Mauritius Residence Card Photo — Exact Requirements & 35×45 mm Size

Getting your Mauritius residence card photo right the first time saves you an unnecessary return visit to the Passport and Immigration Office or an Economic Development Board (EDB) processing centre. The photo standard for residence permit applications mirrors the national passport specification precisely — 35×45 mm, light background, neutral expression — and any deviation that would fail a passport application will equally cause a residence card submission to be returned.

Unlike many countries that maintain separate photo standards for different document types, Mauritius applies a single unified specification across all official identity documents. Both the EDB and the Passport and Immigration Office require applicants to supply recent passport-size photographs compliant with this one national standard. "Recent" in practice means taken within the last six months, and the photo must reflect your current appearance — including any changes in hairstyle, facial hair, or physical features since a previous application. Officers compare the submitted photo to the applicant in person at the counter.

• Size: 35×45 mm (827×1063 pixels at 600 dpi)
• Background: plain light grey/white (#F5F5F5); no shadows, patterns, or colour gradients
• Face coverage: face must fill between 50% and 75% of the total frame height
• Expression: neutral, relaxed, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible
• Glasses: not permitted under any circumstances — including clear or transparent frames
• Head coverings: permitted only for documented religious reasons; full face must remain visible
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months and reflecting current appearance
• Retouching: no filters, digital alterations to facial features, or beautification effects

Common reasons photos are rejected in Mauritius:

• Glasses on the face — even clear or frameless glasses are refused; the Mauritius national standard explicitly prohibits all eyewear
• Background too dark or visibly shadowed — the required tone is near-white (#F5F5F5); a shadow cast behind the applicant is one of the most frequent causes of rejection
• Incorrect face proportion — a face filling less than 50% of the frame height (applicant too far back) or more than 75% (too close, forehead cropped) will be returned without exception
• Outdated photo or changed appearance — officers at the counter check the photo against the applicant in person; photos older than six months or showing a significantly different appearance are routinely declined

Upload a clear, front-facing photo taken in good, even light. It is automatically measured and cropped to the exact 35×45 mm format required by the Mauritius Passport and Immigration Office — no manual editing needed on your part. Before you pay anything, you receive a free watermarked preview to confirm the result is correct. If the final photo is rejected by the issuing authority, we redo it at no cost or issue a full refund. You pay only for the file you are fully satisfied with.