Passport photo regulations according to international standards

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just issued Official Dispatch 696/BNG-LS dated March 2, 2017 guiding the regulations on photos for passports according to ICAO standards and introducing the seal, signature and title of the person authorized to sign the Decision on sending officials on business trips abroad.

Passport photo regulations according to international standards.

ICAO stands for International Civil Aviation Organization - an organization under the United Nations responsible for drafting and promulgating aviation regulations worldwide.

Accordingly, to standardize the printing of passport photos as well as to be consistent with the general regulations of other countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces the submission of photos according to ICAO standards, specifically as follows:

- Photo taken within the last 6 months, in plain clothes, size 4x6 cm, photo width is 35-40mm, head and shoulders straight so that the face takes up 70-80% of the photo, photo quality is sharp and clear, no ink stains or folds, taken on a white background, with appropriate brightness and contrast, photo printed on good quality paper and high resolution, do not submit scanned photos.

- Photos have neutral colors, eyes open, no redness, no loose hair in front of face, photo looks straight, not looking sideways, no smiling when taking photos.

- When taking photos, people wearing glasses should not let light reflect on the glasses, should not wear colored glasses, and the frames of the glasses should not be too thick.

- Photos with hats and scarves will not be accepted (except for ethnic minorities). For children, photos must be taken alone, without a chair behind them.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted the introduction of the seal, signature and title of the person authorized to sign the Decision to send or allow cadres, civil servants, managers, officers, and professional soldiers to work abroad: currently, some agencies and localities send official dispatches introducing the signature, seal, and title of the person authorized to send cadres on work trips without the signature's authorization period; the signature in the introductory document is a photocopied signature or the purpose of sending the official dispatch is "for work contact" (not authorization to sign the Decision to send cadres on work trips abroad).

In many cases, the signature of the person authorized to sign the Decision on sending officials on business trips abroad has expired but the competent authority has not reintroduced or extended the validity period of the signature, causing difficulties in receiving and processing documents.

Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests that agencies and units introduce the seal, signature and title of the authorized person in accordance with form 04/2016/XNC prescribed in Article 6 of Circular 03/2016/TT-BNG dated June 30, 2016 guiding the issuance, extension, amendment and supplementation of diplomatic passports, official passports...

According to PLO