PASSPORT
Maldives Passport Photo Standard Guide
Requirement for Photo Standards
This is the photo standard specifically designed for Maldivian passport.
The following photographic guideline will assist the applicant to submit acceptable photos. Additionally, this guideline will be followed to process other identification documents of Maldives Immigration.
This revised guideline aligns with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) specifications for Machine Readable Travel Documents. Itis the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the photo submitted meets with the requirements in this guideline. However, applicants with special needs and other exceptional cases will be considered.
High-quality photos are essential for the perfect reproduction of the image and are a prerequisite for using facial biometrics in passports. Hence, it is absolutely necessary to comply with the requirements described in the guideline.
Second generation Maldivian E-passports are made of polycarbonate biographic page, images printed on the passport (VIZ) would be on black & white grey scale. In order to cater for this the following points must be considered;
Bald headed people, people with white hair and people with fair skin tone may not appear evidently on a white background.
Light colored attires and hijabs may not appear clearly on a white background. It is always advisable to wear a darker shade of clothe when taking pictures for passports and other identification documents.
Sample Photo
01 Format
- The photo must clearly show the person’s facial features from the bottom of the chin to the crown (the top of the head, not the top of the hair) as well as the left and right sides of the face.
- The face must take up 70-80% of the photo. This corresponds to a height of 32-36mm.
- It is often difficult to determine where the top of the head would be without hair, photos should be rejected only if the face measures less than 27mm or more than 40mm.
02 FOCUS AND CONTRAST
- The photo must be in sharp focus, clear and with proper contrast
03 LIGHTING AND EDITING
- Photos must be taken with even lighting; shadows, reflections and red eyes are to be avoided
- Sharp edge edits on the photo will - not be accepted.
04 BACKGROUND & BORDERS
- The background must be in white colour in contrast with face and hair.
- The background must not be patterned.
- The photo must not include any borders.
- The photo must show only the person to be photographed (no other persons or objects in the photo).
05 PHOTO QUALITY
- The photo must be printed on high-quality paper with a print resolution of at least 600 dpi (especially when taken with a digital camera).
- The photo must be clean, undamaged, and free of creases.
- Photo must not be damaged by staples, pins, paper clips, folding, ink marks or pen indentations.
- The photo must be taken with in the last 30 days.
06 HEAD POSITION AND FACIAL EXPRESSION
- The head of the person photographed should be neither tilted nor turned (portrait style).
- The facial expression must be neutral with the mouth closed and looking directly at the camera.
07 EYES AND LINE OF SIGHT
- The person in the photo must be looking directly at the camera.
- The eyes must be open and clearly visible and must not be covered by hair or eyeglass frames.
- Flash reflection on the lenses or sunglasses are unacceptable.
- The edge of the lenses or frames should not cover any part of the eyes.
08 HEAD COVERINGS
- Hats or head coverings are not permitted; exceptions may be made, in particular for religious reasons (women wearing hijab)
- If a head covering is allowed, the face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the crown.
09 ACCESSORIES: FACIAL ORNAMENTS AND MAKE-UP
- Any facial ornaments that obscure the face shall not be worn.
- Make-ups that are non-neutral and deceiving look shall not be worn.
10 CHILDREN
- For children aged 09 and under, the face should take up 50-80% of the photo from the bottom of the chin to the crown (the top of the head, not the top of the hair) and should measure between 22 and 36mm.
- It is often difficult to determine where face the top of the head would be without hair, photos should be rejected only if the face measures less than 17mm or more than 40mm.
11 BABIES
- For children aged 5 and under, the face should take up 50-80% of the photo from the bottom of the chin to the crown.
- Children aged 5 and under do not need to have a neutral expression or look directly at the camera, and their heads do not have to be centred in the photo.
12 ATTIRE
- It is important to wear a darker shade of attire as the photo must have a white background.
- Light shade of clothes will blend in with the background of the photo.
- Photos taken in uniforms will not be accepted if it has any components of the uniform.
12 OTHERS
- In all cases, a soft copy of the photo will be required.
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