Sri Lanka Passport Photo: Exact 35x45 mm Standard Made Simple
Get a perfectly standard-compliant Sri Lanka passport photo reference at the exact 35x45 mm ICAO size, with honest guidance on the Department's on-site digital capture rule.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Sri Lanka does not accept a self-prepared photo. By law it must be captured on site by an authorised service and submitted electronically, so we cannot produce a submittable file for it. The official specification is shown below so you know exactly what to expect at your appointment.
This photo is captured on site — but we can make your Sri Lanka photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Sri Lanka Passport photo has strict requirements, and a mistake costs time and money. We’ll show you how to pass on the first try.
It gets rejected
Wrong size, background or cropping — and the system returns the application.
Expensive and slow
A trip to a photo studio means a queue, time and €7–12 for a reshoot.
Confusing requirements
Exact size, head height, light background, facial expression — easy to get wrong.
Redo it all over
Rejected — take another photo, pay and submit again. Round and round.
«Below are the exact requirements from the official source, so you arrive at your appointment prepared.»
Ordinary photo → ready for submission
We remove the background and clutter, set the framing and lighting — keeping your face without «beautifying».
Your face stays yours — we do not change features, only the background, lighting and framing.
Your Passport photo: what matters
A Sri Lanka passport photo must be a recent, ICAO-compliant colour image that meets the exact technical standard set by the Department of Immigration & Emigration. The photo has to be taken within the last 6 months and reproduce your true current appearance, because biometric matching at submission is strict and the most common cause of delay is an outdated or non-standard picture.
The most important peculiarity to understand is how Sri Lanka now collects the image. Inside Sri Lanka, the Department no longer accepts printed photographs. Applicants must visit an authorised studio or the office itself, where the image is captured digitally and transmitted online directly to the Department — there is no longer a way to hand in a self-printed or self-supplied photo domestically. For overseas and embassy applications, the rule is different: you must provide three matt-finish printed photos at 35x45 mm. Knowing which path applies to you prevents a wasted trip.
The exact specification you must match:
- Size: 35x45 mm (827x1063 px)
- Background: plain pure white (#FFFFFF)
- Face height: 70-80% of the frame
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: none, except plain religious head covering that does not hide the face
- Recency: taken within the last 6 months
Common reasons photos are rejected in Sri Lanka:
- Submitting a self-printed or downloaded photo domestically, where only on-site digital capture is accepted
- Overseas applicants supplying glossy prints instead of the required matt finish
- Glasses, tinted lenses or glare hiding the eyes
- Shadows or a grey/off-white background instead of pure white, or the face sized outside the 70-80% range
Our tool automatically crops and formats your own picture to this exact official standard, so you instantly see how a fully compliant 35x45 mm reference image should look. Be aware of the honest limit: for the Sri Lanka passport, the Department requires the photo to be captured digitally on-site by an authorised studio with secure upload, so a self-made photo generally cannot be submitted domestically. Use the result to check composition, prepare for your appointment, brief your photographer, or for an overseas matt print — a transparent, reliable way to know exactly what "compliant" means before you go.
What an accepted Passport photo looks like
Sri Lanka · 35 × 45 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 35 × 45 mm · 827 × 1063 px
- Background
- White plain
- Head in frame
- 70–80%
- Glasses
- Not allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Only for religious reasons
- File
- JPG · ≤ 500 KB
Print size is 35 × 45 mm and the digital file is 827 × 1063 px.
Official requirements source: immigration.gov.lk, embassyofsrilankauae.com
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Sri Lanka Passport photo gets rejected — and how to avoid them. Compare good and bad shots.
1Format and freshness
A color photo taken no more than 6 months ago.
2Lighting and background
Even light with no shadows on the face; a plain light background, without glare.
3Head position
Face head-on, head centered, no tilt or turn.
4Facial expression
Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera.
5Glasses and accessories
No glasses (especially sunglasses); eyes fully visible, without glare.
6Headwear
Only for religious reasons and not covering the face — the face fully visible.
7Clothing
Ordinary everyday clothes; no uniforms or face-covering clothing.
Common questions about Sri Lanka Passport photos
What size is a Sri Lanka passport photo?
Can I use a self-made or downloaded photo for my Sri Lanka passport?
Why does Sri Lanka not accept printed photos anymore?
What do overseas and embassy applicants need?
Are glasses allowed in a Sri Lanka passport photo?
Is headwear allowed?
Your photo is protected
A photo is personal data, so we handle it carefully and in line with GDPR. We process it only to prepare the document and delete it within clear deadlines.
- Only with consentWe process the photo only after your explicit consent before upload.
- Auto-deletionWe delete the source photo within a day, the ready file after 7 days.
- No sharing with third partiesYour photos are not sold or used to train any third-party systems.
- Deletion on requestYou can ask to delete your data at any time — with a single request.