Get Your Nigerian Passport Photo Easily Done

Nigerian Passport Photo

Each government set their own standard passport photo format. This is usually the same or very similar in each country as the photo must follow specific guidelines so it is clearly visible in a passport. Thus, an incorrect photo format or size is likely to either delay the application process or reject the whole application. 

Size & Applicants Face

General Nigerian passport photo size is 35x45 mm. Applicants' faces must cover 70% of the whole photo and be visible from ear to ear & forehead to chin. When taking a picture it is essential candidate remember the following:

• candidate must keep their eyes open and mouth closed
• candidate needs to look straight into the camera lens
• candidate must stan straight and not tilt their head
• candidate must not smile, show teeth, frown or look away in another direction
• photo must be recent, no older than 6 months

Note - applicant’s under the age of 5 (classified as newborns/children) have different rules when it comes to a passport photo. Newborns may take their photo in a car seat or on a bed/couch but they must have a white sheet present behind their head. Parents may also hold their baby, but they need to make sure their hands are not visible in the photo. A child must not sleep in the photo and have their mouth closed.

Quality, Lighting & Resolution of the Photo

If the application is done purely online, the digital version of the photo must be in square aspect ratio and measure a minimum of 600x600 pixels - so the resolution and quality are high. This will prevent the image from being blurry. The light must be evenly spaced out, as no shadows can be created on the applicant’s face. Photo must always be in colour.

Headwear & Glasses

In regards to headwear, hats (or any other form of head coverings) are not permitted in passport photos unless the applicant has a religious belief or medical condition. The medical condition must be supported with a doctor's note, whilst religious belief by providing a letter explaining traditional daily wear such as the hijab. Examples of headwear include caps, headbands, head scarfs, cloche, beret, beanie, helmets or hoods. 

In contrast, similar rules apply to glasses. Tinted glasses or sunglasses are never allowed in a passport photo. The only exception is when a person wears prescription glasses that are approved by a doctor and are part of their identity.

Acceptable Clothing for Nigerian Passport Photo

Acceptable clothing for a passport photo is daily wear or anything that does not blend with the background colour - white. It must not be a uniform, as uniforms are not permitted to be worn for a Nigerian passport photo. Any hair accessories (mentioned above) are also not allowed as they can distort the picture once the camera flash goes off. Therefore, the best option in regards to clothes is to wear everyday clothes and not to wear white.

Popular Mistakes when taking Nigerian Passport Photo

Although guidelines are straightforward, people don’t familiarize themselves with the information before taking the passport photo and this results in mistakes. Here are a few popular mistakes that people make when they are uninformed about Nigerian photo rules.

Incorrect Format

Candidate uploads a photo that has the incorrect size and has the wrong format. The incorrect size will mean that the photo does not meet the standards, and does not fit in the final document. The wrong resolution will make the image blurry and hard to read - which could cause massive problems, especially at the border check. And uneven light could cause shadows to appear (on the applicant’s face or in the background) which would also make the image harder to read.

The Photo Does not Reflect Current Appearance

The photo provided by the candidate is outdated and does not reflect the current appearance. This simply means that the photo does not reflect the appearance of the candidate and that it is either very old, or there was a change in the way a person looks. The following examples present changes that will force an individual to take a new passport photo: losing or gaining a lot of weight, shaving the beard off, getting a facial tattoo, having facial surgery, changed gender, added or removed many facial piercings etc.

A Person is Wearing a Hat in the Picture

As mentioned above, people without religious belief or doctor's note are not allowed to wear a hat for the duration of the picture. This includes scarfs, caps, hats, hoods, headbands, any hair accessories or other headgear. Headwear is simply not permitted as it doesn’t reflect the true hair of the person, making it hard to confirm identity. Thus, it is always advised to remove headwear for the duration of the photo, even a small headband may result in photo rejection.

Photo is Visibly Edited

Using filters from social media such as Snapchat or Instagram is strictly prohibited as it largely distorts the image making it unreadable. Any editing using photoshop or other online picture editing services are not allowed as the image must reflect natural skin tone, true hair & eye colour along with facial features. Any edits that make the face look prettier or skinnier will not be accepted.

Taking a Nigerian Passport Photo Using a Mobile Device

There are many services passport applicants may use in order to take their passport photo. A popular option is photo booths which are located in supermarkets, drug stores, shopping malls, or post offices. A person simply enters a small photo box and takes a picture which instantly pops out of the machine. This service is usually cheap, but it does not give any guidance on how to take a picture, and it does not confirm that the final picture is correct. Another method people use is going to a professional photography studio where the photographer gives guidance on how to position the head etc. This service is usually expensive. Lastly, an online service that can be accessed via the website or via the app, that works exactly like the photo booth but online.

Online service for Passport Photo

Passport photo online service is available on site as well as the app. It provides similar services to photo booths but it works fully online. All the applicant needs to do is take a picture using their phone, tablet etc and upload it on the site where tools do the rest for you. In this way, people not only save time but also effort as the app knows what to do next.

Passport Photo App - Android & iPhone

Not only online service is available but also an app. This can be downloaded on all Apple devices (iPhone, iPod, iPad) and Android devices. Apple devices can download it in the apple store, the required system for this download is IOS 12.0 and the size of the app is 47.4MB. Whilst Android users may download the app in google play store where the system requirement is 5.0 or above and the app size is 13M. Apps on both devices are available in the following languages: English, Albanian, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Kazakh, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese.

How to take a Correct Passport Photo at Home?

To take a correct passport photo, applicant’s must know how to position their head and how to behave so the picture is approved. Firstly when taking a picture using any device (camera, phone, tablet) people must stand at least 40 cm away from the camera lens. A person must keep a neutral facial expression, have their hair neatly tied back, and have their eyes open. Once a picture is taken, it’s time to upload it to the app/online service.

Scanner & Editor

This is the next stage of the process, uploaded pictures will be scanned in regards to chosen document guidelines. Hence, firstly applicants choose a type of document, in this case, a Nigerian passport. Then the photo is scanned in regards to the Nigerian government passport guidelines to either accept it (if correct) or reject it (if not correct). If a photo is incorrect, app/online tools will give instructions on what and how to improve (if retake is required) or what to edit using the following tools.

Cropper & Background Remover

Cropper and background remover are tools used to edit the final shot at the end of the process. Cropper allows pictures to be cropped to required Nigerian passport standards. Whilst background remover allows applicants to remove any background that is not white. This, therefore, allows candidates to take a picture anywhere they like, even in a park, shopping centre or cafe.

Last update: 6/3/23