South African Passport Photos :: Visa Photos South Africa

The days of being able to pop into into your local photo shop or a photo booth to have you South African Passport and Visa Photos taken are long gone.

South African passport and Visa photos now need to meet tough new facial biometric criteria and newly introduced anti fraud security measures. Taking at top quality passport photo is now an art.

Visit our passport studio in London for your South African passport photos. Professional, knowledgeable studio photographers will take you photos using professional Bowens photographic lighting and state of the art Noritsu printers

No appointment is needed and we will print your South African passport or visa photos within a few minutes. You can find us in Camden ,Central London. If possible bring along a current set of South African passport and visa instructions with you for your own peace of mind,as specifications change from time over time

See our main passport page for passport specifications for other nationalities

South African Passport and Visa Photos :: Online Ordering

It's makes no difference where in the world you live. By buying online you can now take advantage of our quality South African passport and visa service. If you cannot come to our London Passport Studios you can email us your photo and we will produce South African passport or visa photos to the required criteria and post them to you. Our online service is available no matter were you live in the world and you can pay in any currency. For a guide to taking you own passport photos and how to pay please have a look at our Online Passport and Visa Photo ordering page

South African Passport Photos :: Requirements

Below is an outline of South African Passport Photo Requirements. For more information visit the South African Passport website,

• South African Passport photos must be 45mm in length
• The photo width must be 35mm
• Both BW photos and colour photos are accepted
• The background of the photo should be plain and free of shadows
• The background must not have a ' white lining
• Only the head and shoulders of the person should be included in the photo
• Head size from the chin to the top of the hair shall not be smaller 22mm and not larger than 25mm
• No head-gear or veil are allowed in South African Passport photos
• Any additions to the face which tend to alter the natural likeness should be removed
• Spectacles may be worn provided that the lenses do not make the eyes invisible
• Spectacles with dark lenses may be worn if the eyes will appear distorted without them or if the person is blind
• The full-face of the person concerned shall be photographed directly from the front, and the head may not be bent or tuned sideways in the passport photo
• The face shall be a recognizable likeness of the person
• The head, hair, eyebrows, eyes, nose and moustache or beard, if any, shall be sharply and clearly defined in the passport photo
• Neither the photograph nor the copies thereof may be defaced by holes, pencil or ink marks or in any other manner
• Passport photographs taken at photo booths are not acceptable