face. 

You can't wear a wig either. Hair accessories are accepted, as long as they don’t cover any part of your face and they don’t create any shadow or reflection on it. 

Most common mistakes on Driving Licence Photo

If you don’t meet these requirements, your photo will probably be rejected. To avoid this trouble make sure to read the most common mistakes people make while taking a photo for NSW Driving Licence and to not repeat them.

You should not:

  • choose a background colour that is not plain
  • alter your photo with any kind of computer software
  • submit an overexposed or underexposed photo
  • tilt your head down, up, or sideways
  • look sideways or have your eyes closed
  • smile or have your mouth open
  • wear eyeglasses without providing a medical certificate
  • wear a headgear that obscures your face or without religious reasons
  • have your hair covering your face

How to take a NSW Driving Licence Photo at home?

If you are tired of wasting time and money to take photos in a professional photo studio, we have a solution for you! You don’t necessarily need to take your Driving Licence Photo in a professional photo studio or a photo booth. You can do it wherever you want, just using your digital camera or smartphone and an online photo editor. We recommend that you ask somebody to help you and not to do everything alone, as selfies are not recommended.

Choose a good place and a good moment and take as many photos as you want. You can also try different clothes, hairstyles and makeup. Don’t worry too much about technical requirements like size, crop, or background colour. Focus on taking the best photo of yourself with the head straight, the face clearly visible, and a neutral expression. Our online photo tool will then help you to fulfil the other requirements. It crops, resizes, changes the colour of your background and at the end verifies the correctness of your photo!

NWS Driving Licence Photo Tool

This useful photo tool is available online, is simple to use, is much cheaper than taking a photo at a professional photography studio, and is more convenient than a photo booth. In just a few minutes, you can take and create your NSW Driving Licence photo using our online photo editor

Read the instructions on the web page or the application, follow the guidelines while taking the photo and then upload it to our system. The AI used by our online photo tool checks the conformity of the photo to the official requirements: it crops it to the perfect size and removes the wrong background.

You can upload as many photos as you want and you pay only for the correct photo that you have chosen. Your Driving Licence photo will be sent to you immediately. 

You also have a guarantee of acceptance by authorities! You can be sure that your photo for NSW Driving Licence made with our online photo tool won’t be rejected!

NWS Driving Licence Photo Mobile App

If you prefer using a mobile application, you can definitely do it! Don’t worry about the brand of your smartphone or your mobile operating system: you can find our photo tool mobile app in the Play Store and the App Store. It is easy to use just like the website, and it enables you to take your photo for NSW Driving Licence even outside your home, for example at work. Also with the app, you will benefit from the acceptance guarantee. So, what are you waiting for? Download our app, and take your driving licence photo!

Last update: 30/5/23

About the document

Are you ready to start learning how to drive? Do you want to apply for a driver's licence? Once you have passed the rider knowledge test and are at least 16 years and 9 months old, you can apply for your New South Wales learner licence. When taking the rider knowledge test, you must fill out an application and provide a biometric driver's licence photo - which will then be used to create your Australian driving licence once you have passed the test. There are various requirements for the NSW driver's licence photo to be valid - but don’t worry, with our digital photo app we can ensure that your application will get accepted immediately.

Types of New South Wales driver’s licenses

There are four types of New South Wales driver’s licences - learner licence, P1 licence, P2 licence, and full licence. Once you have passed the driving test, you upgrade from a learner licence to a P1 licence - and then after 12 months, you can upgrade to a P2 licence. Once you have held the Australian P2 licence for 24 months, you can finally upgrade to a full, unrestricted Australian driver’s licence. You only need to provide a biometric driver's licence photo for the first time that you apply for your Australian learner licence, then this will automatically be used for the others as you progress.

New South Wales Driver’s license photo

The driver's licence photo must have been taken within 10 years and 6 months before the NSW driver's licence’s expiry date, meaning another photo may need to be sent to renew the driver's licence if this requirement is not filled. Thankfully, this process is now easier than ever with the digital driver's licence photo app which allows you to take the biometric photo at home, without needing to travel to a professional photo booth! Save time and money by using the biometric photo app to easily complete your New South Wales driver’s licence application!

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

What are the conditions to apply for a New South Wales driver's licence?

+ -
In order to apply for a NSW driving licence, you must be at least 16 years and 9 months old and have passed the rider knowledge test.

How should I pose for the biometric NSW driver's licence photo?

+ -
In your Australian licence photo - the guidelines are that you keep a neutral expression and don't smile. You should sit up straight and look directly into the camera with your mouth closed, in order to ensure that your application will get accepted first time.

Can I wear a head covering in my Australian driver's licence photo?

+ -
You can wear head coverings in your licence photo for religous reasons, as long as your whole face is visible and there are no shadows cast. Any other hat or headgear not for religous purpouses is not acceptable for your NSW driving licence photo.
Of course! Use our app - Passport Photo Online - in order to easily take the biometric photo from home. Crop and edit your licence photo to fit all of the necessary requirements, saving you time and money.
A temporary medical reason is the only exemption to having a photo on your driving licence. This is only for temporary, exceptional circumstances and you must return with a biometric photo eventually in order to receive a full, valid NSW licence.
The biometric photo must have been taken within 10 years and 6 months before the expiry date of the licence. Once it has exceeded this, you must take a new photo to renew the Australian driving licence.
No, all glasses should be removed when taking your biometric driving licence photo. This includes sunglasses and prescription glasses - even if you need to wear them when driving.
Our Passport Photo Online app uses AI to check that all the requirements are fullfilled in your biometric photo. When using our app to take the photo, it will tell you what needs to be altered in order for the photo to be accepted by the Australian Government. We can even assure you that if the photo does get rejected - we will reimburse you!
The biometric photo for your Australian driving licence must be 35 x 45 mm and 600 dpi.
Its easy! Simply use our digital photo app, and it will automatically resize your photo to the required dimensions - assuring you that it will be accepted by the Australian Government quickly and easily!