# Nigeria Passport Photo Maker, 35x45 mm

Country: Nigeria

Document: Passport

Page language: en

Page: [Nigeria Passport Photo Maker, 35x45 mm](https://onedollarpassportphoto.com/ng/passport/)

Requirements last verified: 2026-06-01

## Photo specifications

These are document-specific values from the page data. Printed and digital requirements may apply to different application routes; consult the guide and sources below.

| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Photo dimensions | 35 × 45 mm |
| Photo paper | Glossy or matte |
| Digital pixel dimensions | 413 × 531 px (see guide/source for applicability and minimum vs exact sizing) |
| Digital file format | JPEG |
| Photo age | Taken within 6 months |

## Appearance and composition

- Background: Pure white background. The Nigeria Immigration Service rejects off-white, cream, or light-blue backgrounds during biometric capture.
- Head size: Face centred in the frame, head straight with no tilt, following the ICAO standard.
- Expression: Neutral expression with a closed mouth. Both eyes open and looking directly at the camera.
- Glasses: Not permitted.
- Even lighting; no harsh shadows.
- Filters, beauty modes and retouching are forbidden.
- Color photo.
- Head coverings are permitted for religious reasons; check the source for conditions.
- Uniforms are restricted; check the source for exceptions.
- No earphones or wireless devices.

## Common rejection reasons

### Off-white background

The NIS requires a pure white background and is strict about it — off-white, cream, or light-blue backgrounds are rejected during biometric capture.

What to do: Use a plain white wall or our automatic background replacement.

### Wearing glasses

Glasses are not allowed in Nigerian passport photos. All eyewear, including prescription glasses and sunglasses, must be removed.

What to do: Take the photo without glasses.

### Non-neutral expression or tilted head

A neutral expression with a closed mouth is required, with the head straight and the face centred. Both eyes must be open and facing the camera.

What to do: Face the camera straight on with a relaxed, neutral expression.

### Head covering obscuring the face

Religious head coverings are allowed, but the full face — chin to forehead and both cheek edges — must be clearly visible with no shadows cast by the covering.

What to do: Position the covering so the entire face is visible and evenly lit.

### Wrong size or resolution

The photo must be 35×45mm (413×531 pixels at 300 DPI for the online portal). Wrong dimensions are rejected.

What to do: Use the exact 35×45mm crop.

### Photo too old

The photo must reflect your current appearance and be recent.

## Source for the document requirements

[Source linked by the document page](https://passport.immigration.gov.ng/image-compliance)

The complete guide below includes additional sources and application-specific qualifications when available.

## Create a photo with One Dollar Passport Photo

The service sizes, crops and checks a photo for the selected document. Its output settings are service choices, not additional government requirements.

- Digital photo download: $1 USD.
- Print-ready sheet download: $5 USD. Printing is separate.
- Optional human expert review: +$4.99 USD.

[Open the photo tool](https://onedollarpassportphoto.com/ng/passport/)

Complete Guide

## Nigerian passport photo: 35×45 mm requirements and where to get one

What a compliant Nigerian e-Passport photo needs for the NIS portal upload and the biometric appointment, and a straight comparison of where to get one — in Lagos, Abuja, or via a diaspora embassy.

Written by

Jake

Community & Writing, One Dollar Passport Photo

Reviewed by

Lisa

Expert Reviewer, One Dollar Passport Photo

Fact-checked & verified

May 27, 2026

**⚠ Verify the current spec with NIS before submitting.** The Nigeria Immigration Service does not publish detailed photo specifications on its public website. The numbers below reflect the ICAO biometric standard the e-Passport portal uses, but the authoritative test is the photo-upload validator on [passport.immigration.gov.ng](https://passport.immigration.gov.ng/) — upload your photo there before printing to confirm it passes.

## The official requirements

Because the NIS publishes no detailed photo spec of its own, the real test is the e-Passport portal validator, which holds your upload and the later biometric capture to the same ICAO standard. The numbers it enforces:

-   **Size:** 35×45 mm (width × height), portrait
-   **Background:** plain white, no patterns, gradients, or shadows
-   **Head size:** the face fills roughly 70–80% of the photo height, chin to crown
-   **Expression:** neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open and clearly visible
-   **Glasses:** not allowed — remove them, even prescription frames, unless a medical condition is documented
-   **Recency:** taken within the last 6 months
-   **Color:** color photo, even lighting, no filters or beauty mode

For the NIS portal upload, the photo is a JPEG and should be a clear, recent passport-style image — the portal rejects low-resolution files and anything that does not look like a head-and-shoulders shot.

## How to take a compliant photo

The portal upload is the first hurdle: applicants who skip past it with a casual phone shot usually get bounced and have to start the upload again. The setup that works:

1.  Stand about 1.5–2 metres from a plain white wall, with enough gap behind you that no shadow falls on it.
2.  Face a window so soft, even daylight hits your face from the front. Avoid overhead bulbs — they leave shadows under the eyes and nose, which the portal flags.
3.  Have someone else take it from chest height, phone held straight. Selfies distort the face and almost always frame the head wrong.
4.  Look directly at the camera, neutral expression, hair clear of the eyebrows and ears.
5.  Crop to a 35×45 mm portrait with the head filling about three-quarters of the height — or upload the shot to a tool that crops and validates to the NIS spec for you.

## Why photos get rejected

The portal’s automated checker and the NIS officers at the biometric desk reject the same handful of problems again and again. Each one, and the fix:

-   **Background not truly white** — a cream wall, a curtain, or a cast shadow reads as off-spec. Use a true white wall or replace the background.
-   **Head too small in the frame** — a wide phone shot leaves the face tiny. Re-crop tighter, or re-shoot from closer.
-   **Glasses left on** — automatic rejection without medical paperwork. Take them off.
-   **Smiling with teeth showing** — keep the mouth closed; a faint natural look is fine.
-   **Shadows on the face** — overhead light or sun from one side. Move to face a window and re-shoot.
-   **Low-resolution or blurry file** — the portal rejects fuzzy uploads. Shoot in your camera’s standard mode, not zoomed in.
-   **Filters, AI smoothing, or beauty mode** — turn them off; the image must look like you today.
-   **Photo older than 6 months** — it must reflect your current appearance.

## What to wear (and not wear)

The wardrobe trap in Nigeria is the white shirt, the standard office outfit that disappears into the white background the moment the photo is cropped. Pick a solid darker colour instead, then watch for the rest:

**Avoid:** glasses of any kind, hats or caps (other than daily-worn religious head coverings), headphones, large earrings or ornaments that change the visible shape of your face, and uniforms. A white agbada, a white shirt, or any very pale top blends into the white background, so wear a darker, solid colour.

**Fine:** ordinary everyday clothing, traditional Nigerian dress in a darker colour, light makeup that keeps your everyday appearance, religious head coverings worn daily (face fully visible from forehead to chin), and medical devices like hearing aids worn every day.

The wardrobe trap is the white shirt: it is the most common everyday Nigerian office outfit, and it disappears into the background when the photo is cropped — wear navy, dark green, dark grey, or another solid darker colour instead.

## Where to get your photo

The portal upload happens before you ever reach the passport office, so you need a photo first. Common options and trade-offs (in NGN, with rough US$ equivalents):

| Where | Price | Appointment | Speed | Digital file |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Neighbourhood photo studio (Lagos / Abuja / Port Harcourt) | ₦2,000–5,000 | No | Same day | Usually |
| Mall photo shop | ₦3,000–7,000 | No | Same day | Usually |
| Passport-office area photographer (outside NIS) | ₦1,500–3,000 | No | Minutes | Sometimes |
| Nigerian embassy / high commission photographer (diaspora) | varies by country | Sometimes | Same day | Usually |
| Online tool (this site) | ~₦1,500 (US$1) | No | ~2 minutes | Yes |

A neighbourhood studio is the dominant channel in Nigeria — they know the 35×45 mm spec and will hand you both prints and a JPEG on a flash drive or via WhatsApp. The photographers who set up near major passport offices in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt are fast and cheap, but the quality varies and you may need to redo the upload. Online is the cheapest route and gives you the JPEG you need for the NIS portal plus a print-ready sheet you can print at any photo shop. Whichever you choose, the photo only counts if it meets every rule above.

## Submitting your photo

The Nigerian e-Passport application has two photo touch-points, and they catch different mistakes:

**Step 1 — NIS portal upload.** You start the application at the immigration.gov.ng e-Passport portal, complete the form, pay the fee, and upload your JPEG. The portal’s automated checker will reject low-resolution files, off-white backgrounds, and obviously non-compliant shots before letting you proceed. Re-upload until it passes.

**Step 2 — Biometric capture at the passport office.** You then book a slot at a NIS passport office (or a Nigerian embassy abroad), and an officer captures a fresh biometric photo, your fingerprints, and your signature at the counter. The uploaded photo is still on file — bring a printed copy as backup in case the officer asks for one or the system flags a discrepancy.

**Diaspora applications.** Nigerians abroad apply through the embassy or high commission in their country of residence (UK, US, Canada, UAE are the largest). The portal flow is the same; biometric capture happens at the consular section by appointment. Applying from Canada? We have a [step-by-step renewal walkthrough](https://onedollarpassportphoto.com/nigerian-passport-renewal-canada/) covering the NIN check, the photo upload, and the Ottawa appointment.

## Babies, kids & special situations

**Infants and toddlers** follow the same rules — plain white background, no pacifiers, no hands or arms in the frame, both eyes open where possible. Lay the baby on a plain white sheet and shoot from directly above. A slightly open mouth is usually tolerated for newborns.

**Religious head coverings** are allowed when worn daily — hijab, headwrap, or any covering — provided the face is fully visible from forehead to chin and there is no shadow across the face.

**Glasses** are not permitted, even prescription. If you wear them daily, take them off for the shot. The only exception is a documented medical condition, and you should bring the supporting note to the biometric appointment.

**Medical devices** such as hearing aids worn every day are fine and should be visible in the photo.

### Sources & References

This guide is fact-checked against official government publications and updated regularly to reflect the latest requirements.

1.  \[1\]
    
    [Nigeria Immigration Service — e-Passport application portal](https://immigration.gov.ng/passport/)
    
    immigration.gov.ng
    
2.  \[2\]
    
    [Nigeria Immigration Service — homepage](https://immigration.gov.ng/)
    
    immigration.gov.ng