Mali Driving Licence Photo — Exact 35×45 mm Standard

A correctly prepared photo is the first checkpoint for your Mali permis de conduire (driving licence). The official requirement follows the ICAO biometric portrait standard: 35×45 mm (827×1063 px), plain white background, and a face that fills 71–80 % of the frame height. Meeting these numbers precisely means the counter clerk accepts your dossier without sending you back to the photo studio.

Mali's driving licence system sits at a practical crossroads: modern licences are increasingly captured biometrically at issuing centres, yet the majority of prefectural offices and ANASER (Agence Nationale de la Sécurité Routière) application points still require applicants to submit a printed 35×45 mm paper photograph. Knowing which route your local office uses matters — but bringing a compliant paper photo guarantees you are covered either way. The format is identical to an international ICAO passport photo, so a photo prepared to this standard will not be questioned.

• Size: 35×45 mm (digital: 827×1063 px at 300 dpi)
• Background: solid white (#FFFFFF) — no shadows, patterns, or gradients
• Face coverage: your face must occupy 71–80 % of the total frame height
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking directly at the camera
• Glasses: permitted only if the eyes are fully visible, with no tinted lenses and no reflective glare on the lenses
• Head covering: allowed for religious reasons only; must not obscure the face or cast shadows
• Recency: photo must be taken within the last 6 months and accurately reflect your current appearance

• Common reasons photos are rejected in Mali:
• Off-white or cream background — even a slight warm tone fails the white-background rule
• Face too small in the frame — a common issue with phone selfies taken at arm's length, leaving the face below the 71 % minimum
• Shadows behind the head or under the chin — particularly frequent with home photos taken near a wall without proper lighting
• Sunglasses or lightly tinted lenses — even pale fashion tints are refused because they obscure the eyes in the biometric check

To get your photo ready: upload any clear recent snapshot — the service automatically crops and scales it to the exact 35×45 mm official dimensions, corrects the background to pure white, and checks that face coverage is within the required range. You see a free watermarked preview before any payment, so you can confirm it looks right. If the printed photo is ever rejected by the issuing office, it will be redone free of charge or fully refunded — you only pay for the final file you are happy with.