Free New Zealand Passport Photo Online — Make the Digital 3:4 JPEG

Applying for a New Zealand passport online? You need a New Zealand passport photo as a digital file — a JPEG you upload, not a scan of a printed photo. Upload a recent photo and IDPhotoBy sizes and crops it to the digital image the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) accepts for an online passport application — a colour portrait with a 3:4 aspect ratio, in .jpg or .jpeg format, 250 KB to 5 MB, on a plain, light-coloured background — with the New Zealand passport (online) document already selected. It is free — no payment required.

The Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari Taiwhenua) sets the rules for a New Zealand passport photo at passports.govt.nz, and IDPhotoBy prepares your photo to match them. For the digital photo you supply for an online application, the DIA requires:

• A colour portrait with a 3:4 aspect ratio — a recent colour photo.
• Plain, light-coloured background — with a strong contrast between your face and the background, and no shadows or objects behind your head.
• Head centred with a clear gap around the top and sides — your shoulders and upper chest should be included in the photo.
• Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open — no smiling. Face forwards and look straight at the camera.
• Prescription glasses only if they are not tinted or thick-framed — with a clear gap between your eyes and the frames and no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses are not allowed.
• No hats or head coverings — a head covering is allowed only for religious or medical reasons, and your face must stay fully visible.
• Less than 6 months old — the photo must still look like you.

The DIA also says not to edit, apply filters, or use AI tools to modify how you look — your image must show your natural appearance. IDPhotoBy keeps to that: it only sizes, crops and sets the background, and never changes your face.

For the online application the DIA describes the digital passport photo as a file, not a print. The technical requirements are:

The DIA states a pixel range rather than one fixed size. IDPhotoBy outputs your photo at 1500×2000 px — a 3:4 image that sits well inside the 900–4500 × 1200–6000 range and comfortably clears the 250 KB minimum while staying under the 5 MB limit. Before you start your application you can also run your photo through the DIA's official online photo checker to confirm it meets the technical requirements.

• Upload a recent, well-lit photo with the tool on this page — the New Zealand passport (online) document is already selected.
• IDPhotoBy resizes and crops your photo to a 1500×2000 px, 3:4 .jpg, and sets the plain light-coloured background the DIA requires.
• Preview the result — check the head is centred with a clear gap around the top and sides, your shoulders and upper chest are included, the background is plain and light with no shadows, and your eyes are open with your mouth closed.
• Download the finished digital photo free, then upload that JPEG when you apply through the DIA's online passport service.

The free tool also works as a checker and resizer for a digital New Zealand passport photo you already have — no app to download, it runs in your browser.

IDPhotoBy sizes and crops the photo you upload to the 3:4 digital JPEG and sets the plain light-coloured background the DIA requires. It does not edit your face, retouch, beautify, apply filters, or use AI to change how you look. That matters here: the DIA tells you plainly, “Do not edit, apply filters, or use AI tools to modify how you look”, and your image must show your natural appearance — so leaving your face exactly as it is, is precisely what is required. Setting the required plain light-coloured background is a photo-composition step, not a change to how you look.

We do not promise your photo will be accepted — no online tool can. Your file is prepared to the published DIA requirements, and the Department of Internal Affairs makes the final decision. It stays free: no paid plan, no per-photo charge, no payment required.

The New Zealand passport photo comes in two forms, and it is a different file for each:

• Online application (digital) — you supply a digital photo: a .jpg or .jpeg of 250 KB to 5 MB, 900–4500 × 1200–6000 px, with a 3:4 aspect ratio. That is what this page prepares. If a photographer takes it, they email the digital photo to you to upload — and the DIA does not accept scans of printed photos.
• Paper application (printed) — a physical printed photo you post with a paper form. That is a separate, print-sized photo, not the digital file on this page.

Applying through the DIA's online passport service? This digital 3:4 JPEG page is the one you want.

You do not need a studio, but you do need someone else to take the photo — the DIA says selfies will be rejected. To take a New Zealand passport photo at home:

• Stand about 1.5 m in front of a plain, light-coloured wall, in soft, even light so there are no shadows behind you or on your face.
• Have someone else hold the camera at your eye level and take the photo — face the camera straight on with a neutral expression and your mouth closed. Do not take a selfie.
• Fill the frame with your head, shoulders and the top of your chest, shoot at your phone or camera's normal resolution, then upload it here and let IDPhotoBy crop it to the exact 1500×2000 px, 3:4 .jpg on a plain light-coloured background.

The same steps work for a baby or child's New Zealand passport photo — for an infant, lay them on a plain, light-coloured sheet and photograph from directly above, then upload to crop to size. Take it within the last six months so it still looks like the applicant.

• Uploading a selfie. The DIA rejects selfies — have someone else take the photo from about 1.5 m away at eye level.
• A busy, dark or shadowed background. It must be plain and light-coloured, with strong contrast to your face and no shadows or objects behind your head.
• An edited or filtered photo. Editing, filters and AI changes to how you look are not allowed — use a straight, unedited photo and let the tool handle only the size, crop and background.
• Smiling or an open mouth. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and eyes open, looking straight at the camera.
• The wrong file. The online application needs a .jpg or .jpeg, 250 KB to 5 MB, 900–4500 × 1200–6000 px — IDPhotoBy outputs 1500×2000 px, in range.

Requirements can change — check the official Department of Internal Affairs rules (passports.govt.nz) before you apply; the DIA is the final authority on whether a photo is accepted.