Afghanistan visa photo rules from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Afghanistan’s visa photograph is governed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and applied uniformly across tourist, business, work, student, and transit categories. The standard print is 35 × 45 mm on a plain white background, with both ears visible, a neutral expression, and the mouth closed. The same specification is published on the official E-Afghans portal at eafghans.com and reflected on the Ministry’s visa application form.
Applications reach the Ministry through one of two routes. Tourist applicants use the E-Afghans e-visa portal, which accepts a digital photo upload in JPG, PNG, or PDF. All other categories, and applicants in regions served by a specific mission, submit printed photographs directly to an Afghan embassy or consulate. Afghanistan does not use VFS Global, BLS, TLS, or any other third-party visa application centre, so intake is handled by the portal or the mission itself.
A photo that does not match the published Ministry rules leads to the application being returned or refused at the counter, which means a fresh submission and another fee. Embassy posts in Ottawa, Tokyo, and Bishkek publish their own size variants, so the receiving mission should always be confirmed before the photo is printed.
Afghanistan visa photo requirements
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan and its diplomatic missions enforce a consistent set of subject rules across the E-Afghans portal and embassy paper channels. Match them and your application moves.
Expression & pose
- Neutral expressionHold a neutral facial expression with the mouth closed. Smiling, frowning, or showing teeth is not accepted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any Afghan embassy.
- Face the cameraLook straight at the camera with the head upright and squared to the lens. The head must not be tilted, turned, or rotated.
- Eyes open and visibleBoth eyes must be fully open and looking directly at the camera. Closed or partially closed eyes are grounds for rejection.
- Ears visibleBoth ears must be visible in the frame. Multiple Afghan missions, including Dubai, Islamabad, and Ottawa, call this out explicitly.
Eyewear & lenses
- Prescription glassesClear prescription eyeglasses are acceptable provided the eyes are fully visible and the lenses produce no glare or reflection.
- Sunglasses and tinted lensesSunglasses, tinted lenses, and photochromic lenses that darken the eye area are not permitted.
Hair & facial hair
- Hair off the faceHair must not fall across the eyes or eyebrows, and must not obscure the outline of the face. Bangs that sit above the eyebrows are acceptable.
Headwear
- Religious head coveringsHead coverings worn daily for religious reasons are permitted. The full face must remain visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, with no shadows cast by the covering.
- Non-religious hatsCaps, hats, and other non-religious headwear are not permitted in the photo.
Jewelry & accessories
- Face-obscuring itemsJewelry and accessories must not obscure any part of the face. Remove items that cover the cheeks, jawline, or eye area.
Clothing
- Avoid white garmentsThe Embassy of Afghanistan in Ottawa warns against wearing white clothing or white scarves, since they blend into the required white background and reduce contrast around the shoulders and neckline.
- Everyday dressWear regular everyday clothing. Uniforms are not appropriate for a visa photograph.
Photo quality
- Recent photographThe photo must have been taken within the last six months and must reflect the applicant’s current appearance.
- Shadows on the faceThe face must be evenly lit. Shadows cast by hair, headwear, or strong overhead light are a common rejection cause.
Dimensions, resolution & background.
Head position & camera distance.
- Head height, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, must be between 33 mm and 36 mm (roughly 73–81% of the photo height).
- Eyes must sit between 21 mm and 25 mm from the bottom of the photo.
- The head must be centered horizontally in the frame with a small symmetrical margin on each side.
- Both shoulders must be square to the camera and visible. Three-quarter angles or rotated torsos are not accepted.
- The full face from chin to crown must be inside the frame with proper top margin.
Afghanistan accepts more than one size — we generate them all.
Afghanistan publishes more than one acceptable format depending on where you submit your application — domestic passport offices, the official online portal, and regional consulates abroad can each call for a different print or pixel size. We render every variant below from the same source photo, so the head sits at the same physical position across files, and each one arrives in your order email with a clear filename indicating which submission channel it's for.
Afghanistan Visa 35×45 mm
Primary · Print + DigitalAfghanistan's official format — the same file works for both printed in-person submissions and the online portal upload.
Afghanistan Visa 2×2 in — from US consulate
Print + DigitalPrint size accepted by US-based consular missions for applicants in the United States.
How recent the photo must be.
Your visa photo must have been taken within the last six months. A new photo is required sooner whenever your appearance has changed in a way that makes the old photo no longer recognizable.
You need a new photo if you’ve had…
- Facial surgery or a major change to facial structure
- A significant gain or loss of weight that visibly changes your face
- Large facial tattoos or piercings added or removed
- A gender transition that has changed your appearance
You do not need a new photo just because of…
- A new hair color
- Growing or removing a beard or moustache
- Ordinary, minor aging
- A new hairstyle that still leaves the face fully visible
Other things to know.
A few things about the Afghan visa channel that catch applicants off guard.
No third-party visa centres
Afghanistan does not use VFS Global, BLS International, TLS Contact, or any other commercial visa application centre. Applications go directly to the E-Afghans portal at eafghans.com or to an Afghan embassy or consulate.
Embassy-specific size variants
While 35 x 45 mm is the standard used by the E-Afghans portal and most missions, several embassies require their own print size. Ottawa accepts 51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 in), Tokyo requires 30 x 40 mm, and Bishkek requires 40 x 45 mm. Confirm with the receiving mission before printing.
Photo affixed to the form
For paper applications at embassies including Kuala Lumpur, Islamabad, and Ottawa, the printed photo is glued into the designated box on the visa application form. Staples through the image are not accepted.
Two prints is the safe default
Most Afghan missions request two identical photographs with the application. Ottawa, Tokyo, London, and Canberra accept one, but submitting two covers every channel.
Take your Afghanistan visa photo at home in three steps.
Free to check. You only pay when you keep it.
Print-quality requirements for in-person submissions.
When you submit a printed photo at a visa application centre, the paper, finish, and ink all matter. The points below cover the standards most consular missions accept.
- Print on photographic-quality paper at 300 DPI minimum.
- Use a matte or semi-gloss finish; high-gloss can produce reflections that confuse biometric scanners.
- Do not retouch, crop, or alter the photo after printing.
- Bring at least two identical prints when the submission channel calls for paper photos.