Brunei Residence Card Photo — Exact Size & Requirements

A photo accepted by the Brunei Immigration Department on the first attempt is the foundation of any smooth Residence Card or Long-Term Pass application. The department applies the same strict passport-style standard it uses for national travel documents — meaning the margin for error is narrow and the criteria are identical to those used at border control checkpoints across Brunei Darussalam.

Brunei's residence and long-term pass photo specification mirrors the national passport photo standard. This is by design: the Immigration Department centralises all photo requirements under one shared framework so that officers reviewing any document — whether a national IC, a passport, or a residence permit — apply the same trained eye. The practical consequence for applicants is that photographs prepared for a Brunei passport are equally valid for the Residence Card, and any deviation that would fail a passport photo will equally fail a residence permit photo. There are no relaxed rules for long-stay holders, and no colour-tinted or gradient backgrounds are permitted under any circumstances.

• Print size: 40 × 52 mm (digital equivalent: 945 × 1228 px at 600 dpi)
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) — no off-white, cream, or light grey
• Face coverage: the face must fill 63–70% of the total frame height
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking directly at the lens
• Glasses: not permitted regardless of prescription or tint
• Head coverings: permitted only for religious reasons (e.g. tudung/hijab); the full face must remain unobscured
• Recency: taken within the last six months, accurately reflecting current appearance
• Lighting: uniform, no shadows on the face or background
• Photo quality: sharp focus, no pixelation, no digital filters or retouching

• Common reasons Brunei Residence Card photos are rejected:
• Background is not pure white. Off-white, ivory, or light grey backgrounds are regularly flagged — the department specifies #FFFFFF, and officers are trained to spot deviations under controlled lighting.
• Face coverage outside the 63–70% range. A head that is too small (common in casual selfies) or too large (cropped too tight) fails the standardised measurement check.
• Glasses present. Even clear-lens frames are disallowed. This is a hard rule with no medical exception under the current Immigration Department guidelines.
• Shadows on face or background. Photos taken indoors under uneven lighting frequently produce chin shadows or a gradient on the background — both are grounds for rejection at the counter.

To prepare a compliant photo, upload any clear, front-facing picture you already have. The service automatically crops, resizes, and adjusts the image to the exact 40 × 52 mm (945 × 1228 px) Immigration Department standard — including background correction to pure white. You receive a free watermarked preview before paying a single cent, so you can verify the result yourself. Pay only for the final download. If the photo is rejected by the authorities, we will redo it free of charge or issue a full refund — that is the acceptance guarantee. No reprints, no queues, no guesswork.