Taiwan passport photo: how BOCA says to take it yourself

What are BOCA's Taiwan passport photo requirements?

Use this checklist when taking, cropping and printing your photo.

Date and quantity: Prepare two identical colour photographs, taken within the last six months. The paper photographs must have no ink marks or creases.

Finished size: Each photograph must be 45 mm high × 35 mm wide, not including the frame. If your crop tool lists width before height, enter 35 × 45 mm.

Head size and framing: Show your head and the top of your shoulders, evenly centred. Measure 32–36 mm from chin to crown in the finished photograph. BOCA also describes the face as taking up 70–80% of the photo.

Camera position: Put the lens at your eye level, about 1.2 m from your face, with a minimum distance of 1 m. Adjust the white balance correctly.

Background and lighting: Use a plain, even, consistent white background. Lighting must be uniform, with no shadows or reflections on your face or the background, and no red-eye. Your skin tone must look natural.

Pose and visibility: Face forward and look directly at the camera. Keep your eyes open, your expression neutral and your mouth closed. Be hatless, with your eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, face and ears clearly shown.

Glasses: Your eyes must be clearly visible without reflection or glare. Avoid tinted glasses; exceptions may be made for visually impaired applicants.

Image integrity: Do not use a composited or mirrored image. Mirrored means left and right are reversed. BOCA warns that altered photos can cause trouble at e-gates.

Digital upload: If you apply yourself, without a travel agency, and upload a photo on BOCA's website, you must still attach one identical colour paper photo.

BOCA's official guidance is titled "Passport Photos." Consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs website for its passport guidance.

How do you take and size the photo yourself?

Work in this order: set up the camera, take the photograph, then size the selected image. That keeps the shooting distance separate from the measurements you need on paper.

Set the lens position before posing. Use BOCA's approximate 1.2 m face-to-lens distance, staying at least 1 m away. The lens belongs at your eye level.

Resolve the background and lighting before taking the shot. Use the plain white background and uniform lighting in the checklist. Adjust white balance so your skin tone remains natural. A shadow on the background matters even when your face is well lit, because BOCA's no-shadow requirement covers both.

Take the photograph facing the camera. Keep your mouth closed and your expression neutral. Choose an image that shows the required features clearly, including your ears. If you wear glasses, eye visibility and reflections need attention before you move on to sizing.

Crop to the finished dimensions. Set the image to 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, showing your head and the top of your shoulders. Within that crop, the chin-to-crown measurement must be 32–36 mm. Centre your head evenly.

pixtidy checks a photo in your browser without uploading it and crops it to 35 × 45 mm.

Do not use compositing or left/right reversal to change the selected photograph. BOCA's warning about altered photos also matters beyond the application itself: altered photos can cause trouble at e-gates.

Do you need two photos or one after a digital upload?

Keep these instructions separate. Two identical colour photographs is BOCA's general requirement. Attach one identical colour paper photo is the specific instruction for applicants who apply themselves and upload digitally on BOCA's website.

Prepare the two paper photographs. Use the same selected colour image for both. It must have been taken within the last six months, and neither print may have ink marks or creases.

If you upload yourself, match the attachment to the upload. Attach one colour paper photograph identical to the uploaded image. This instruction applies when you are applying without a travel agency.

The printed application sheet is black and white. That is why BOCA still requires the identical colour paper photograph after you upload.

Do not read the upload instruction as permission to prepare no paper photographs.

Common questions

Can you wear glasses? Yes, provided your eyes remain clearly visible without reflection or glare. Avoid tinted glasses; exceptions may be made for visually impaired applicants.

Is a 35 × 45 mm crop enough? Your head must also measure 32–36 mm from chin to crown, be evenly centred, and appear with the top of your shoulders.

Can you submit a mirrored photo? BOCA does not allow left/right-reversed or composited photographs, and warns that altered photos can cause trouble at e-gates.

Does uploading reduce the requirement to zero paper photos? If you apply yourself, without a travel agency, and upload a digital photo on BOCA's website, you must still attach one colour paper photo identical to the uploaded one.

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