Australian passport photo requirements

There's one set of rules for the whole country, and it comes from the Australian Passport Office. The passport photo requirements Australia-wide begin with the size of the print.

Your face is measured too, so a photo cropped too loose or too tight fails even when everything else in it is right.

There's an age limit too, so a spare left over from an application you made a year ago won't pass.

The background has to be plain white or light grey, and it has to contrast with your face. Lighting should be even, with enough brightness and contrast to show your natural skin tone. There can't be shadows or reflections anywhere in the frame, and retouching is out, so nobody smooths your skin or takes away a mole, a wrinkle or a scar. The image has to be sharp with no marks or red-eye, your face centred and looking straight at the camera, your head level, and the edges of your face clear of hair.

The print counts as much as the picture. The guidelines ask for good quality colour prints made by dye sublimation on heavy-weight glossy paper, and they spell out that inkjet prints don't qualify, which rules out passport photo printing on an ordinary inkjet at home.

Anyone over three faces the camera with eyes open and a neutral expression, so no smile. Under-threes may have their mouth open, but nobody else can be in the shot.

Glasses come off unless you can't remove them for a medical reason, and needing them to see doesn't count. If they stay on, the frames can't cover your eyes and the lenses can't reflect.

In general, nothing goes on your face or head. A religious head covering is fine if it's plain and shows your whole face, chin to forehead. Hearing aids can stay in. Earbuds come out. Jewellery and piercings can't cover any part of your face, and rings or studs can't reflect.

The Passport Office's examples of rejected photos include a tilted head, hair across the eyes, red eye, blur, uneven light and a hat. If a photo misses the guidelines, you may be asked for a new one when you lodge, or while your application is being assessed.

It's tempting to take a picture for passport use on your phone. The Passport Office advises against online photo services and mobile apps, which may put you in danger of identity fraud.

A medical condition that stops you meeting a guideline needs a medical certificate or the Passport Office's form explaining why.

For an Australian passport the photos are printed. You fill in the form online or on paper and take it, with your two photos and your documents, to a participating post office to lodge it.

What goes on the back depends on the application. If you're renewing, you write your own full name on the back of one photo in black pen, and you don't need a guarantor. A new passport on a paper form needs a guarantor, who signs the back of one photo in black pen and writes 'This is a true photo of' followed by your full name. Apply for a new passport online and you name a referee instead, who doesn't sign anything.

Other countries have their own rules, and some want a digital file. We can provide passport photos as a digital upload or as a printed photo for most countries, though the cost can vary. Bring in the current specifications for the country you're applying to, because they change often. A digital file isn't part of a set of prints. We supply one when your application needs a photo to upload.

There's no need for an appointment. We take your passport photos straight away, and the prints are usually ready around 10 to 15 minutes later.

Come in a dark top with no collar. Dangly earrings are best left at home, and so is heavy makeup.

We photograph children from 5 years old. We don't take passport photos of babies or toddlers.

We check each photo against digital templates, and every passport photo we print goes on Fujifilm gloss photo paper.

Photos for an Australian passport start at $25 for a set of four. The application takes two, so you have two spares. Other custom passport or visa photos can cost more.

If one of our photos is refused, bring in proof of the rejection and we'll retake it at no cost.

We're open Monday to Thursday 10.00am to 5.00pm and Friday 10.00am to 4.00pm, closed weekends, at 605-607 High Street, Kew East, opposite the Harp Hotel. Stop 39 on tram route 48 is right out the front. Our Passport Photos page has more about the service.

If you're outside Melbourne, the rules don't change. The passport photo requirements Australia-wide are the same at any provider, so take this page with you.