Tanzania Passport Photo

Tanzanian Passport Photo -- What the Immigration Department Actually Enforces

Tanzania's Idara ya Uhamiaji (Immigration Department) operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and processes passport applications from regional immigration offices across the country, with the largest volumes handled in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. Since the rollout of East African Community biometric e-passports in 2018, Tanzania has phased out the older green-cover machine-readable passports entirely -- a transition deadline that was extended multiple times before finally closing in late 2023. The new biometric system brought stricter photo requirements, and the Immigration Department reports that photo non-compliance is responsible for roughly one in four application delays.

The official portal for Tanzania's passport services is immigration.go.tz. Applications can be initiated online through the e-Passport portal, but physical document submission including printed photos must still be done in person at a regional immigration office.

Technical Photo Specifications

Dimensions:

• 35 x 45 mm (413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI)
• Head height from bottom of chin to crown: 28-33 mm
• Face centered horizontally with approximately 3-4 mm margin on each side

Background:

• White only -- solid, uniform, completely free of shadows or gradients
• Tanzania does not accept the light blue backgrounds that neighbouring Kenya formerly permitted

Print quality:

• Printed on photographic paper -- not regular printer paper or card stock
• High resolution with no visible pixelation or banding
• Colour print only -- greyscale or sepia not accepted

Digital file (for online application initiation):

• JPEG format
• Minimum 200 x 257 pixels; recommended 600 x 800 pixels or higher
• Maximum file size: 200 KB
• White background, same composition as print version

Expression, Pose, and Dress Code

• Face the camera directly with no head tilt or rotation
• Neutral expression -- mouth shut, no teeth showing, both eyes open and looking at the lens
• Ears preferably visible, though Tanzania does not have a strict ear-exposure mandate
• Hair must not cover the forehead, eyes, or eyebrows
• Prescription glasses are permitted only if they have clear, non-reflective lenses and thin frames that do not cross over the eyes. Sunglasses and photochromic lenses are not allowed. The Immigration Department recommends removing glasses entirely to prevent glare-related rejections.
• Head coverings are permitted for Muslim women wearing hijab -- Tanzania has a significant Muslim population, particularly on Zanzibar and along the coast. The hijab must not cast shadows on the face, and the full facial oval from forehead to chin must remain visible. Men's religious head coverings (kofias and taqiyah) are generally not permitted in passport photos.
• Uniforms -- military (TPDF), police, or institutional -- are not accepted. Wear civilian clothes.

Zanzibar-Specific Considerations

Zanzibar maintains its own semi-autonomous immigration office under the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, but passport issuance is a Union matter handled by the mainland Immigration Department. Applicants from Zanzibar submit through the regional immigration office in Zanzibar Town (Stone Town). The photo requirements are identical to mainland Tanzania, but in practice, Zanzibar's office tends to be stricter about hijab positioning -- ensuring the face is fully framed without any fabric encroaching on the chin line. Studios in Stone Town understand this and will adjust accordingly.

Where to Get Passport Photos in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam: Photo studios cluster around the Kivukoni area near the Immigration headquarters and along Samora Avenue. A standard passport photo set (4-8 prints) costs 3,000-8,000 TZS. Studios near the Immigration office know the specifications well -- ask for "picha ya passport" and they will handle sizing and background. Higher-end studios in Masaki or Oyster Bay charge 10,000-15,000 TZS and offer better lighting and retake options.

Dodoma: As the administrative capital, Dodoma has fewer photo studios than Dar. Studios near the Dodoma Regional Immigration Office on the main road charge 3,000-5,000 TZS. Quality is generally adequate but less consistent than Dar es Salaam.

Arusha and Moshi: Studios in the tourist hub areas charge slightly more -- 5,000-10,000 TZS -- partly because they also cater to foreign visa applicants who need various photo sizes. Specify Tanzanian passport specs (35x45mm, white background) to avoid receiving US or Schengen-sized photos.

Mwanza, Mbeya, and other regional towns: Photo studios are found near bus stands and market areas. Prices: 2,000-5,000 TZS. Quality varies. Bring a white sheet or cloth as backup -- smaller studios may use painted backdrops that photograph as off-white or grey.

Mobile phone and printing option: In major cities, you can take a compliant photo at home and print at a "photocopy" shop (duka la photocopy) for 500-1,000 TZS per sheet. Make sure the printout uses photo paper, not regular A4 copy paper, and that the 35x45mm dimensions are exact.

Baby and Child Passport Photos

Tanzania requires every child to hold their own passport with an individual photo, regardless of age.

• Newborns and infants: Place the baby face-up on a white sheet and photograph from directly above. The child must be the only person in the image -- no hands, arms, or faces of parents. Eyes may be closed for very young infants (under 3 months), but the Immigration Department prefers open eyes.
• Children 1-5 years: Must face the camera with both eyes open. Sit the child in a chair or on a parent's lap. If a parent holds the child, the parent must be completely covered by a white cloth and invisible in the photo.
• Children 6 and above: Adult requirements apply in full.

Tanzania does not charge a different passport fee for children, and the photo requirements do not have a separate set of relaxed standards beyond the infant eye-closure allowance.

Studios in Dar es Salaam that specialize in child document photos have infant positioning boards with white fabric covers and overhead camera mounts. A child photo session typically costs the same as an adult session -- 3,000-8,000 TZS depending on the studio.

Passport Fees and Processing Times

The Tanzanian e-passport costs 80,000 TZS for standard processing (30-60 days) and 150,000 TZS for express processing (within 14 days). These fees apply equally to adults and children. Emergency passports for documented urgent travel can sometimes be arranged through the Immigration Department's headquarters in Dar es Salaam, but this is handled on a case-by-case basis and is not a published service.

The East African Community ePassport

Tanzania's current passport is part of the East African Community (EAC) harmonized e-passport system, shared with Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the DRC. While each country issues its own passport with its own cover design, the underlying biometric standards are coordinated. This means a photo compliant for Tanzanian passport specs will generally satisfy the technical requirements for other EAC member states -- though each country retains its own specific rules on head coverings, glasses, and background shade.

The EAC e-passport stores biometric data on an RFID chip conforming to ICAO 9303 standards. At borders equipped with automated gates -- currently limited in East Africa but expanding -- the chip photo is compared to a live image. Digital retouching, beauty filters, or skin-smoothing apps will cause comparison failures.

Common Rejection Reasons at Tanzanian Immigration Offices

Immigration officers and studio operators report these as the most frequent photo problems:

1. Background not pure white -- many studios use fabric backdrops that crease or develop a grey or off-white tone over time. Hold a sheet of white printer paper next to the background in the photo to compare.
2. Photo printed on plain paper -- inkjet printouts on A4 paper bleed and lack the sharpness required. Photographic paper is mandatory.
3. Expression not neutral -- smiling, raised eyebrows, or squinting. The biometric system needs a relaxed, neutral face.
4. Head covering shadow -- hijab or other covering casts a shadow on the cheek or chin. Lighting must illuminate the face evenly from both sides.
5. Wrong dimensions -- submitting 2x2 inch (51x51mm) photos intended for US visa applications, or 30x40mm photos from older Tanzanian requirements
6. Eyes closed or partially shut -- particularly in photos taken with flash, where the subject blinks at the moment of capture

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Tanzania still accept the old green passport? A: No. The old machine-readable passport (green cover) was fully phased out. Only the biometric e-passport (maroon cover) is now valid. All applicants must apply for the new format, which requires the stricter photo specifications described above.

Q: How many photos do I need for a Tanzanian passport application? A: Four identical passport photos are required with the application. The Immigration Department retains two and attaches two to different parts of the file.

Q: Can Muslim women wear hijab in Tanzanian passport photos? A: Yes. Hijab is permitted as a religious head covering. The full facial oval -- forehead to chin, ear to ear -- must remain visible and unobstructed. The fabric must not cast shadows on the face.

Q: What is the processing time for a Tanzanian passport? A: Standard processing takes 30-60 days from the date of application. Express processing (within 14 days) is available at a higher fee -- currently 150,000 TZS for express versus 80,000 TZS for standard.

Q: Can I apply for a Tanzanian passport from outside the country? A: Yes, through Tanzanian embassies and high commissions abroad, coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation. Photo requirements are identical. Embassies in Nairobi, London, Washington DC, and Pretoria handle the highest volumes of overseas applications.

Q: Is a digital photo upload sufficient, or do I need prints? A: The online application portal accepts a digital upload for initial processing, but you must also bring printed photos to the in-person appointment. Both the digital file and the prints must meet the same specifications.