Colombia Passport Photo Requirements
There is no Colombian passport photo for you to take. Colombia captures your photograph on site, at the office where you file the application — the official wording is blunt: "No es necesario llevar fotos", you do not need to bring photos. Verified against the Cancillería (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) requirements page, September 2026.
No photo to prepare — it is taken for you
This is the opposite of almost every other country on this site. Instead of photographing yourself and cropping to a size, you attend an office in person and the officer does the rest. The official page sets out the whole sequence in one sentence: you go in person to the office you selected, present the required documents, and the photograph, fingerprint capture and signature are all done there. No photos to bring.
What the Cancillería page we verified publishes is the process (on-site capture) and the online-passport conditions. It does not publish a millimetre or pixel size for a passport photo — so if you have seen a "35 × 45 mm Colombia passport photo" figure elsewhere, treat it as unconfirmed: officially, there is no photo for you to size.
The on-site sequence
| Attend in person | At the office you selected, with the required documents |
| Photograph | Taken at the office — do not bring your own |
| Fingerprints | Captured at the same appointment |
| Signature | Recorded at the same appointment |
Because the photo is captured with the biometrics, there is nothing to print, crop or upload for the standard in-person route — and no reason to pay a studio or use a photo tool for it.
Why the "35 × 45 mm" you have seen is not confirmed
Pages that list a millimetre size for Colombian passport photos are not quoting the Cancillería. The official requirements page we verified contains no photo dimensions, because it does not need them: the photo is produced at the office to the authority’s own standard. The widely repeated 35 × 45 mm figure has no official source sentence, so this page states it as not published rather than repeating it as a rule. If you are told to bring a photo, confirm with the office first.
Minors: the same rule
For a child, the rule does not change: the minor and the accompanying adult both attend in person, present the required documents, and the photograph, fingerprints and signature are captured there. For a minor too, no photos need to be brought.
Online passport (Pasaporte en Línea): what it needs
Colombia does offer an online route, but it is narrow. To use it you must meet all of these:
- Be of legal age.
- Hold an electronic ordinary passport or electronic executive passport issued after 17 November 2017.
- Have had a successful biometric authentication in the process that issued your current previous passport.
Even then, the online route works from your existing biometric record — it is not a route where you supply a fresh photo of your own. The governing rules are set out in Resolución 6888 of 26 November 2021, with renewals under Resolución 12880 of 2024.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to bring a photo for a Colombian passport?
No. The official requirements state "No es necesario llevar fotos" — you attend the office in person and the photograph, fingerprints and signature are all captured there.
What size photo does a Colombian passport need?
Officially, none that you prepare. The photograph is taken on site and the requirements page we verified publishes no millimetre or pixel size. A widely repeated "35 × 45 mm" figure has no official source sentence, so treat it as unconfirmed rather than a rule.
Does a child need a photo for a Colombian passport?
No. The minor and the accompanying adult both attend in person, and the photograph, fingerprints and signature are taken at the office — no photos need to be brought for a child either.
Can I renew a Colombian passport online?
Only if you are of legal age, hold an electronic ordinary or executive passport issued after 17 November 2017, and had a successful biometric authentication when your current previous passport was issued — all three conditions must be met.
Does the online route need a new photo?
No. The online route works from your existing biometric record rather than a fresh photo you provide; the rules sit in Resolución 6888 of 2021, with renewals under Resolución 12880 of 2024.
Can I use a photo tool or studio for a Colombian passport?
There is nothing to prepare for the standard route, since the photo is captured at the office. Save the effort and simply bring your documents and attend in person.
Off to somewhere that does ask you to prepare a photo? Compare formats on the size chart (see the neighbouring Peru page for a spec-style example), verify a file with the passport photo checker, and check the photo validity rules before reusing an old shot.