The official requirements
The photo requirements come from the Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-Visa portal, in its image tools section. There is no printed photo for this application, only a digital upload.
- Format: JPEG.
- File size: at least 10 KB and at most 500 KB.
- Orientation: portrait, so the height is greater than the width.
- Minimum dimensions: 400x600 pixels.
- Face size: the face fills about 70-80% of the photo.
- Age of the photo: taken within the last 6 months.
- Glasses: allowed as long as there is no glare.
- Head covering: religious reasons only, and the face must be fully visible.
The portal does not state a background colour or a headscarf rule. Plain white is the usual choice. The page also says that acceptance is at the discretion of the embassy or consulate.
Taking the photo at home
Use daylight from a window and stand in front of a plain, light wall. Ask a helper to hold the phone upright at eye level and fill the frame so your head and the top of your shoulders are clearly visible. Keep a neutral expression, look straight into the lens and keep both eyes open. If you wear glasses, tilt them slightly or take a few test shots to check that no reflection covers the eyes.
Open IDPhotoly and add your picture. It runs in your browser, crops the image to the right portrait ratio, replaces the background with plain white and exports a JPG inside the size limits.
Why the portal turns photos down
- The file is below 10 KB or above 500 KB.
- The picture is landscape or smaller than 400x600 px.
- The face is too small in the frame, which often happens with a full-body or distant photo.
- An old picture, outside the six-month window.
- Reflections on lenses, or shadows across the face.
- A filtered, retouched or blurred image.
Uploading the file
Sign in to the official Iran e-Visa portal and add the photo in the field for the applicant picture. Check the preview, particularly that the head is not cut off, before you continue. If the file is refused, reduce the JPEG quality a little rather than shrinking the dimensions below 400x600 px, because a file under 10 KB will also fail.
IDPhotoly is not affiliated with any government. If an official authority rejects a photo made with the service, you can request a full refund by email within 30 days.