Israel Passport Photo — 5 × 5 cm (2 × 2 in in the US)
Israel asks for a square 5 × 5 cm photo on a white background, taken within the last 3 months, in two copies. In the United States the required size is given as 2 × 2 inches — the same square. Verified against the official Israeli consulate service page, September 2026.
Official specification
| Size | 5 × 5 cm (square, ≈ 51 × 51 mm) | official ↗ |
| United States | The required size is 2 × 2 inches (the same square) | official ↗ |
| Background | White | official ↗ |
| Recency | Taken within the last 3 months | official ↗ |
| Number | Two recent photos | official ↗ |
| Composition | Full front view of the face; hair tucked behind the ears; facial features fully visible including the eyebrows; no glasses | official ↗ |
Every item above comes from the same official source: https://embassies.gov.il/atlanta/en/services/israeli-citizens/issuance-travel-documents-passport-citizens-and-residents-israel (confidence A — official gov.il consulate page, retrieved 2026-09-24).
Two ways to read the size
The specification is written as 5 × 5 cm for most of the world, and as 2 × 2 in for the United States — both describe the same square, roughly 51 × 51 mm. There is no separate portrait format: unlike most passports, Israel wants a square.
Where the photo comes from (two tracks)
- Abroad — your own photos. Applying for a travel document through an Israeli consulate, you supply two 5 × 5 cm (2 × 2 in) photos on a white background, taken within the last 3 months. This is the track backed by the official page cited here.
- In Israel — on-site capture. Standard biometric passports are issued through the Population and Immigration Authority, where the photograph is captured on site as part of the biometric process. The exact in-country specification has not been confirmed against a retrieved official source, so treat it as pending verification (待复核) rather than a fixed rule.
If you are applying from outside Israel, follow the two-photo track above. If you are applying inside Israel, the photo is normally taken for you — there is nothing to prepare in advance.
What the official source does not specify
Two things people often look for are not published in the retrieved official source and are deliberately left out here rather than guessed: a pixel size for online submission, and a head-height ratio. Neither has an official number, so no figure is stated.
Getting a compliant shot
- Shoot square against a plain, evenly lit white wall — see the home photo guide.
- Crop to a square (5 × 5 cm / 2 × 2 in) from the photo size chart.
- Keep it a full front view with the hair behind the ears and no glasses — see rejection reasons.
- Print two copies and check the true size with the print calibration step and the print sheet.
Everything runs locally in your browser — the photo never leaves your device. Start from the free tools.
Related: all size chart · printing guide · all guides
Official sources
- A — Israeli consulate travel-document service page, https://embassies.gov.il/atlanta/en/services/israeli-citizens/issuance-travel-documents-passport-citizens-and-residents-israel (retrieved 2026-09-24): 5 × 5 cm / 2 × 2 in, white background, 3 months, two photos, no glasses.
- B (not retrieved) — the Population and Immigration Authority "Passport photo guide" on gov.il renders as a JavaScript app and could not be read as text; no figures are taken from it. The in-country track is therefore marked pending verification above.