The Federative Republic of Brazil situated in South America is the fifth largest country in the world. Brazil is blessed with beautiful landscapes and soothing climate throughout the year. ]

The country with rich cultural and traditional values is also famous for its festivals and carnivals. The specifications of the Brazilian passport and visa are unusual and unique in the world. Thus, you have to be very careful while selecting a studio for a shoot up for the passport and visa photos. Although, different Brazilian consulate specify different criteria time to time but the common specifications are as given below.  While, applying for a Brazilian passport 3 identical and recent photos of size measuring 5x7 cm are to be submitted along with the passport application. The full front view with light background color has to be shown. The passport booth instant photos are not accepted for the passport.

The photograph requires a date to be shown on the photo, but the digitally added dates are not acceptable.  Brazilian passport & visa photo are similar to the US visa standards. The photos for the Brazilian visa should be recently taken with a measurement of 2” x 2”. The photo should show the front view of the face. The background of the photos should be white. The snapshots and computer pictures are not allowed. Though, these specifications are the most recent, still you should confirm the specifications for the photographs while applying for the Brazilian passport and visa. There are many countries of the world, whose citizens do not require the visa to visit Brazil, such as Belgium, Bolivia, Ecuador, France, Finland, Malaysia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

  If you want to get a Japanese Passport, you have to apply with required documents including birth certificate, certificate of identity, proof of citizenship, one self-addressed stamped envelope, and valid passport photos. Normally, Japanese government issues passports for two different durations: five years or ten years. The Japanese citizens up to 19 years of age can get a passport, which is valid for a term of five years. However those above 20 years of age, can opt for a blue colored passport valid for five years’ duration, or a red colored passport valid for ten years’ duration. So if you are planning to apply for a Japanese passport, Japanese visa, or Japanese Alien Registration, remember, each one of them has different sizing requirement as far as the sizes of the passport photographs are concerned. So you must ensure that you follow the specifications set for these documents.  

While Applying For A Japanese Passport

In case you require photographs for the Japanese Passport, get a passport photo in the specified size of 45X35mm. The height of the face from bottom of chin to the top of the head is 32mm to 36mm. In addition, the distance between top of the head to the top of the picture is between 2 to 6mm. The face of the applicant must be positioned almost in the middle of the passport photograph. The background of the photograph has to be a completely white or off-white. These provisions for the Japanese passport photos are also confirmed by the standards of EU specifications.

While applying for a Japanese visa

If you are applying for a Japanese visa, get the passport photographs in 45mmX45mm size with a white background. The applicant is not allowed to show the teeth and the facial expressions in the photographs. So, the mouth of the applicant should be closed with neutral expressions on the face. You must submit three identical photographs along with the visa application. The photographs should not be more than 6 months old. Again, these stipulations are similar to the EU passport specifications.

While applying for the Japanese Alien Registration

If you are applying for the Japanese alien registration, you need to get two identical passport photographs in 45mmX35mm size. All of these passport photo requirements match the standards of EU and UK passport specifications. In case of Japanese visa certificate of eligibility, you must produce two identical photographs in 40mmX30mm size.  

As Australia is one of the largest countries in the world, majority of airlines fly here. Like any other country, there are certain formalities and regulations that you need to follow to ensure a pleasant trip to Australia. 

Those applying for a new passport in Australia need to provide two identical passport photos, which are not more than six months old. The back side of your passport photo must contain words “This is a true photo of (your full name),” and should be signed by the guarantor. In case you are applying for the renewal of your passport, then get your name printed on the back of one passport photo. Some of the Australian passport photo guidelines that you need to comply with are listed below: 

Passport photo instructions

The height and width of the photograph should be 45 – 50mm and 35 – 40mm respectively. The measurement of the face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead must be between 32mm and 36mm. 

The passport photo for Australia should have high-quality print and resolution without person’s face looking washed out. The passport photo should show natural skin tones, appropriate brightness and have clear contrast. There should be no reflections and red eye visible in the passport photo. You should show the neutral expressions with closed mouth. The background of the photo has to be plain and light colored, such as white, cream or pale blue. You should be looking directly into the camera and should not show tilted head. Both edges of your face should be clearly visible with no hair across your eyes. Also, there should be no manipulation, stains, or marks in the passport photo. 

Head coverings

Head coverings are not allowed unless for religious reasons. Wearing a hat or sunglasses is not permitted. In case of religious head coverings your facial features from bottom of the chin to top of the forehead and both edges of the face, must be clearly visible.  

Glasses

If you wear the glasses, you should either remove them or they must show your eyes clearly. Dark and tinted sunglasses, which bar the view of your eyes, are not permitted. In addition, the reflection of your lenses is not acceptable. The frame of your glass should be lighter and any part of your eye should not disguise behind the frame of the glasses. 

Photos of children and babies

Your baby should be awake, looking straight into the camera with closed mouth in the photograph. The child’s face should be clearly visible without any object or pacifier such as a toy, another child, or parent’s hand. There should be no hair across the child’s eyes. Moreover, the background of the photo should not be dark.

So you have decided to apply for a passport for your newborn? Many of you would agree that it’s quite challenging to take good shots of such young babies. This is because newborns often fall asleep during a passport photography session. Though getting a passport photo of your child can be a tiresome job, but you won’t be able to resist smiling when you recollect these small but important moments of his childhood. Therefore, if you want to succeed in getting a beautiful picture of your child, you should consider each step of getting a good passport photo for your child as a step towards attaining his true identification in this world.  

Wondering how can you get your child’s passport photos, which you would love to cherish forever? Here are few tips:

1)       Ensure that the child has got a good amount of sleep before you take him for a passport photo session. The baby must be in good mood with his eyes open. 

2)       The background of the passport photo should be white. Therefore, you should dress up the baby in contrasting color, which doesn’t blend much with the background color.

3)       Keep the copy of your baby’s birth certificate and his social security card handy.

4)       Babies may get cranky during passport photo session, so you should immediately take a break. Feed the baby if he is hungry, but you can use a bright colored toy to ensure he doesn’t fall asleep.

5)       If the baby is too young to hold his head straight, you can make him lie on a white cardboard and shoot a nice passport photo. You can also put the child in his car seat and put a white towel around him and then take the passport photo.

6)       Always check the passport rules set by government authority, it would help you take the desired shot without wasting much of your time and keeping the child calm.

7)       Parents should not try to support the child by putting their hand or holding the child from the back side.

8)       Don’t put any toys or dummies to console the child, which are visible through camera.

9)       The passport photograph of your child should look identical and should be printed on a low-gloss, plain white paper.

10)   The passport photo of your child should be in sharp focus and should be devoid of any unwanted shadow at the background.

While traveling abroad, you must carry extra passport photos with you. This is because you are required to submit passport photos for a Visa or for any other application forms. If you have extra passport photos handy, you can save both- money as well as time. Therefore, it’s a good idea to keep the passport photos with you while visiting any other country.

You must check the passport photo guidelines of the country you are traveling to and ensure that you follow them.  If you are really looking for an economical solution, you can get few passport photos printed using your home-printer. In case you are doubtful about the size of passport photos you should carry with you, log on to ePassportPhoto, and select country-specific dimensions to print your photos. 

If you can experiment with your passport photos by using Photoshop, you can try another interesting option. You can get your passport photos converted into business cards. This means that you can put your passport photo on a business card while including business-related information, such as name, home address, e-mail address, and your mobile phone number. You can even print these business cards at home by using inkjet photo printer.  This business card would serve two purposes. Firstly, you can give them to your business associates and they would remember you due to your passport photo. Secondly, you have a passport photo handy if you require it for getting passport, visa, company, bank or tourist passes. You can simply staple the entire card to the application or cut it out to submit along with an application form. 

If you want, you can also put your passport number on business card - without specifying that it belongs to your passport. You are required to mention your passport number to the hotel where you stay in. If you want to conceal the passport number, you can add null numbers or alphabets either at the beginning or towards the end of the passport number printed on your business card.

China is one of the major cities in the world that attracts millions of tourists from across the globe every year. The country boasts of friendly people, primeval locations, and magnificent architecture. Any visitor to the country would require a valid passport and visa. 

If you are living in China and want to get your passport made in China, you must submit the passport application to the nearest passport issuing office of your area. If the person is not physically present in the jurisdiction of Hong Kong, he or she is advised against forwarding the passport application to the Passport Office in Hong Kong. The passport photo must only be in color in 2”x2” (5 cm x 5 cm) with a white, off-white, or very-light colored background. The passport photos must not have blue color in its background.    

In case you are visiting to China, you must have a passport with no less than 6 month’s remaining validity and one blank Visa page on the passport. In addition, the person must have one completed Visa Application Form (Q1) with one black & white or color passport photo stapled or pasted on the form. If you are planning to visit the country with regard to your business, investigation, lecture, technological or cultural purpose, and short-term studies, you must also possess the invitation letter from the host company or the unit. Other than this, you must possess a letter from your company. Besides, all visitors must show proof of adequate funds to support themselves while they stay in Hong Kong.  

The United State citizens must submit 2 completed Visa Application Forms along with 2 recent passport size photos. If you need to apply for an entry visa to China, you must submit the following documents with the Consulate:  

1. Country Passport with at least one full blank Visa page
2. The name of the applicant written in BLOCK letters
3. A duly signed Visa Application Form
4. One latest passport size photo, and
5. Application fees

Passport rules have changed all over the globe in past few years, and now children and infants in the United States as well as in many other countries need to have seprate passports. However, it is not easy to take passport photos of the infants. Parents and photographers face great difficulty in keeping their floppy-headed infants looking straight at the camera. Moreover, keeping the children calm during this entire process is another challenge to ensure an acceptable passport photo.  

Lately, there has been a great deal of hue and cry on how to get the best passport photos for kids. In a nutshell, the passport photo of your baby must:  

· Be taken when the baby is awake · Have the baby looking directly into the camera
· Have his or her mouth closed with no pacifier
· Have baby’s face visible without any other object in view,   not even parents’s hands to support him
· Never fall on his face or cover his eyes
· Be devoid of any shadows from behind
· Not have the baby looking away from the camera
· Not have his or her face covered While the passport photo of the kid should be compliant with passport rules set by the government authorities, it is quite challenging to  make your baby and lens work in coordination.  

If you are unsure how your baby would respond during passport photo session, you can try this infant photography technique. This technique would surely help you get best passport photo of your child. Put a white piece of cardboard on the bed or the floor, and make your child lie down on it. The parents of the child must stand beside the photographer and try to keep the baby engaged during passport photo session. This way, your child can be more attentive, and would not also fall asleep. After few trials, you can expect to get a reasonable passport photo of your child.

Often you need to pay hefty amount of money to your local photographer for a passport photo with an expressionless face and a plain white background. While taking a passport photo is one of the easiest things to do, ironically majority of the U.S. photo studios tend to charge a lot of money to print a set of four identical passport photographs.   

If you are looking for an economical solution, you can give a serious thought to printing your own passport photos using home-printer. That’s true. You can save an enormous amount of money by getting passport photos printed at home. If you have a photo printer at home, you can easily convert any of your digital pictures into a valid passport-size photo meant for your passport or visa applications. In fact many of you, who are fond of photography, must have already printed your own passport photos at home. Those, who have never done it earlier and need more time to learn this art, can either send the digital photos to a friend, who knows can print them for you. Alternatively, you can also look for some online photo service providers, who can send you free prints of your passport photos. 

If you are worried about the sizing requirements of passport photos of in your country, you can log on to ePassportPhoto. The website allows you to upload your photo, resize it, select the country-specific dimensions, and save it as a .jpg file. Now you can either print it at home, or send it for free printing to international photo service providers by using the links on the website. If you are a computer-freak, you can even cut and paste an image, edit it, and get a simple but satisfactory product while sitting at home. Now it is possible to get multiple passport photos at the cost of buying one by using your home-printer. 

A biometric passport is equipped with enhanced security features to verify the citizenship of travelers. For past few years, various countries have introduced a wide range of procedures and computerized methods to avert passport scams to address the concerns related to international business and personal security.

A biometric passport has intricately designed passport pages, complex watermarks and a data chip. This chip contains all crucial information related to the passport holder such as digital signature data, which helps in authenticating the passport.  The biometrics are considered more personal and reliable than a passport photo or a PIN, as it uses personal traits such as facial or eye maps and fingerprints as primary identification features. These biometric features were accepted by The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after analyzing multiple other biometrics including retinal scan.

The ICAO has also described the standardized file formats and communication practices that should be used in passports. For example, the contactless chip used in a biometric passport can store a digital impression of each biometric feature preferably in JPEG or JPEG2000 format. This contactless chip allows you to store minimum of 32 kilobytes biometric data and uses the interface compliant with the ISO/IEC 14443 international standard. The biometric features stored in the passport are compared by electronic border control systems or e-borders. These standards ensure not only the interoperability among various countries, but also among different makers of passports.

The contactless chip would store the same data, which is visible on the photo page of the passport. In addition, the chip would also include a digital photo of the passport holder, which would facilitate the process of biometric comparison by using the facial recognition technology. The new US passport carries a new look, and would enable international security agencies integrate crucial anti-fraud and security features in the passports.

It is expected that by 2015, ICAO would have a database of over a billion people worldwide. With a sudden rise in fraudulent methods, it has become mandatory for international security agencies to reinforce security features in passports. Therefore, a biometric passport helps in preventing the theft of identity and fraud. The ICAO suggests facial recognition as the principal biometric followed by iris and fingerprint recognition. The biometric information stored on passport helps in identifying fraud and automating immigration checks in future.

While applying for passports or visas, Germans have been asked to maintain serious expressions on their face. This is done to allow biometric scanners pick right facial features of the passport holders. Besides, the authorities have been directed to accept only those photos for passports, which are taken from the front to allow the “most natural facial expressions possible.”   

These security measures have been taken after September, 2001 attacks to consolidate the security network in Germany as well as around the world. The German Interior Minister Otto Schily says that the facial identification systems can only match the natural features of a person with his or her mouth closed. The United States, Canada, and Britain have already followed these specifications and have already started issuing Biometric passports.

German officials recently exhibited the new passports based on these guidelines. The officials accept that such passport photos would be very tough to manipulate. From March 2007, the German passports have also been carrying two scanned fingerprints stored on a chip.

Remember, U.S. passport photo specifications are different from that of German passport photos. And, not many photographers in Germany are familiar with these specifications. Therefore, you must take a print out of these requirements for U.S. Passports and explain them to your photographer. 

While posing for your passport photo, you should always ask for a complete frontal view of your face. Look directly into the camera and maintain neutral expressions without any smile on your face. Never use the photos that have reflections on the face or with red eyes. The background of the passport photo should be light-colored so as to provide adequate contrast to the face and your hair. The passport photo must be printed on a high-quality paper with around 600 dpi resolution sans any marks or stains on it.