Nepal Passport Photo Requirements & Guidelines

A Nepal e-passport photo is a standard 35 × 45 mm on plain white — but two Nepal-specific things decide whether yours is accepted. First, for anyone aged 5 and over the photo is captured live at the enrolment centre, so the print you prepare is mostly for children under five. Second, a tika (forehead mark) is not accepted and is a frequent, avoidable rejection.

So "getting the photo right" in Nepal is really about turning up ready for the live capture — and knowing the handful of rules that catch people. This guide covers both, with the caveat that Nepal's Department of Passports doesn't publish a detailed public spec, so the figures below are widely-cited standards.

The specification, at a glance

The live capture: the print is mostly for under-5s

Nepal's e-passport (eMRP) is enrolled in person, and for anyone aged 5 or older the official photo is taken on the spot — along with fingerprints — at the enrolment centre. The printed 35 × 45 mm photo you bring is primarily needed for children under five, who aren't always captured live.

The practical takeaway is the same either way: arrive looking exactly as a compliant photo requires. Plain clothes, hair off the face, a neutral expression, and nothing on your forehead. If you're preparing a print for a child (or just want to see the standard before you go), you can create your Nepal passport photo sized to the 35 × 45 mm spec on a clean white background.

The tika, and other face-marking rejections

This is the Nepal-specific one. A tika — the mark worn on the forehead — is not accepted in the passport photo and is one of the more common reasons a Nepali photo is refused. Wipe it off before the photo or the capture.

The same logic extends to anything that obscures or alters your natural appearance: heavy jewellery and bright makeup may be asked to be removed. Keep the face plain and clearly yours. A Dhaka topi (traditional cap) is generally tolerated, but everyday hats are not.

Size, background, and expression

Size and head

A borderless 35 × 45 mm photo with the face filling roughly 70–80% of the frame, chin to crown, centred and facing the camera. No official millimetre figure for head height is published, so aim for the standard biometric proportion rather than guessing.

White background

Plain white, evenly lit, with no shadows, patterns, or glare behind the head. A clean separation between your face, hair and the backdrop is what matters.

Glasses and expression

Glasses are best removed — it's highly recommended. If you keep them, there must be no glare and your eyes must be fully visible. Hold a neutral expression: mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight at the camera, with your ears visible where your hairstyle allows.

The process: pre-enrolment and appointment

Nepal requires an online pre-enrolment (pre-enroll.nepalpassport.gov.np) and an appointment before you visit the enrolment centre. You fill the form online and bring the barcoded/QR confirmation with you; the biometric photo and fingerprints are then captured at the centre.

Because the photo itself is captured live for most applicants, there's no official photo-upload pixel spec — the online step is about your details and appointment, not uploading a passport photo.

How Nepal compares

Nepal's 35 × 45 mm white-background format is shared across South Asia and Europe, but the live capture (so the print mainly serves under-5s) and the no-tika rule are distinctly Nepali. The size travels; the process and the face-marking rule don't. If you're preparing photos for more than one country, our passport photo tool for 150+ countries applies each country's own rules to the same source image.

The short version

A Nepal e-passport photo is a straightforward 35 × 45 mm on plain white, glasses off, neutral, taken within six months. The two things that actually decide it are Nepali: the live capture at enrolment (so the print mainly matters for under-5s), and no tika or forehead mark. Turn up plain-faced and camera-ready and you'll pass on the first try.