Brazil Passport Photo

Brazil passport photo requirements

Brazil commonly uses a 5×7 cm (50×70 mm) photo.

What's different about a Brazil photo

Brazil is the country where the answer depends most on which document you are applying for. For the passport, you do not supply a photo at all: the Polícia Federal photographs you during your appointment, along with fingerprints and signature. Turning up with prints is a wasted trip to the photo shop.

Supplied photos are used almost everywhere else, and the two sizes that matter are 5 × 7 cm (50 × 70 mm), covered here, and the classic 3 × 4 cm format that Brazilian paperwork has used for decades — carteira de trabalho, school and university enrolment, employment records, and many Detran and registry forms.

Brazil photo rules in detail

Passport

No photo is supplied. The Polícia Federal captures it at your agendamento, so the useful preparation is your appearance and clothing, not a print.

3 × 4 cm

The traditional Brazilian document photo, used across employment, education and registry paperwork. It is a different aspect ratio from 5 × 7 and cannot be cropped from it without redoing the framing.

Background

Plain white for most official uses. Some registry offices still accept light grey; white is the safe default.

Glasses

Generally permitted where the eyes are clearly visible without glare, though individual offices vary. Removing them avoids the argument.

Expression

Neutral, facing forward, both eyes open, mouth closed, with the ears visible where the hairstyle allows.

Photos must have been taken within the last 6 months. The authority for these rules is the Polícia Federal (passport); Detran and civil registry offices (other documents) — check there before you apply, since requirements do change.

Babies and children

This is the one case where you do bring a photo to a Brazilian passport appointment. For a child under five, the Polícia Federal asks for a printed 5 × 7 cm colour photo on a white background, taken within the last six months and printed on photographic paper — specifically 5 × 7, not the 3 × 4 used elsewhere in Brazilian paperwork. Anyone aged five or over is photographed at the counter. A child's application also requires attendance with both parents or a legal guardian, and nobody else may appear in the frame.

How the Brazil application works

Passport applications start on the gov.br portal: fill the form, pay the GRU fee, and book an appointment at a Polícia Federal unit. Everything biometric happens at that appointment.

For the surrounding paperwork, exporting both a 5 × 7 cm and a 3 × 4 cm version from the same portrait covers nearly every Brazilian form you are likely to meet, and the 6×4 inch print sheet tiles copies for a photo counter.

Why Brazil photos get rejected

• Bringing photos to a Polícia Federal appointment for anyone aged five or over, where they are not used.
• Bringing a 3 × 4 cm photo for a child under five, where 5 × 7 cm is required.
• Supplying 5 × 7 cm where another Brazilian form specifically asks for 3 × 4 cm.
• Backgrounds that are cream or grey where the office requires white.
• Prints on plain paper rather than photographic stock.
• Photos older than six months, or predating a significant change in appearance.

How to make your Brazil photo

1. 1. Upload a portrait

   A clear, front-facing photo with even lighting. The background is removed automatically.

2. 2. Fit the guides

   The 50×70 mm frame is pre-selected — line your head up with the crown and chin guides.

3. 3. Download or print

   Export the exact size at 300 DPI, or a 6×4 inch sheet of copies for any photo kiosk.

Frequently asked questions

Passport photo sizes for other countries