Mexico Passport photo requirements
Mexico's passport photo is 4.5×3.5 cm, color, front-facing, on a plain white background, with a serious expression (no smiling), no glasses, and the head uncovered and fully visible. It must be recent — taken no more than 30 days before the appointment. Verified against Mexico's Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE).
Lo esencial
- Tamaño de la foto
- 35×45 mm
- Altura de la cabeza
- 71–80% de la foto (de la barbilla a la coronilla)
- Línea de los ojos
- 50–65% desde la parte inferior
- Fondo
- Plain white
- Expresión
- Neutra, boca cerrada
- Resolución de salida
- 413×531 px @ 300 dpi
- Tamaño máximo de archivo
- 10240 KB (JPEG)
Cada regla, con su fuente
Tamaño, forma y posición de la cabeza
Fuente ↗The photo is 45×35 mm (4.5×3.5 cm), color, with the head shown complete and centered facing forward. The SRE rejects photos where the face is too close ("cara muy cerca"), too far / head too small ("cabeza muy lejos"), or shown in profile ("foto de perfil") — only a full, front-on head at a moderate distance is accepted.
Expresión
Fuente ↗Use a serious, neutral expression — do NOT smile. The SRE photo examples are explicitly captioned "sin sonreír" (without smiling).
Gafas
Fuente ↗Glasses are not allowed — photos must be taken "sin lentes" (without glasses). The SRE marks "lentes puestos" (glasses on) as a rejected example.
Coberturas para la cabeza (religiosas / médicas)
Fuente ↗The head must be uncovered ("cabeza descubierta") and fully visible ("cabeza completa"). No head coverings are described as permitted by the SRE.
Sombreros y gorras
Fuente ↗Hats and any head covering are not allowed — the photo must show the head uncovered ("cabeza descubierta").
Iluminación
No especificado por la autoridadNot specified by Mexico's SRE; ICAO/best-practice default applies — use even, diffuse lighting so the face is uniformly lit with accurate skin tones and no hot spots.
Sombras
No especificado por la autoridadNot specified by Mexico's SRE; ICAO/best-practice default applies — no shadows on the face or background.
Fondo
Fuente ↗Use a plain white background ("fondo blanco"). The SRE rejects a gray or stained/blotchy background ("fondo gris o manchado").
Ojos rojos y flash
No especificado por la autoridadNot specified by Mexico's SRE; ICAO/best-practice default applies — no red-eye; use diffused light or reposition the flash so the eyes appear natural.
Obstrucción del cabello y el rostro
Fuente ↗The full head and face must be visible and uncovered ("cabeza completa", "cabeza descubierta"), with no glasses obscuring the eyes ("sin lentes").
Mirada y ojos
Fuente ↗Face the camera straight on ("de frente"). Photos showing the face or body turned to the side ("rostro y cuerpo de lado") or in profile ("foto de perfil") are rejected.
Bebés y niños
No especificado por la autoridadNot specified by Mexico's SRE; ICAO/best-practice default applies — for infants the same front-facing, white-background, eyes-open standard applies; no other person, supporting hands, or props should be visible in frame.
Mexico passport photo requirements, in plain English
Mexico's passport photo rules come from the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE). They are short and strict: a recent, color, front-facing photo on a plain white background, with a serious face (no smiling), no glasses, and the head uncovered and fully visible. Every rule below is taken from the SRE's official requirements page and its photo-example sheet.
Size and framing
The photo must be 45×35 mm (4.5×3.5 cm), in color, with your head shown complete and centered, facing the camera. The SRE's example sheet rejects three framing mistakes outright:
- Cara muy cerca — face too close / cropped in too tight.
- Cabeza muy lejos — head too far away / too small in the frame.
- Foto de perfil — a profile or side-angle shot.
Aim for a full head at a moderate distance, shot straight on.
Expression — do not smile
Unlike the U.S. passport, Mexico does not allow a smile. The official photo examples are captioned "sin sonreír" (without smiling). Use a serious, neutral expression with your mouth closed.
Glasses — take them off
Photos must be taken "sin lentes" (without glasses). The SRE explicitly flags "lentes puestos" (glasses on) as a rejected example, so remove all eyeglasses before your photo.
Head coverings
Your head must be uncovered ("cabeza descubierta") and fully visible ("cabeza completa"). Hats, caps, and other head coverings are not permitted.
Background
Use a plain white background ("fondo blanco"). The SRE rejects a gray or stained/blotchy background ("fondo gris o manchado"). Snapassport standardizes your background to the exact compliant white automatically, so a slightly off-color or uneven wall is corrected for you.
Recency
The photo must be recent — taken no more than 30 days before your appointment ("no mayor a 30 días de anterioridad"). This is one of the shortest recency windows of any common passport.
Where Mexico's rules are silent
The SRE's published guidance does not spell out lighting, shadows, red-eye, or infant-specific rules. For those, Snapassport applies the international ICAO best-practice defaults: even lighting with accurate skin tones, no shadows on the face or background, no red-eye, and — for babies — the same front-facing, white-background, eyes-open standard with no other people, hands, or props in the frame.
Preguntas frecuentes
- Can you smile in a Mexican passport photo?
- No. Mexico's SRE requires a serious, neutral expression — the official photo examples are captioned "sin sonreír" (without smiling). Keep your mouth closed and your face relaxed.
- Can you wear glasses in a Mexican passport photo?
- No. Photos must be taken "sin lentes" (without glasses). The SRE lists "lentes puestos" (glasses on) as a rejected example, so remove all eyeglasses before the photo.
- How recent must a Mexican passport photo be?
- Very recent — the SRE requires the photo to be taken no more than 30 days before your passport appointment ("no mayor a 30 días de anterioridad").
Fuentes, verificadas el 2026-06-15: Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) — Pasaporte ordinario por primera vez (requisitos) · SRE — Ejemplos de cómo deben ser las fotografías para trámite de pasaporte mexicano (Consulado de México en Frankfurt)
Las reglas cambian. La aceptación final siempre la determina la autoridad emisora — Snapassport valida según los requisitos publicados, no resuelve la decisión.
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