What are the photo requirements for a New Zealand visa?

It depends on how you apply. Online, INZ sets the file and shape rather than the print size: portrait, a 3:4 aspect ratio, JPG or JPEG, and a file size between 512 KB and 3.14 MB. If a professional photographer supplies the file, INZ says it should be under 10 MB. On paper, the photo is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high.

• Online: portrait, 3:4 ratio, JPG or JPEG, 512 KB to 3.14 MB.
• From a professional photographer: INZ says it is more likely to accept the photo, and the file should be under 10 MB.
• Paper application: 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. The paper form carries its own instructions too.

A phone photo resized in an editing app is where most upload errors start: cropping can push the file below the minimum size or change the ratio. Start from the original file and crop to 3:4 rather than shrinking it.

INZ asks that your face covers 70% to 80% of the image and sits in the middle of the frame, looking straight at the camera with your head not turned or tilted. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and your eyes open.

On distance, INZ suggests standing about 0.5 m in front of the background with the photographer about 1.5 m in front of you. That spacing is what keeps shadows off the wall behind you.

Glasses: prescription glasses are allowed if the lenses are clear, not tinted, the frames are not heavy, and there is no glare. If you can take them off, it removes one reason for a rejection.

Head coverings: remove them unless they are worn for religious or medical reasons. Where one is worn, it must not cover your mouth or the sides of your face. Hair should not cover your face or ears, except where a religious or medical scarf is worn.

A plain, neutral background showing only you, with good contrast between you and it, and no shadows on your face or the background. Avoid patterned backgrounds and patterned clothing, including t-shirts with pictures on them. The photo must be in focus.

INZ rules out anything that changes the image: filters, beautification, AI editing, changes to colour or sharpness, cutting you out onto a plain background, and digitally removing objects. It also asks you to turn off any automatic filtering on your phone camera, and says the photo must not be a photo of a photo.

• Turn off portrait, beauty and AI modes before taking it.
• Do not replace the background in an app. Stand in front of a real plain wall instead.
• Do not photograph a printed photo or a screen.
• Use a photo taken within the last 6 months.

Only for an NZeTA requested through the NZeTA mobile app. INZ's tips for that: stretch your arm out fully, hold the phone at eyebrow height, and have the light source behind the phone. For a visa application, have someone else take the photo, or use a professional.

Once the photo is ready, it slots into step four of the five steps in order. Fees for the visa itself are in our visa fees lookup.