Bhutan Driving Licence Photo — Official Requirements & How to Prepare

A compliant photo for the Bhutan driving licence must satisfy the standard set by the Bureau of Law and Order — the authority that issues smart-card driving licences in Bhutan, formerly the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA). The specification is clear: a 35×45 mm portrait on a pure white background, with the face occupying 70–80% of the total frame height, a neutral expression, and mouth closed.

One distinctive feature of the Bhutan driving licence process is that your photograph is captured digitally at the licensing office on the day of your appointment — applicants do not hand in a printed photo. The 35×45 mm white-background standard is Bhutan's national proxy specification, defining precisely what a compliant image must look like. Knowing these requirements before you arrive means your appearance is exactly right the moment the lens is pointed at you — and the same compliant image is immediately reusable for a Bhutan visa application, a government ID renewal, or any other document that does accept a submitted photograph.

• Print size: 35×45 mm (413×531 pixels at 300 dpi)
• Background: pure white (#FFFFFF) — no shadows, patterns, or gradients
• Face height: 70–80% of the total frame height
• Expression: neutral and relaxed, mouth closed
• Eyes: open, fully visible, looking straight at the camera
• Glasses: permitted only if both eyes are completely visible — no reflective glare, no tinted, coloured, or photochromic lenses
• Headwear: not permitted except for recognised religious observance
• Recency: photo taken within the last 6 months

Common reasons photos fail the Bhutan driving licence standard:

• Background not pure white — even a slightly off-white, cream, or grey backdrop will not pass
• Glasses with reflective glare or tinted, photochromic lenses that partially obscure the eyes
• Non-religious headwear — only head coverings worn as part of a recognised religious observance are accepted
• Face proportion outside the 70–80% range — too small or too large in the frame fails the standard immediately

Since the Bureau of Law and Order captures your photo digitally at the appointment, there is no printed photograph to bring on the day. Preparing a reference image in advance gives you a clear benchmark: you see exactly how your hair, eyewear, and overall framing should appear before you step in. Upload your photo, receive a free watermarked preview in seconds — the tool automatically resizes and crops it to the exact 35×45 mm standard — then download the finished, print-ready file whenever you are ready. The same image works directly for a Bhutan visa or any other official document that accepts a submitted photo.