Irish passport photo rejected — DFA fix in 60 seconds

Passport Online — the auto-checker that rejects 1 in 4

The DFA's Passport Online service runs every uploaded photo through a strict auto-checker. About 25% of first-upload attempts are rejected. The most common reason: 'background not light grey'. Many users assume pure white is fine — it is not.

The auto-checker is calibrated against the DFA's reference photos which are taken under controlled studio lighting with a light grey (#E8E9ED) background. complypic outputs that exact tone.

Head height, hair, shadow

Head 32-36 mm — same as Schengen. Heads outside this range (too small from a far selfie, or too large from a tight crop) are auto-rejected.

Hair covering eyes or eyebrows is rejected. Hair across the face or in front of one eye is rejected. The DFA's reference photos show hair tucked behind the ears or pulled back.

Shadow on the face — common when the photo is taken with a single overhead light — is rejected. complypic normalizes face lighting.

Glasses and expression

Glasses banned since 2016. The Passport Online auto-checker detects glasses with very high accuracy including thin metal frames and rimless lenses.

Expression: neutral, mouth closed. Slight smile may pass; toothy smile is rejected.

Children and infants

Children's photos follow the same 35×45 mm spec. Children under 6 can have natural smiles. Infants under 1 can have eyes partially closed if no compliant photo is achievable — but the DFA prefers eyes open.

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