South Korea Passport photo size

A South Korea passport photo is 35 × 45 mm (1.38 × 1.77 in) on a plain white background, with the head taking up 71%–80% of the image height from chin to crown. Strictly white, strictly printed on photographic paper, and — for online renewal — a pixel window with hard upper and lower bounds. Below are the full requirements, the official source, and the date we last checked it.

Requirements checklist

Required: 35 mm wide by 45 mm high (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm)

Required: Head length from the crown (excluding hair) to the chin must be between 32 mm and 36 mm

Required: Background must be uniform white with no ink marks and no border

Required: Taken within 6 months of the application date, bare-headed, colour, front-facing upper body

Not allowed: Must be printed on photographic paper — ordinary paper is not accepted. 300 DPI recommended

Required: Online renewal: 413 x 531 pixels recommended; only 395-431 x 507-550 pixels can be uploaded

Required: Online renewal file: JPG/JPEG, 500 KB or less

Not allowed: Backgrounds erased or composited in photo editing software are not accepted

What the specification means in practice

Korea uses the common 35 × 45 mm frame with a head of 32 to 36 mm from crown to chin, which is unremarkable. What is distinctive is how tightly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies the digital file for online renewal, and how firmly it rules out the two shortcuts people reach for: printing on ordinary paper, and erasing the background in software.

The background must be white, and really white

The requirement is a uniform white background with no ink marks and no border. Unlike the UK, cream and light grey are not alternatives here — a background that is not white is listed among the explicit rejection reasons.

Equally explicit: photos where the background has been erased or the subject composited onto white using photo editing software cannot be submitted. The intent is that the photo records a real scene, not a constructed one. Replacing a background is not the same as photographing against one.

Online renewal has a pixel window, not a minimum

Most authorities give a minimum resolution. Korea gives a range with a hard ceiling: 413 × 531 pixels is recommended, and only files between 395–431 pixels wide and 507–550 pixels tall can be uploaded at all. A larger, higher-quality image is rejected by the upload form.

The file must be JPG or JPEG and 500 KB or smaller. And the head-length rule still applies to it: the guidance asks that the photo be shot so the head measures 32 to 36 mm on the assumption that the file is printed at 35 × 45 mm.

Printing requirements

A photo printed on ordinary paper cannot be used. It must be printed on photographic paper, glossy or matte, and 300 DPI is recommended. Blurred or visibly pixellated low-resolution photos, and photos with creases or stains, are not accepted.

Lighting must be adequate enough to reproduce natural skin tone with no shadows or reflections on either the subject or the background.

Pose and hair

The head must be centred, with the face and shoulders square to the camera — profile and three-quarter poses are not accepted. Tilting the head toward or away from the camera, or shooting very close to the face, is also refused.

Hair must not cover the eyes, and the whole face from forehead to chin, including the contour of the face, must be exposed. Photos where hair covers the eyebrows or the outline of the cheeks are listed as rejections — a detail that matters more here than in most specifications.

Recency and headwear

The photo must be taken within six months of the application date, in colour, front-facing, showing the upper body, and without a hat. Self-taken photos are acceptable, but only if they actually meet the specification — the guidance permits them rather than encouraging them.

South Korea passport photo questions

What size is a Korean passport photo?

A Korean passport photo is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm), with the head measuring 32 to 36 mm from the crown, excluding hair, to the chin. The background must be uniform white with no border.

What are the file requirements for online Korean passport renewal?

413 x 531 pixels is recommended, and only files between 395–431 pixels wide and 507–550 pixels tall can be uploaded. The file must be JPG or JPEG and 500 KB or smaller, with 300 DPI recommended.