Kenya eCitizen passport photo requirements

How the e-Passport application works

Kenyan missions describe the same online process (for example the Embassy in Ankara and the High Commission in Ottawa):

1. Create an account on eCitizen, or log in.
2. Choose Immigration services, then the passport application, and fill in the form online.
3. Upload your documents and pay the fee online.
4. Print the application form and the invoice.
5. Book an appointment and submit your application in person, with your photos and original documents.

Ankara adds that applications made on behalf of others are rejected and that you must declare all your children. Use only the official eCitizen site; other sites that offer to apply for you are not part of the process.

The photo rules

The Embassy in Bangkok (on Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs site) and the Ottawa High Commission list the same rules:

• Clear photos, not blurred and without a dark hue.
• White background, with no shadows.
• Full face with both ears showing. Hair or a weave must not cover the forehead or face.
• No smiling or laughing: a neutral, closed-mouth expression.
• No spectacles.
• Recent. No exact age is stated; 6 months is the usual rule for passport photos, so use a new one.

Ankara also calls for "ICAO standard" photos, the international standard for passport photos: face centred and looking at the camera, even light and natural colours, with no editing.

Which size? It depends on where you apply

5 × 5 cm and 2 × 2 in are practically the same square (2 in is 5.08 cm). If you apply elsewhere, check your mission's page or call it before printing.

Uploading documents on eCitizen

• Upload documents as pictures: JPEG or PNG, not PDF or Word files (Ottawa).
• Upload the photo file itself, not a scan of a printed photo or a screenshot.
• Scan ID documents flat, in colour, with all four edges visible.
• Check names and dates against your documents before paying: mistakes slow the application down.

Make the photo with your phone

1. Stand half a metre in front of a white wall, facing a window. Take off your glasses, tuck your hair behind your ears, and keep a neutral face.
2. Ask someone to take the photo at eye level from about 1–1.5 metres with the rear camera.
3. Open the Kenya Passport Photo tool. It crops a 5 × 5 cm (50 × 50 mm) photo (591 × 591 pixels) on white and checks background, light and sharpness.
4. Download the JPEG for eCitizen, and the 4 × 6 in print sheet for the printed copies your appointment needs.

The photo is processed on your phone and never uploaded to Picsawa. More tips: how to take a passport photo at home.

Children's passport photos

Children's photos follow the same rules as adults': white background, no shadows, full face with both ears visible, eyes open and a neutral face. The Ankara embassy asks parents to declare all their children during the passport application, and Ottawa's checklist for a child's application asks for two photos.

• Babies: lay the baby on a plain white sheet and photograph from directly above in daylight. No hands, toys or dummies in the picture.
• Toddlers: sit them on a chair covered with a white sheet, and have someone stand behind the camera to catch their attention so they look straight at it.
• Older children: glasses off, hair away from the ears and forehead, and everyday clothes.

Take several shots in burst mode and pick the one with both eyes open and a calm, closed mouth.

Common reasons photos are refused

• A smile, or an open mouth.
• Ears hidden by hair, a weave or a head covering.
• Glasses, even clear ones.
• A cream, grey or patterned background, or a shadow behind the head.
• A dark, blurry or heavily filtered photo.
• The wrong size for your mission.