Niger Passport Photo — Exact ECOWAS Biometric Requirements

A compliant photo for a Niger passport must meet the ECOWAS biometric standard administered by the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST) and the national police passport centres. Getting the dimensions, background, and pose exactly right is the first step to a smooth enrollment appointment — and a ready reference image means you know precisely what a compliant photo looks like before you walk through the door.

Niger issues the ECOWAS biometric passport, a regional travel document shared across the Economic Community of West African States. What sets the Niger enrollment process apart is that the passport photo and biometric data — fingerprints and facial scan — are captured digitally on-site at the DST passport centre; applicants do not submit a printed photograph with the application form. This means the reference photo you prepare serves a clear and practical purpose: it shows you exactly how you should look and be framed at the live capture station, and it gives you a ready compliant image for visas, ID cards, and other documents that do require a submitted print.

• Size: 35 × 45 mm (827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi)
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) — no patterns, shadows, or gradients
• Face coverage: the face must fill 70–80% of the frame height
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open and clearly visible
• Glasses: not permitted under the ECOWAS biometric standard
• Head covering: only permitted for documented religious reasons; the full face must remain unobstructed
• Recency: the reference photo should reflect your current appearance (taken within the last six months)
• Lighting: even, no shadows on the face or background

Common reasons photos are rejected at Niger passport centres:

• Non-white or off-white background — even a slightly grey or cream background fails the ECOWAS biometric scan; the background must be pure white (#FFFFFF)
• Face coverage outside the 70–80% range — a face that is too small or too close to the edges is flagged during the biometric measurement step
• Glasses of any kind — prescription glasses, sunglasses, and tinted lenses are all prohibited; the ECOWAS standard has a zero-exception rule on eyewear
• Head tilted or turned — the subject must face the camera directly, head level; even a slight tilt causes a biometric alignment failure

Use our tool to upload your photo and have it automatically cropped to the exact 35 × 45 mm ECOWAS specification — correct dimensions, white background, and proper face framing, all checked in seconds. You can preview a watermarked version for free before downloading. The result is a reference image you can show at the DST centre to confirm your appearance is compliant, keep on file for visa applications, or hand to a certified photographer for a print.