Photo requirements

Guidelines for getting your photo

When we take your photo, we ask you to pose according to the following international standards:

• Sit up straight and look directly at the camera with your eyes open.
• Don’t smile – have a neutral expression on your face and have your mouth closed.
• Remove all glasses or sunglasses, even if you need your glasses to drive.
• Make sure your hair isn’t covering your face, particularly your eyes.

Hats and other head coverings

You may wear head coverings worn for cultural or religious reasons. Religious or cultural headwear is defined as a garment that is worn to cover the head and is primarily designed for that purpose.

• They must be adjusted so that your whole face is visible, from the bottom of your chin to the top of your forehead, including both edges of your face.
• There should be no shadows cast on your face.
• You may not wear any kind of hat or novelty wig. This is in accordance with international photo-capture standards.
• Hair accessories are acceptable, as long as they don’t obstruct the view of any facial feature.

Facial Recognition System

All photos in our system are analysed by a Facial Recognition System to check for potential identity fraud.

Facial recognition works by measuring the distances between facial features, such as eyes, nose and mouth, then comparing the measurements to look for possible duplicates.