Malaysia Work Permit Photo — Exact Official Requirements & Compliant Prints

A correctly prepared photo is one of the fastest ways to avoid delays in your Malaysia work permit or Employment Pass application. The Immigration Department of Malaysia (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia) applies the national passport-photo standard to all work authorisation documents — including the Employment Pass (EP), Professional Visit Pass, and the foreign-worker PLKS card — which means the same strict white-background, neutral-expression format used for a Malaysian passport is required here.

One important detail that catches many applicants off-guard: Malaysia officially specifies 35×50 mm for work-permit submissions, yet some legacy application channels — particularly older PLKS employer-batch systems and certain third-party agents — still circulate the older 35×45 mm (visa-style) instruction sheets. If your employer or application portal explicitly requests 35×45 mm, follow that instruction. For all other channels, including the standard online Employment Pass system, use the 35×50 mm format. When in doubt, bring both sizes; the extra print costs almost nothing compared to a rejected application.

• Dimensions: 35×50 mm (413×591 px at 300 dpi) — the standard submission size
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF); any off-white, grey, or patterned background will be refused
• Face coverage: your face must occupy between 50% and 60% of the frame height, measured from chin to crown
• Expression: neutral and relaxed, mouth closed, eyes fully open and looking directly at the camera
• Glasses: not permitted under any circumstances — remove all eyewear before photographing
• Head covering: permitted only for genuine religious observance (hijab, turban, etc.); no fashion hats or caps
• Recency: the photo must have been taken within the last six months
• Print quality: matte or semi-gloss finish on photo-grade paper; no inkjet home prints

• Common reasons photos are rejected for Malaysia work permits:
• Wrong size submitted: presenting a 35×45 mm photo on a portal that requires 35×50 mm (or vice versa) is one of the most frequent — and most avoidable — rejection causes
• Shadows on the white background: Malaysia's processing officers are trained to flag any grey gradient behind the subject; a home shoot against a pale wall almost always fails this check
• Glasses still on: unlike some countries that allow plain-lens glasses with no glare, Malaysia's Immigration Department has a blanket prohibition — even thin wire frames are grounds for rejection
• Head not centred or tilted: the face-coverage ratio is checked precisely; a photo where the chin is cropped or the head is tilted more than a few degrees will not pass the automated pre-screening used in the online EP portal

Upload your photo and it will be automatically cropped, resized, and colour-corrected to meet the exact 35×50 mm Immigration Department standard — white background, correct face ratio, ready to submit. You receive a free watermarked preview before any payment so you can confirm the result yourself. If the document office rejects your photo for any compliance reason, it will be redone at no charge or you receive a full refund. Pay only for the final file, only when you are satisfied.