The Subject

• Should be facing towards camera and looking straight at the camera
• Have a plain, neutral expression and mouth closed
• Eyes open and visible
• Not have hair in front of eyes
• Not have a head covering unless for religious or medical reasons
• Not have anything covering the face
• Not have red-eye
• There should be no other objects or people in the photograph
• Not be wearing sunglasses or tinted glasses
• Some countries permit the wearing of glasses, provided the eyes are clearly visible and there are no reflections. However we do not guarantee the acceptance of photos where the subject is wearing glasses and strongly recommend removing your glasses to avoid the risk of having your photo rejected.

Children and babies

• Must be on their own in the picture.
• Must not be holding toys or using dummies.
• No hands should be visible, whether the child’s or anyone else’s.
• Most countries offer a degree of flexibility where infants are concerned. Refer to the each country’s official documentation below.

The Background

• Should be plain with no detail
• Should be monochrome and monotone.
• Unless otherwise stated, should be a very light grey.
• Should be in clear contrast to the subject

The Print

• Should be in colour
• Be clear and in focus
• Be printed to a professional standard
• On high quality, plain white photographic paper with no border
• Should have a smooth surface and not be textured
• Unmarked on both sides except for light watermarks, provided they can’t be seen through the print.
• Should not be printed on a chemically active, self-developing, sensitive to external factors (light, heat) paper. [ie Polaroid]

Other technical considerations

• Camera-to-subject distance of 1.2 metres minimum
• Uniform lighting with no shadows on the face or background
• The image should be unaltered by computer software