Omari Gates
Getting an Australian passport photo can be done in a few ways. The Australian Passport Office recommends getting a professional passport photo provider to take your photos, but if you want to create your own, there are online services available. These include PhotoGov and 123PassportPhoto, which offer free online tools to help you create your photo. There are also participating Post Offices that can provide passport-quality photographs instantly. To take your own photo, make sure it is taken within the last six months, against a light and plain background, with no shadows, and with a neutral expression. The photo should be 35x45 mm and include your full head and neck, with the height of your face measuring between 32 and 36 mm.
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Lighting and backdrop
The background of your Australian passport photo must be uniform and plain, in a white or light grey colour. No other colours are acceptable. There can be no other people or objects visible in the photo, and the background must not contain shadows or glares. If you are taking your photo against a white wall, ensure there are no decorations on the wall.
Experiment with lighting and position to ensure that there are no shadows behind you or on your face. Taking your photo outside may be a good option. Avoid using flash, as this can cause a "red-eye" effect.
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Facial expressions
When taking an Australian passport photo, it is important to maintain a neutral facial expression. This means no smiling or frowning, and your mouth should be closed in a relaxed way. Your expression should be understated, with a gentle, neutral demeanour. Avoid any extremes of emotion, dramatic expressions, or anything that could be seen as less than serious. The purpose of the photo is for identification, so you want to make it as easy as possible for officials to recognize you. If you have an exaggerated expression, it could make it more difficult for them to identify you.
Your eyes should be open and looking directly at the camera, with no hair covering them. Regular prescription glasses are acceptable, as long as they do not block your eyes and have non-reflective lenses. Sunglasses or tinted glasses are not allowed. If you usually wear a hearing aid, you can wear it in your passport photo.
Make sure your whole face is clearly visible, from the bottom of your chin to the top of your forehead, and that no part of your face is obscured by jewellery, piercings, or hair. If you usually cover your head for religious reasons, you can wear the covering in your passport photo, as long as your entire face is visible.
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Headwear and piercings
Headwear is generally not allowed in Australian passport photos. However, there are exceptions for religious and medical reasons. If you wear a headscarf, yarmulke, or any other type of religious headgear, it must be in a solid colour without any patterns, even small ones. Your face must be clearly visible, from the bottom of your chin to the top of your forehead, and the sides of your face must also be visible. If you are wearing a head covering for medical reasons, you must include a signed doctor's statement with your application.
Regarding piercings, facial piercings are allowed as long as they do not obscure your face, cast shadows, or produce glare on your skin. This includes piercings around the eyes, mouth, and nose. There should also be no reflection from any rings or studs. If you have added or removed piercings, you may need to apply for a new passport.
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Photo editing
Firstly, it's important to note that selfies are not permitted for Australian passport photos, so you will need to ask someone to take the photo for you or use a tripod. The photo must be taken in front of a single-colour background, preferably white or off-white, with no distracting objects or shadows. The camera should be at the same height as your head, and your shoulders should be visible, with enough room around your head to crop the image.
When editing your photo, you will need to ensure it meets the required dimensions of 35x45 mm. Some online tools will automatically adjust your photo to the correct size, but you may need to manually crop the image to ensure your head and shoulders are visible. It's important to note that your entire head and neck must be visible in the photo, with the distance between you and the camera between 1.2 and 2 metres.
You should also adjust the brightness and contrast of your photo to ensure it is clear and well-lit. Overexposed and underexposed photos will be rejected, as will pictures with shadows or reflections. Your photo must reflect your natural skin tone and eye colour.
In terms of expression, you must have a neutral expression with a closed mouth and no smile. Your eyes should be open, and both ears should be visible. If you wear glasses, remove them if possible, and ensure there is no reflection on the lenses. If you must wear glasses for medical reasons, ensure there is no reflection, and your eyes are clearly visible.
Finally, review your photo to ensure it meets all the requirements. Check that your hair does not cover your face or eyes, and any jewellery or piercings do not obscure your facial features. Once you are satisfied, download and print your photo, ensuring it is printed on semi-gloss, plain white photo-quality paper with no watermarks.
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Printing
The Australian Passport Office has specific requirements for the printing of passport photos. Firstly, the photo paper used must be of high quality and heavyweight—a minimum of 200 gsm. It should also be glossy paper.
You can use a service such as Visafoto to get your photo ready for printing. This service will provide you with a template that has four copies of your photo, ready to print. You will need to use a colour printer and set it up to match the paper size of 10x15cm (4x6 inches).
If you are printing your application form at home, choose the "Fit to page/printable area" option in your printer settings. Ensure that the form is not cut off at the top or bottom of the page. For legal paper size, choose "none/not required".
You can also get passport photos printed at Kmart, where a 4x6" print costs AU$0.10. Australia Post also provides a similar service, offering both hard and digital copies of your passport photo.
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