Papua New Guinea Work Permit Photo — Exact Official Standard

A work permit photo for Papua New Guinea must meet the national passport-photo standard enforced by the Department of Labour & Industrial Relations (DLIR). Submitting a photo that deviates from this standard is one of the most common — and most avoidable — reasons an employment visa or work permit application is delayed or returned. The photo you submit is automatically prepared to the exact measurements and background the DLIR requires, so it is ready for first-time acceptance.

Papua New Guinea work permits are processed jointly by two authorities: the DLIR, which issues the permit itself, and the Immigration & Citizenship Authority (ICA), which issues the paired employment/work visa. Because both agencies handle your paperwork, photos are typically required in two printed copies — one for each authority. The standard applied is the same national 35×45 mm passport-photo format used across all PNG official documents: full face visible, light-coloured background, no hat, no tinted or prescription glasses. Foreign nationals applying from outside PNG should confirm print quantities with their visa agent or the nearest PNG diplomatic mission, as some offices request additional prints for local records.

• Size: 35 × 45 mm (digital: 413 × 531 px)
• Background: plain light grey — specifically #ECECEC; dark, patterned, or coloured backgrounds are rejected
• Face coverage: face must fill 70–80% of the frame height — neither too distant nor cropped too tightly
• Expression: neutral, relaxed, mouth closed
• Glasses: not allowed — remove all glasses, including clear-lens frames
• Headwear: permitted only for verified religious reasons; no fashion hats, caps, or scarves
• Recency: photo must have been taken within the last 6 months
• Eyes: open, clearly visible, looking directly at the camera; no red-eye, reflections, or shadows across the face

• Common reasons PNG work permit photos are rejected:
• Wrong background tone: a cream, white, or off-white background is frequently substituted — the DLIR standard specifies a defined light grey; stark white is not equivalent
• Glasses left on: unlike some countries where clear lenses are tolerated, PNG work permit rules explicitly prohibit all glasses without exception
• Insufficient face coverage: applicants photographed too far from the camera produce a face that occupies less than 70% of frame height — a consistent reason for return at both DLIR and ICA counters
• Outdated photo: photos older than six months — even if technically compliant in every other respect — are routinely refused, particularly for ICA employment visa processing

To get your compliant photo: upload any clear, recent snapshot taken against a reasonably plain background. Your photo is automatically cropped, resized, and corrected to the exact 35×45 mm DLIR standard — background, face position, and proportions included. Before you pay a single kina, you receive a free watermarked preview so you can see exactly what will be printed. If for any reason the submitted photo is rejected by the authorities, we will redo it free of charge or provide a full refund. You pay only for the final file, only when you are satisfied.