South Korea passport photo size
A South Korean passport photo is 3.5 x 4.5 cm on a white background, with the head 3.2 to 3.6 cm from crown to chin.
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Renewing online? The foreign ministry wants a JPG of 413 x 531 pixels, 500 KB or less. This tool makes that file, with 300 DPI saved for printing.
What the authority specifies
- Photo size
- 45 mm by 35 mm
- Pixels at 300 DPI
- 413 x 531
- Background
- plain white, with no border
- File size
- up to 500 KB
- Read strictly
- At most 500,000 bytes, which your computer shows as 488.3 KB
- Source
- www.passport.go.kr
- Source for the digital file requirements
- www.passport.go.kr
- Read at the source on
Each size on this page was read at the issuing authority's own website, not copied from another converter or from a search result.
The page it came from and the date it was read are printed above, so you can check the same source in one click.
Why this size?
Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) sets one photo rule for the printed photo and the online file. On a paper application you hand in a print, on photo paper, glossy or matte, never plain paper.
If you have held a Korean e-passport before, you can renew online instead: on Gov24 or KB Star Banking in Korea, or on g4k.go.kr through an embassy or consulate abroad.
The online file is the same photo in pixels. MOFA recommends 413 by 531 at 300 DPI, which prints at exactly 3.5 by 4.5 cm.
Its uploader accepts only files 395 to 431 pixels wide and 507 to 550 high, so a photo straight off a phone is refused. The photo must be taken within the last six months.
Where the pixel figure comes from
Passport offices publish millimetres, not pixels, because the photograph is printed. Turning millimetres into pixels needs a resolution, and most authorities do not name one.
This one does. The resolution above is the one the authority publishes, so the pixel figure is its own requirement converted at the rate it names rather than at one this site picked.
The file you download records that resolution in its header, so a print dialog set to actual size uses it instead of guessing at 72 or 96 DPI and printing the photo several times too large.
That matters if you are uploading rather than printing.
An online form usually states its own pixel size or file size limit, and where an authority publishes one this page uses that instead of converting anything.
Check before you submit
Requirements change, and the only version that counts is the one on the authority's own page on the day you apply.
Every size here links to the page it came from and shows the date it was read. If that date looks old, spend a minute at the source before you print anything.
What happens to your photo?
Your selected photo is processed in your browser, without an image upload to a server. The page may download code and codecs needed for editing.
Save your result before closing the tab; unsaved edits are kept in memory rather than in an online account.
Common questions
What size is a Korean passport photo in pixels?
For an online renewal, MOFA recommends 413 pixels wide by 531 high, at 300 DPI. Its uploader takes only files 395 to 431 pixels wide and 507 to 550 high.
This tool makes 413 by 531 and saves 300 DPI in the file, so the same file prints at 3.5 by 4.5 cm.
What file does the online renewal accept?
A JPG or JPEG of 500 KB or less. MOFA's photo checker also lists PNG, but its online file page names only JPG, so a JPEG is the safe choice.
A 413 by 531 JPEG comes out far below 500 KB, so there is nothing to shrink.
How big should my head be in the photo?
3.2 to 3.6 cm from the top of your head to your chin, measured without your hair, on a 3.5 x 4.5 cm print. An online file is judged as if it were printed at that size.
MOFA also refuses a close-up that makes the nose and forehead look larger than they are.
Can I wear glasses in a Korean passport photo?
Yes. MOFA allows glasses if the lenses do not reflect light and the frames do not cover your eyes. Tinted lenses and sunglasses are not allowed, nor are beauty, coloured or circle contact lenses.
Several photo sites say Korea bans glasses. MOFA's own rule does not.
Do my ears have to show?
MOFA does not say so. It asks for your whole face, forehead to chin, with no hair over your eyes, your eyebrows or the outline of your face, such as your cheekbones and cheeks.
It does refuse a close-up that makes the ears look smaller than they are.
Can I take the photo myself?
Yes, if it meets every rule. MOFA does not recommend a phone photo, or a heavily corrected one, for an online renewal, because it may not look like you.
Never erase the background or paste yourself onto white. Stand against a plain white wall in even light instead.
What are the rules for a baby's photo?
The same as for adults. A newborn or a child up to 36 months may have the mouth slightly open.
No toys and no parent may show in the photo. Laying the baby on a plain white sheet and shooting from above keeps both out of the frame.
Does MOFA have its own photo checker?
Yes. passport.go.kr has an online photo check and a resize tool that frames your face for the online file. The resize tool works on a computer only and takes files under 1 MB.
MOFA says both are for reference: a photo that passes can still be refused at review.
Who can renew a Korean passport online?
Anyone who has held a Korean e-passport before. A parent applies for a child under 18, through Gov24 for now.
A first e-passport, a change of romanised name, or an applicant who has lost passports repeatedly must apply in person, at a passport office in Korea or a consulate abroad.
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