Costa Rica Passport Photo: Exact 35x45 mm Standard Made Simple
Get a perfectly standard-compliant Costa Rica passport reference photo at 35x45 mm on a white background, prepared to the exact specification used by Migracion.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Costa Rica does not accept a self-prepared photo. By law it must be captured on site by an authorised service and submitted electronically, so we cannot produce a submittable file for it. The official specification is shown below so you know exactly what to expect at your appointment.
This photo is captured on site — but we can make your Costa Rica photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Costa Rica Passport photo has strict requirements, and a mistake costs time and money. We’ll show you how to pass on the first try.
It gets rejected
Wrong size, background or cropping — and the system returns the application.
Expensive and slow
A trip to a photo studio means a queue, time and €7–12 for a reshoot.
Confusing requirements
Exact size, head height, light background, facial expression — easy to get wrong.
Redo it all over
Rejected — take another photo, pay and submit again. Round and round.
«Below are the exact requirements from the official source, so you arrive at your appointment prepared.»
Ordinary photo → ready for submission
We remove the background and clutter, set the framing and lighting — keeping your face without «beautifying».
Your face stays yours — we do not change features, only the background, lighting and framing.
Your Passport photo: what matters
A Costa Rica passport photo must follow the 35x45 mm standard set by the Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria, the authority that issues every Costa Rican passport. Our tool prepares your picture to that exact official specification automatically, cropping and centring the face so you can see precisely how a compliant image must look.
Costa Rica handles passport photos differently from most countries, and this is the single most important thing to understand: you do not bring a photo. For applications filed inside the country, your photograph is captured live on-site at a Migracion office, at a partner branch of Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), or at Correos de Costa Rica. A self-made or printed photo is not used for domestic applications. A physical photo is only required for consular submissions abroad, where the standard is a color image 4.5 cm high by 3.5 cm wide (35x45 mm) on a white background.
Whether the photo is taken on-site or supplied to a consulate, the technical requirements are identical:
- Size: 35x45 mm (413x531 px)
- Background: plain white (#FFFFFF), evenly lit, no shadows
- Face size: the head fills 70-80% of the frame height
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking forward
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: forbidden, including hats and decorative items
- Recency: must reflect your current appearance, taken within the last 6 months
- Common reasons photos are rejected in Costa Rica:
- Wearing glasses, which Migracion no longer permits even without glare
- A grey, cream or off-white background instead of pure white
- Smiling or an open mouth instead of a neutral, closed-mouth expression
- A head that is too small or too large relative to the 70-80% frame rule
To get your image, upload any clear front-facing photo and it is automatically cropped to the exact Costa Rican standard. Please note honestly: because Migracion now captures the passport photo digitally on-site at its offices, BCR or Correos, a downloaded or self-made photo is generally not accepted for domestic submission. Use this tool to prepare a fully standard-compliant reference image, to know exactly how you should look at your appointment, or for consular and other purposes where a physical photo is requested.
What an accepted Passport photo looks like
Costa Rica · 35 × 45 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 35 × 45 mm · 413 × 531 px
- Background
- White plain
- Head in frame
- 70–80%
- Glasses
- Not allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Not allowed
- File
- JPG · ≤ 2 MB
Print size is 35 × 45 mm and the digital file is 413 × 531 px.
Official requirements source: migracion.go.cr, embajadadecostarica.org
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Costa Rica Passport photo gets rejected — and how to avoid them. Compare good and bad shots.
1Format and freshness
A color photo taken no more than 6 months ago.
2Lighting and background
Even light with no shadows on the face; a plain light background, without glare.
3Head position
Face head-on, head centered, no tilt or turn.
4Facial expression
Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera.
5Glasses and accessories
No glasses (especially sunglasses); eyes fully visible, without glare.
6Headwear
Only for religious reasons and not covering the face — the face fully visible.
7Clothing
Ordinary everyday clothes; no uniforms or face-covering clothing.
Common questions about Costa Rica Passport photos
Can I use a self-made photo for a Costa Rica passport?
What is the official size for a Costa Rica passport photo?
Where is the photo taken for a Costa Rica passport?
Are glasses allowed in a Costa Rica passport photo?
What background colour is required?
Can I smile in the photo?
Your photo is protected
A photo is personal data, so we handle it carefully and in line with GDPR. We process it only to prepare the document and delete it within clear deadlines.
- Only with consentWe process the photo only after your explicit consent before upload.
- Auto-deletionWe delete the source photo within a day, the ready file after 7 days.
- No sharing with third partiesYour photos are not sold or used to train any third-party systems.
- Deletion on requestYou can ask to delete your data at any time — with a single request.