Ethiopia Passport Photo Requirements & Guidelines

The Ethiopian passport photo is one of the smallest official formats you will meet: 30 × 40 mm (3 × 4 cm). It is 5 mm narrower and 5 mm shorter than the European 35 × 45 mm standard, so a photo trimmed from a standard print ends up either the wrong size or missing the top of your head.

This guide covers every current Ethiopia passport photo requirement for 2026 — the compact 30 × 40 mm size, the plain white background, the 31–36 mm head height, and the trap that catches online applicants: the Ethiopian e-visa uses a different size again.

Ethiopia Passport Photo Requirements at a Glance

Here are the core specifications for the Ethiopian passport photo:

The size line is the one to check first — 30 × 40 mm is uncommon enough that most booths do not offer it by default.

Photo Size and Head Position Rules

Exact photo dimensions

The Ethiopian passport photo measures 30 mm wide by 40 mm tall. This compact 3:4 format is shared with several other African and European document types, but it is not interchangeable with the more common 35 × 45 mm — the difference is large enough to fail on size alone.

Head size and placement

Your head should measure 31 to 36 mm from the chin to the top of the head, which is about 70–80% of the frame, with your eye line 20 to 30 mm up from the bottom edge. Because the photo is small, that head-height window leaves very little margin — a few millimetres out and the proportion is visibly wrong.

Fitting a 31–36 mm head inside a 40 mm-tall frame by hand is unforgiving. You can create your Ethiopia passport photo and have the 30 × 40 mm frame and head height measured from your source image instead.

Background Requirements

Acceptable backgrounds

Ethiopia requires a plain white background, evenly lit, with no shadows, gradients, texture, or objects behind you.

Common background mistakes

• Shadow outlines behind the head — very visible in a small, tightly cropped photo.
• Off-white walls — cream and pale grey photograph darker than they look.
• Uneven lighting leaving one side brighter than the other.
• Clutter creeping in — the small frame is less forgiving than it seems.

Pose, Expression, and Lighting Rules

Expression and eyes

Hold a neutral expression with your mouth closed — no smiling, no frowning. Both eyes must be open and clearly visible, looking straight into the lens.

Lighting

Use soft, even light from the front, matched on both sides of the face, with no shadow on the background. Face a window for daylight; direct flash produces skin glare and a hard wall shadow at once.

Glasses, Head Coverings, and Other Restrictions

Glasses

Remove your glasses unless they are medically required. Where they are worn, the frames must not cover the eyes and the lenses must be free of glare, reflection, and tint.

Head coverings

Everyday hats and caps are not accepted. Religious head coverings are permitted provided the full face remains visible from the chin to the forehead, without shadow.

Editing and retouching

Do not alter the photo. No blemish removal, no skin smoothing, no filters, no AI enhancement — the image must show your natural appearance as captured.

Digital Upload vs. Printed Photo Specs

Printed photo

Provide clean 30 × 40 mm prints on photo paper with accurate colour, free of creases, marks, or damage. Ask for 3 × 4 cm by name — a shop on autopilot will hand you 35 × 45 mm.

Digital and e-visa photo

Here is the mismatch to remember. The passport photo is 30 × 40 mm, but the Ethiopian e-visa applied for online uses 35 × 45 mm instead. If you are completing an e-visa rather than a passport, switch to the larger size — using the passport photo on an e-visa application, or the reverse, is a straightforward rejection. Supply a high-resolution JPEG in either case.

Top Reasons Ethiopia Passport Photos Get Rejected

• Wrong size — a 35 × 45 mm photo submitted instead of 30 × 40 mm.
• Head height off — outside the 31–36 mm window in the small frame.
• Eye line wrong — not 20–30 mm from the bottom edge.
• Background faults — shadows, grey tones, or non-white walls.
• Expression faults — smiles, open mouths, or half-closed eyes.
• Retouched photos — smoothing, filters, or edited features.
• Outdated photos — older than six months or no longer a true likeness.

How to Take a Compliant Photo at Home

1. Find a plain white wall and clear everything else out of frame.
2. Stand about half a metre in front of it to keep the background shadow-free.
3. Face a window so your face is evenly lit from the front.
4. Set the camera at eye level, 1.5–2 metres away.
5. Leave room around your head — the crop is small, so shoot wider than feels natural.
6. Hold a neutral expression — mouth closed, both eyes open.
7. Remove glasses and any non-religious head covering.
8. Crop to 30 × 40 mm with your head at 31–36 mm and your eyes 20–30 mm from the bottom — or let an automated tool produce the compact frame for you.

Beyond Ethiopia: Other Countries' Requirements

Ethiopia is a clear example of one country running several sizes at once: the passport and visa use 30 × 40 mm, the e-visa uses 35 × 45 mm, and the Card for Ethiopian Origin uses a smaller 20 × 30 mm again. Reading the size for the exact document you are applying for matters as much as the country. If you handle more than one, our passport photo tool for 150+ countries applies each official spec to the same source photo.

Conclusion

Three rules decide an Ethiopian passport photo: the compact 30 × 40 mm frame with your head at 31–36 mm, a plain white background, and a recent, unedited photo with a neutral expression. And before you upload anything online, confirm whether you need the 30 × 40 mm passport size or the 35 × 45 mm e-visa size.