Sierra Leone Visa Photo — Exact Size, Background & Requirements

Your Sierra Leone visa application — whether submitted through the official e-Visa portal or at a consulate — requires a photograph that meets the same standard as a Sierra Leone passport photo: 35×45 mm (827×1063 px) with a plain white or very light background, neutral expression, and your face filling 70–80% of the frame height. Submitting a non-compliant photo is the single most common reason e-Visa applications stall, because the portal's upload tool flags dimension and background errors automatically.

One detail that catches many applicants off guard: Sierra Leone shares its photo specification with its national passport standard, meaning the requirements are applied strictly and with little tolerance for deviation. The background must be pure white (#FFFFFF) or an equally neutral, plain light tone — no off-white, no grey gradients, no blurred backgrounds that blend into the subject's clothing. Because the e-Visa portal accepts a digitally uploaded photo file, the image you submit is reviewed both by software and by a consular officer, so both pixel dimensions and visible quality must be correct. A photo taken in good natural light against a white wall at home can work perfectly — provided the cropping and sizing are done precisely to the 35×45 mm ratio.

• Size: 35×45 mm / 827×1063 px
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) or light neutral — no patterns, shadows, or gradients
• Face coverage: face must fill 70–80% of the total frame height
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes fully open and looking directly at the camera
• Glasses: not allowed under any circumstances
• Headwear: not permitted, except for documented religious observance
• Recency: photo must have been taken within the last 6 months and reflect your current appearance
• Print quality (if submitting in person): high-resolution, colour photograph on photo-quality paper — no pixelation or visible compression artefacts

• Common reasons Sierra Leone visa photos are rejected:
• Off-white or cream background that photographs as grey — the portal and consular review both flag any deviation from a plain white field
• Glasses left on — even prescription glasses with thin, clear frames are not permitted; this rule has no exceptions beyond a documented medical waiver
• Face too small in the frame — a frequent issue when using a standard portrait photo not re-cropped to the 70–80% face-height requirement
• Incorrect aspect ratio — submitting a square or 4×6 cm photo instead of the required 35×45 mm (roughly 3:4) is an automatic rejection on the e-Visa portal upload step

Upload your photo to our service and it is automatically measured, cropped, and resized to the exact 35×45 mm / 827×1063 px specification with a white background — precisely as required for the Sierra Leone e-Visa portal. Before you pay anything, you receive a free watermarked preview so you can confirm the result. If the finished photo is ever rejected by the issuing authority, we will redo it at no charge or issue a full refund — you pay only for a photo that is ready to submit.