Hong Kong Passport Photo

How does it work?

Perfect biometric photo within 3 minutes.

Check how simple and smart is it!

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

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

Expert verification

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

Digital or printed photos

You can download a digital version and order a printout which we will send within 2-3 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.

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.

Posture: Straight ahead

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

Lighting

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

Hong Kong Passport Photo Guidelines

Size

Width: 40 mm

Height: 50 mm

Resolution

600 dpi

Is it suitable for online submission?

Image definition parameters

Head height: 35 mm

Top of the Photo to Top of the Hair: 5 mm

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Hong Kong Passport Photo - All You Need to Know

If you are a citizen of the People’s Republic of China and at the same time you have a permanent residency in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), you are eligible to be granted a Hong Kong passport. To get it, you have to fill in a relevant application form and submit it to the Immigration Office together with demanded documents and a passport-style photo.

If you apply for your Hong Kong e-passport online, you have to upload a digital photo, but if your choice is to apply in-person at the Immigration Headquarters or any of the Immigration Branch Offices, you have to submit 3 identical prints to your passport application.

How are the requirements for a printed passport photo in Hong Kong? Read our article to learn everything about it!

Hong Kong passport photo requirements

The main requirements for a passport photo in every country are pretty much the same, with some exceptions. But rules about quality, posing, and style of the background are the same because currently every country issues only biometric passports, called also e-passports, electronic passports or digital passports. This type of machine-readable document requires a biometric photo. The photo dedicated to the HKSAR biometric passport must be:

taken within the last 6 months and original
in the correct size
taken against the clear, white background (free of patterns, shadows, and other visible persons and items)
in natural colours
sharp and well-focused
properly exposed
composed in the right way (the head centred, correct crop)
captured with the neutral facial expression or a natural smile, open eyes looking at the camera, and closed mouths

Hong Kong passport photo validity and originality

Your photo must represent your current look, so it must be captured a maximum of 6 months before the moment of submitting the application form.

It also must be original. What exactly does it mean? It means that this is not allowed to cut out the crop from the bigger photo and use the zoom function. Another condition about the originality says about computer software interference. Do not process your picture with any computer programs or filters. Artificial intelligence is able to recognize any kind of interference and such a photo is automatically disqualified.

Hong Kong SAR passport photo size and crop

The required size of the HK passport photo is 40 mm x 50 mm (width x height). The 3-5 mm space left between the top of the head and the edge of the photo must be left. The correct head’s image (from the top of the head to the chin) is 32 mm minimum and 36 mm maximum.

Sounds complicated? The good news is that you do not even need to know this! Once you upload your picture to the HK Passport Photo Checker, the artificial intelligence instantly resizes and crops your image to the required dimensions!

Hong Kong passport photo background

The background in the photo captured in order to attach to the Hong Kong passport application must be white and clear. No other people or objects must be visible together with a photographed person. No patterns, spots or shadows are allowed.

If you want to quickly obtain a perfect background in your HK passport photo - use an online passport photo maker able to remove the wrong background from your picture and replace it with the white, solid one as required.

Hong Kong passport photo colours

The photos attached to your passport application must be in colour. You are obliged (if you do not apply online) 3 identical prints, but they cannot be printed with your home inkjet printer as the quality of the print would be insufficient.

The high-quality paper and dye-sublimation processes must be used to show the natural tones of your skin and eyes. These colours must be natural - not too light, not too dark. The photos cannot be black and white or in sepia. Avoid the “red-eyes” effect, as this is an unnatural colour of the eyes and such a picture will be rejected. Use daylight instead of a flash lamp, as a flash is “responsible” for the red-eye effect.

Hong Kong passport photo - the head’s position and the facial expression

The picture for a Hong Kong passport must be portrait-oriented. The head of the candidate must be centred, not tilted in any direction. A candidate must look straight ahead at the camera. Side angle and semi-profile shots aren’t correct, only en-face shots will be accepted.

You must keep a neutral facial expression with closed mounts and open eyes. If you like, you can smile softly but without showing teeth.

Hair and beard in the Hong Kong passport photo

Remember about the spare space that must be left between the top of your head and the upper edge of the photo. If you have a voluminous hairstyle, wear your hair up. If you have long hair and you wear it loose, put it behind your ears as the hair must not cover your face. You are not asked to remove your beard for an HK passport photo.

Glasses in a Hong Kong SAR passport photo

This is allowed to wear prescription eyeglasses in the photo for the picture dedicated to a Hong Kong passport. You can pose wearing them but their frames must not cover your eyes or drop the shadow, neither glare on your skin. Glasses must not be tinted or dark (like sunglasses) and cannot give a reflection. Your eyes must be clearly visible.

Head coverings in the HK passport photo

Fashion headgears such as caps, hats or headbands are not allowed under any conditions but you can keep head covering if you use it as a part of a religious attire (like hijab, turban or yarmulke etc.) However, you are obliged to make sure that this item does not obscure your face. Your facial features including front and chin must be clearly visible in the photo. For a proper contrast, wear headgear in colour contrasting to the background (not white).

Facial piercing and jewellery in the Hong Kong passport photos

Many people want to know if they have to remove their facial piercing and jewellery before capturing a photo for the formal documents. The general rule is: you do not need to remove jewellery or piercing as long as these items do not obscure any part of your face and do not give any reflection on your skin.

Hong Kong passport photo maker

You can download the Passport Photo Generator from AppStore or Google Play Store. It works under Android and iOS. Use it to save money and time. With this intelligent tool, you can take a picture in your apartment or wherever you wish. As all the process of resizing, cropping and adjusting the background is automatic, and you can find there the best prices!

Every photo produced with our passport photo checker is 100% correct and if for some reason it is rejected, we promise to send you the money back!

The most popular mistakes people do in their Hong Kong passport photos

Many people are worried that their photos would be rejected by passport offices. And, honestly, it happens every day. This is inevitable if a sent picture does not meet the requirements. To avoid this trouble, learn about the most common mistakes people make in their photos.

Below we present the list of them:

An incorrect size

Make sure that your photo is 40 mm wide and 50 mm high. The size of the face from chin to crown must be 32-36 mm. If you want to be 100% sure that your picture is cropped properly, use the Hong Kong passportphoto resizing App.

Shadows and glares on the face

Avoid shadows appearing on your face. Both sides of your face must be evenly illuminated. Use daylight if possible. Don’t turn on the flash lamp. If you want your skin to be matte, you may put on some face powder.

Incorrect background

The background must be white and clear. Only your head, neck and the upper part of the shoulders can be visible in the picture. Use the background removing photo tool to be sure you meet this requirement.

Large smile

The general rule is that you can smile slightly, only with your mouths. But sometimes people exaggerate and the “smiling” photo must be rejected. Don’t show teeth if you want to smile. But the best option is to keep a neutral facial expression.

Head covering obscuring face

You can keep your hijab or other headgear worn for religious reasons, but it mustn't obscure your face, even the forehead. Fashion head coverings are not allowed at all.

Profile or semi-profile view

The only accepted view is an en-face one. Do not tilt your head and look straight at the camera lens. Unfortunately, many applicants still attach semi-profile pictures which cause a lot of refusals.

Poor quality of the photo

The first thing is: do not print your picture with your inkjet home printer. The photo for the passport must be printed on photo-quality paper, in full colors. Moreover, make sure that your photo is clear, focused and sharp, not overexposed or underexposed, not damaged or scratched.

Last update: 28/9/2023

About the document

The Hong Kong passport - how powerful it is?

A traveller holding a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) passport is authorized visa-free access to 170 countries and regions all over the world. It puts the Hong Kong passport at the 19th spot in the ranking of the most powerful passports in the world. What exactly is this ranking? This is an updated every year list that ranks national passports by the number of destinations their holders can visit without applying for a visa previously.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is a part of the People's Republic of China.

This metropolitan area inhabited by 7,5 million residents belongs administratively to the People’s Republic of China but has its own currency, government and regional law. The state issues passports of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as all the region is treated as a separate jurisdiction. Every permanent resident of the HKSAR who is at the same time holding Chinese citizenship is eligible to get a Hong Kong passport.

Hong Kong passports

The Hong Kong passports look differently than Chinese ones. A Hong kong passport has a navy-blue cover, whereas a Chinese passport is red. Hong Kong passport is printed bilingually in both official languages of HKSAR: Chinese (traditional characters) and English. As the holder of the Hong Kong passport is always a Chinese citizen, the Chinese and SAR governments do not allow Hong Kong permanent residents to travel to the People’s Republic of China with HK travel documents. Both sides recognized it as “unnecessary and inappropriate domestic travels”.

A Hong Kong passport might be used by its holder only while travelling internationally.

Biometrics

All currently issued passports all over the world are biometric. This type of document is also called an e-passport, digital passport or electronic passport. Despite its name, an electron passport has a paper form of a booklet. So, what exactly does “biometrics” mean? It means that biometric documents are machine-readable to facilitate immigration services scanning and reading passengers’ data. All e-passports are equipped with contactless chips. The chip in a Hong Kong passport contains the following data:

Name (written in 2 languages: Chinese and English)
Nationality
Sex
Date of birth
Place of birth
Permanent Hong Kong ID card number
Biometric photo
Passport number
Date of issue
Date of expiry
Issuing authority (i.e. Immigration Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)

Some of the passports issued by other countries have more biodata stored in the microprocessor (iris scan or fingerprints) but not in the case of the Hong Kong passport. Only the holder’s signature is visible on the personal data page.

Hong Kong passport eligibility

The passport of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is issued only to people who satisfy 3 conditions at the same time. The candidates must hold a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card, hold Chinese citizenship, and have a permanent residency in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world and within its borders live 7,5 millions of residents of literally all nationalities. But only those who are China nationals can obtain a Hong Kong passport. All the other ones must travel internationally with the passport issued by their countries of origin. If they are stateless, they can apply for a Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes. The people who are Chinese nationals and reside in Hong Kong but are not yet permanent residents can apply for the same document to facilitate their international travels.

Application for HK passport - online or in-person

You can choose how you want to submit your application. You may do it online or you can schedule an appointment at the Immigration Headquarters or any of the Immigration Branch Offices. You may do it via the Internet or by phone. You can apply only if you want to get your first Hong Kong passport or the next one when the previous document expires. But keep in mind, that you have to apply in-person for a replacement of a passport that has been lost/damaged/defaced).

After your application is being processed, you must collect your new passport in person. If you applied online, you must submit during the collection meeting all the original documents.

Hong Kong passport required documents

In order to apply for your passport, you need to complete an application form, and attach 3 identical photos of you meeting the requirements. It applies to adults candidates (18 years old and above) and children too. The only difference is that once you apply for the passport for an underage child, you must submit additional documents.

Passport for children aged 11-18 years old

If you apply for the Hong Kong passport for your child aged 11+, you need to satisfy the same requirements as for adults and, additionally, upload a copy of the consenting parent or legal guardian's valid travel document (if they are not a Hong Kong resident).

Moreover, if your child was not born in Hong Kong, you are obliged to upload a copy of their birth certificate in order to prove the relationship between you and your consenting parent. It might also be a copy of the court order, if appropriate, to prove that the consenting legal guardian has custodial rights in respect of the child.

Parental or legal guardian's consent and items are not required only if the underage citizen is married. In such a case a copy of your marriage certificate must be attached to the documentary.

Passport for children under 11-16 years old

If you - as the consenting parent or legal guardian - apply for an HK passport for a child aged below 11 with and the child holds a Hong Kong permanent identity card, upload all documents needed for an underaged person and additionally a copy of the child’s latest school document bearing the child’s photograph authenticated by the school (e.g. student’s handbook or school record, bearing the child’s name, date of birth and photograph) or other proof of identity of your son or daughter.

If you are not able to obtain this proof of identity from the school, submit the Form for Countersignature together with a photocopy of an identity document of the person countersigning the form.

Passport application processing time

Normally, the time of processing the application - if you have submitted it in-person - is a maximum of 5 working days. It applies to the situation when all the required documentary was submitted. The wrong passport photo, lack of additional documents or uncompleted form can extend the time of waiting for the passport.

In order to handle formalities, application via the Internet is a bit longer - the application process takes 7-8 working days.

Collecting the Hong Kong passport

You will receive the “collection notice” with the period and details of the collection of the passport. Wait for it and give the office 1 or 2 extra days because in some specific periods and situations the applicants must wait a bit more than indicated above time. If you do not receive any information in this period, make a call or send an email to the Immigration Headquarters or any of the Immigration Branch Offices when you have been applying.

This is obligatory to collect the passport in-person. In order to do it, present your Hong Kong permanent identity card and the original supporting documents, the copy of which you have submitted in the application. You may show to the passport office employee one of the following documents:

Hong Kong permanent identity card
your existing HKSAR Passport
HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes (it will be cancelled after collecting the passport)

Important note: children 16-18 years old and unmarried citizens aged 16-17 must be accompanied by a consenting parent or legal guardian at the moment of the collection of passport in person, for appending their signature on the application form.

If the application has been done online, the child’s consenting parent or legal guardian is obliged to confirm the correctness of uploaded information and documents. It has to be done during the collection meeting in the office.

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

What is the Hong Kong passport photo size?

Requirements for the size of the Hong Kong printed passport photo is 40 x 50 mm (width x height).

What is the required crop for the Hong Kong passport?

The minimum size of the head from the chin to the top is 32 mm and the maximu - 36 mm. To get this crop, stay 1,20 and 2 metres from the photographer or tripod or use the smart Passport Photo Cropping App.

Is smiling allowed in the Kong Kong photo to passport?

Yes, but only a natural, slight smile is allowed. Remember to not open your mouths and do not show the teeths. Your eyes must be open and mouth shut but not tighten.

Can I take a Hong Kong passport photo with my smartphone?

Yes, you do. Once you download Photo AiD mobile app for iOS or Android or go on the Passport Photo Online website, you will be able to get your Hong Kong passport photo wherever you are in a couple of seconds!

What must be the color of background in a Hong Kong passport photo?

White. The background must also be clear of objects and persons other than you. If you are not able to obtain a required color of background, use a photo creator and be sure that your photo will be accepted.

Are glasses allowed on the Hong Kong passport photo?

Yes, they are. You may keep your prescription glasses if you wear them every day and their frames do not cover your eyes. Glasses with tinted lenses (and sunglasses too) are not allowed.

Can I have my head covered in my Hong Kong passport photo?

Headgears worn for religious purposes, such as hijabs or hats are allowed but make sure that your headgear do not cover or drop a shadow on your face.

Can I have a beard on the Hong Kong passport photo?

Yes, you do not have to remove your beard before taking a Hong Kong passport photo.

Can I attach a black and white or color filtred photo to my Hong Kong passport application?

No. Colors in the photo must represent your natural skin and eye tones. No filters are allowed.

Is there any dress-code for Hong Kong passport photos?

Not, there isn't. You can dress like you feel. We just recommend you to dress smartly and not to wear a white top or a hijab, if you wear it.

What happens with wrong photos attached to passport applications?

If you attach an incorrect photo to your KG passport application, the time of processing your application may extend.

Where can I take an HKSAR passport photo near me?

You do not need to take it professionally. Thanks to Sthe Hong Kong passport photo Maker you can take your picture everywhere!

Can I retouch my photo for the Hong Kong passport?

No, do not do it. aIf you use any computer software to interfere the picture, it will be detected and will cause the rejection of the photo.

Can I apply oin-person for my Hong Kong passport?

Yes, this is possible. You can make an appointment in Passport at the Immigration Headquarters or any of the Immigration Branch Office and submit all the documentary in person.