Is a facial image the same as a passport photo?

The help page recommends a passport-quality photograph and then lists its own technical standards, so treat this as the specification of that form rather than a copy of the passport photo rules.

What size should the image be?

1200 x 1600 pixels with vertical orientation.

What format and file size?

JPEG at a Fine compression level, and the file must be no larger than 500KB.

What background should I use?

Position the subject as close as possible to a neutral 18% grey background with a smooth surface.

Can I photograph a document instead of scanning it?

No. The attachments guidance says photographs of documents are not accepted — documents must be scanned.

Australia Visa Facial Image

Q: Do I need certified copies for this form?

No. The help page states that certified copies are not required for that form.

This guide covers one specific Australian form, the ‘Application for ImmiCard’. Its help page publishes a full set of facial-image standards, kept separate from the attachments you scan and upload. The scope note matters: it is that form’s help page, not a universal Australian visa photo page. Based on the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs help page for that form, retrieved 2026-09-28.

What this page applies to

The standards below come from the Department of Home Affairs help page for the ‘Application for ImmiCard’ form. That page is a form help page: it describes what that form asks for, and it does not claim to be the general Australian visa photo page. Read it as the specification for this form. For your own application, confirm the current requirements in ImmiAccount rather than assuming every Australian visa works this way. The same page also states a limit for the form as a whole: you can attach multiple documents, but the maximum size for all attachments together is 10MB.

Facial image: the technical standards

If the form asks you to attach a photo of yourself, it should be no more than 6 months old. The page recommends a passport-quality photograph obtained at an Australia Post outlet or similar, and the following guidelines apply if you supply your own photograph.

Resolution	1200 x 1600 pixels, with vertical orientation
Format	JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) facial image format
Compression	Level Fine (high JPEG compression)
File size	No larger than 500KB
Background	As close as possible to a neutral 18% grey background with a smooth surface
Lighting	Ambient lighting should be as bright as possible
Camera	Must be level, with the lens pointing straight at the subject
Distance	From the centre of the subject’s head to the camera lens, 1.4 meters

What the image must show

your full head, including hair;
your neck and shoulders;
both eyes;
your nose;
your mouth;
you facing directly towards, and looking at, the camera;
a neutral facial expression, with eyes open and mouth and lips closed.

What the image must not include

other people, or parts of other people;
objects such as furniture or cups;
hair covering your eyes;
a hat or scarf or any other item that obscures the face, hair or neck, unless it is required for religious or cultural reasons;
any background other than a neutral background with a smooth surface, for example an internal wall or a plain non-glossy white door.

The scan rules that sit alongside it

The same help page sets the rules for the document attachments, and they are stricter than a photo-upload page would be. Attachments must be high-resolution (600 dpi) colour scans of your original documents, and the page states that certified copies are not required. A document in a language other than English needs the document itself plus a version translated into English by a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

The page also lists what it will not accept:

black and white copies — scans must be in colour and at a resolution of at least 300 dpi;
photographs of documents — documents must be scanned;
scanned photocopies — you must scan the original document;
selfies — if a photograph of yourself is asked for, it must be a passport-quality photograph of your face and shoulders.

This is not the same figure as an Australia visa photo upload

Do not treat the 500KB figure above as a general cap for Australian visa photos. An internal draft page on this site, not yet published, records a digital visa-photo upload as JPEG between 70KB and 3.5MB at 1200 x 1600 pixels. The two are not in conflict, because they describe different things: that figure belongs to a visa photo uploaded with a visa application, while this page records the facial-image standard published on the ImmiCard form help page. Each number applies only in its own context, and neither is a universal Australian upload limit. This guide does not restate or reinterpret the other figure, which is not published, so is not asserted here.

What the help page does not publish

The form help page does not publish a pixel size or file-size cap for a general Australian visa photo upload, and it does not say which visas require certified copies. Those points are not published, so not asserted here. Note also that the page gives two scan figures in the same section — 600 dpi for high-resolution colour scans, and at least 300 dpi in the list of what it will not accept — so both are reported as published rather than merged into one.

Related guides

For the file side, see digital file requirements and phone camera settings. On the grey background, background colours explains what a neutral background means in practice, and photo validity covers the six-month rule. To shoot your own image, start with taking a passport photo at home. See also the Australia visa documents checklist, the Australia passport photo page and the full size chart. Check a finished image with the passport photo checker.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, “Application for ImmiCard” help page (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/Pages/ImmiCard-help.aspx) and “Attach documents to your application” (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/online/attach-documents-to-your-application), both retrieved 2026-09-28. This is a form help page, so confirm the current requirements for your own application.