Visa and NZeTA photos

Your photo must be less than 6 months old and clearly identify you. It must also meet all of our technical requirements.

Meeting our photo requirements

If your photo does not meet all of our requirements we will ask you for a new photo.

If you are applying for a visa, we will stop processing your application until we receive an acceptable photo. If you are requesting an NZeTA, your request may be delayed or refused.

Visa and NZeTA photos are not passport photos

Use the photo examples on this page to check your photo is correct and meets our requirements.

Alert

Do not use the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs website or other online tools to check your photo as those tools are for passport photos only.

Using a professional photographer

Your photo is more likely to be accepted if you use a professional photographer or business that takes passport photos. Give the photographer our instructions to make sure you get a photo that meets our requirements.

Paper applications for visas

The photo you submit with a paper application must be 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Further instructions are on the paper application forms.

Note

You can only apply for an NZeTA online.

Online applications for visas

The photo you submit with an online application must be:

  • between 500 KB and 3 MB
  • between 900 x 1,200 pixels and 2,250 x 3,000 pixels, and
  • a JPG or JPEG file.

Alert

We are unlikely to accept your photo if it is not the right size.

Acceptable visa photo dimensions.

Online requests for NZeTAs

If you request an NZeTA using the web app, you can either upload an existing photo or take one using your device's camera.

If you use the mobile app, you can only take a photo using your device's camera.

Your photo must be:

  • less than 10 MB, and
  • a JPG or JPEG file.

If you take a photo with your device, the camera must have a minimum resolution of 540 x 720 pixels. Large photos will be automatically formatted.

Online photo error messages

If there is an issue with your photo you will receive an error message when you submit your visa or NZeTA photo online. To help you, we have provided a list of online errors and how to fix them.

Fixing errors when uploading a photo

Taking your visa photo

Your photo must:

Be in portrait, not landscape

Photo on the left is the correct  portrait size - photo on the right has too much space on either side.

Be of you, not a photo of a photo or your travel document

The  photo on the left is correct, second photo is of a passport page, the third photo is of a printed photo and fourth photo is a photo of a photo.

Have even lighting with minimal shadowing

Two photos showing correct lighting.

three photos showing incorrect lighting, too light, to dark and too many shadows.

Be in colour, showing natural skin tones

Three photos, the first one showing correct skin tones, the last two incorrect colouring.

Be in focus, not blurry

The photo on the left is in focus, the photo on the right is blurry.

Not contain red-eye

The photo on the left has no red eye, the photo on the right has red eyes.

Be an original photo, not changed by photo-editing software

The photo on the left has not been altered, the two photos on the right have been altered.

Not be a selfie

The photo on the left is correct, the other three photos are selfies.

Be taken 1.5 metres from the face

The photo on the left has the correct spacing, the next photo has been cropped too close and in the third photo the face is too far from the camera.

Be taken against a plain, light-coloured — but not white — background with no patterns or objects

The two photos on the left have a correct plain background, the two photos on the right have objects in the background.

Only contain plain clothing patterns

The person in the photo on the left is wearing a plain tshirt, the person in the photo on the right is wearing a patterned   top.

Be of one person

There is just one person in the photo on the left but there is a second person in the background of the photo on the right.

We need to clearly see your face

Face the camera and keep your head straight

The photo on the left shows a person looking directly at the camera, the photo on the right shows a person looking off to the left.

Keep your eyes open and mouth closed

The person in the first photo has their eyes open and mouth closed, the second photo the person has their eyes closed, in the third photo the person has their mouth open.

Do not smile or frown

These three photos show people with neutral facial expressions.

The photo on the left shows a person who is smiling too much and showing teeth, the photo on the right shows a frowning toddler.

Show your face clearly and that long hair is tucked behind your ears

The first two photos on the left show people with long hair behind theur ears or tied up out of the way, the last two photos on the right show people with long hair covering their ears.

Position yourself in the middle of the photo

The photo on the left has correct spacing around the face, the photo in the middle is too close with no space around the face and the photo on the right has too much space around the face.

Remove sunglasses and hats

The photo on the left shows a person wearing glasses that do not get in the way of seeing the face, the second phot shows a person with dark glasses, the thirrd photo shows a person wearing a hat and the fifth photo shows a person wearing a hoodie.

If you wear prescription glasses

Make sure your eyes show clearly through the lenses, with no reflected light

It may be easier to remove them.

The photo on the right shows a person wearing thin rimmed glasses with no glare that do not obscure the face, the phot on the right shows a person wearing think dark rimmed glasses.

If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons

Make sure that your face and hairline can be seen in the photo

These four photos show  correct ways to wear headcoverings.

The photo on the left has a covering over the mouth and the photo on the right the covering obscures the sides of the face.