Photograph Requirements for a Tanzania eVisa

Quick Specification Summary

Your Tanzania eVisa photo must be:

• Colour, with a plain, light-coloured background
• A full front-facing shot, from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin
• Taken with a natural expression and eyes open
• Free of shadows on the face or background
• No head covering, unless worn for religious reasons - and even then, the full face from chin to forehead must remain visible
• No more than 45mm x 35mm in size
• Saved as a JPG or JPEG file, no larger than 500KB

Every point on this list matters - the Immigration Department reviews photos against these specifications individually, and a single non-compliant detail can be enough to trigger a request for resubmission.

Background and Lighting

The background behind you should be plain and light in colour, with no patterns, shadows, or other people visible. Uneven lighting is one of the most common technical issues with self-submitted photos - a shadow cast across one side of the face, or a shadow falling on the wall behind you, can be enough for the photo to be rejected. Natural, diffused light (standing side-on to a window rather than directly in front of a single lamp) generally produces a cleaner result than indoor overhead lighting.

Framing and Expression

The photo needs to show your full face, front-on, from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin, centred in the frame. Tilting your head, looking off to the side, or cropping too closely are all common framing mistakes. Your expression should be natural, with your mouth closed and your eyes open and clearly visible - exaggerated smiles, squinting, or half-closed eyes can all cause a photo to be flagged.

Headwear and Religious Coverings

Head coverings are not permitted in a Tanzania eVisa photo unless worn for religious reasons. Where a religious covering is worn, it must not obscure any part of the face from the chin to the forehead - your hairline, ears, and general facial outline can be covered, but your facial features themselves need to remain fully visible for identification purposes. Hats, caps, and other non-religious headwear are not accepted under any circumstances.

Glasses and Eyewear

Glasses are permitted if you wear them regularly, but there are a few conditions:

• Lenses must be clear, not tinted or darkened
• There should be no glare or reflection obscuring your eyes
• Thick frames should not cover any part of your eyes

If you're unsure whether your usual glasses will cause glare issues in a photo, it's often simpler to take the photo without them if your vision allows, since a compliant photo with no eyewear complications tends to be processed with fewer questions.

File Format and Size Requirements

Once you have a compliant photo, make sure the digital file meets the technical specification before uploading:

• File format: JPG or JPEG only
• Maximum file size: 500KB
• Maximum dimensions: 45mm x 35mm

If your photo file is too large, most basic photo editing or compression tools can resize it without materially reducing quality - just avoid over-compressing to the point where facial details become blurry or pixelated, since this can also cause the photo to be flagged.

How to Take a Compliant Photo Yourself

You don't need a professional studio to meet these requirements, though it can help if you're not confident doing this yourself:

1. Stand about an arm's length from a plain, light-coloured wall.
2. Use natural daylight facing you, avoiding direct overhead light or backlighting from a window behind you.
3. Hold your phone or camera at eye level, not tilted up or down.
4. Keep a neutral, relaxed expression with your eyes open and mouth closed.
5. Take a few shots and review each one against the checklist above before choosing the best one.
6. Crop and resize the final image to meet the dimension and file size limits before uploading.

Common Photo Mistakes That Cause Delays

• Using an old photo instead of a recent one
• A background that isn't plain (patterned walls, visible furniture, other people)
• Shadows on the face or background from poor lighting
• Wearing sunglasses, tinted lenses, or non-religious headwear
• Photos that are too zoomed in, cropped, or off-centre
• Uploading a file that exceeds the 500KB size limit or isn't in JPG/JPEG format
• Reusing a passport photo taken years ago that no longer resembles your current appearance

Should You Edit or Retouch Your Photo?

Avoid heavily filtering, retouching, or digitally altering your photo. Editing that changes your natural facial appearance - skin smoothing filters, colour-altering effects, or added elements - can cause a mismatch flag during review, since the photo is meant to be a true, current likeness for identification purposes. Basic adjustments like cropping to the correct dimensions or reducing file size are fine; cosmetic retouching is not.