Papua New Guinea Driving Licence Photo — Exact Size & Requirements

A compliant portrait for your Papua New Guinea driving licence must conform to the national 35x45 mm identity-photo standard administered by the Road Traffic Authority (RTA). Getting the dimensions, background tone, and framing right the first time means your appointment at an RTA registration counter goes smoothly and without delay.

Unlike many countries where applicants submit a printed photo with their application, Papua New Guinea driving licence portraits are captured digitally on-site by RTA staff at registration counters. There is no photo envelope to bring to the desk. What a reference image does for you is equally valuable: you arrive knowing exactly what the required framing looks like, you can present it as a guide to the on-site camera operator, and you have a ready compliant image for any visa application, government form, or other document that does accept submitted photos — PNG included several of these.

• Print size: 35 × 45 mm (digital equivalent: 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi)
• Background colour: light grey, hex #ECECEC — plain and uniform, free of shadows or patterns
• Face coverage: your face must fill 70–80 % of the total frame height — neither cropped too close nor dwarfed by excess space above the head
• Expression: neutral, relaxed, mouth closed — no smiling, frowning, or raised eyebrows
• Glasses: not permitted in any form, including tinted, prescription, or reading glasses
• Headwear: permitted only for verified religious reasons; the face from forehead to chin must remain fully visible
• Recency: the image should reflect your current appearance — taken within the last six months
• Gaze: look directly into the camera lens; eyes must be open and clearly visible
• Lighting: even illumination across the face with no harsh shadows on the background or under the chin

Common reasons portraits are rejected at RTA counters in Papua New Guinea:

• Wrong background tone: warm, yellow, or off-white backgrounds do not meet the light-grey (#ECECEC) requirement — a common mistake when repurposing passport photos taken against pure white
• Glasses worn during capture: the RTA standard explicitly bars all eyewear; even thin wire-frame glasses will require a retake at the counter
• Face too small in the frame: applicants who stand too far from the camera fall below the 70 % face-height threshold, and the image must be recaptured
• Uneven or shadowed lighting: shadow cast by headwear or a poorly lit room creates dark patches the system flags as non-compliant

Use our tool to produce a perfectly dimensioned, standard-compliant reference image from any clear photo taken on your phone or camera. Upload your picture, and it is automatically cropped and sized to the exact 35 × 45 mm RTA specification with the correct light-grey background. A free watermarked preview lets you check the framing before you decide to download the full file. Walk into your RTA appointment knowing precisely what the compliant portrait looks like — and keep the file ready for any other document or visa that requires a submitted photo.