What the Korean passport is for
The Korean passport is the official travel document the government of South Korea issues to its citizens. It proves your identity and nationality abroad, lets you enter foreign countries and return to Korea, and holds your name, date of birth, passport photo and passport number, along with the issuing authority and the validity period. The passport photo you submit has to meet clear technical rules on size, background and quality.
Korean passport photo size explained
For an online application, the Korean passport photo is a digital file, not a print. The photo size is 413 pixels wide and 531 pixels tall. Your head should take up about half of the photo height, and the top of your head should sit about 8% of the photo height below the top edge, so there is a small strip of white above the hair. The background is plain white. The file must not be larger than 300 KB, so a photo straight from a phone camera, which is usually several megabytes, needs to be cropped and compressed before you upload it online. Our tool does this for you and keeps the passport photo size exactly 413 × 531 pixels.
Who can apply for a Korean passport online
Only South Korean citizens can apply for a Korean passport. Minors may need consent from a parent. Before you start the online application, prepare:
- Your resident registration card or another valid Korean ID.
- A recent digital passport photo that meets the size, background and quality rules.
- A credit or debit card to pay the application fee.
- A stable internet connection to finish the online form in one go.
How to apply for a Korean passport online
The South Korean government runs a dedicated online portal for passport applications at passport.go.kr. For consular civil services, see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular portal. The online process follows these steps:
- Create an account on the portal, or log in if you already have one.
- Fill in the online form: full name, date of birth, address, contact details and the details of your ID.
- Upload your digital passport photo and any other documents the form asks for.
- Review every field, then submit the application.
- Pay the application fee online with your card.
- Track the status of your application on the same portal.
- When the passport is ready, you get an email or SMS, and you collect it at the passport office or have it mailed, depending on the options offered.
Uploading the passport photo
The upload step is where many online applications stall. A file with the wrong pixel size, a file over 300 KB or a photo with a grey background does not meet the requirements. Before you upload, open the passport photo and check three things: the dimensions are 413 × 531 pixels, the file is under 300 KB, and the background is plain white. A scan of an old printed photo is not a good choice either, because scanning lowers sharpness and adds shadows. A fresh digital passport photo made with our online maker passes these checks before you download it.
How to check your passport photo file
You can check a passport photo file yourself before you upload it. On a computer, open the file properties: Windows shows the dimensions in pixels and the file size under Details, and a Mac shows them in the Preview inspector. On a phone, most gallery apps show the pixel size and file size in the photo info panel. The passport photo should read 413 × 531 and no more than 300 KB. If the pixel size is different, do not stretch the photo to fit, because stretching distorts the face; crop it again from the original photo instead. If the file size is too large, save the passport photo again as a JPEG with a little more compression.
Digital passport photo vs printed passport photo
A printed passport photo and a digital passport photo are made for different jobs. A print is sized in millimetres or inches and cut from photo paper. A digital passport photo is sized in pixels and must also stay under a file size limit. For this application you need the digital passport photo only, so there is no reason to visit a photo studio for prints. Taking the photo at home and preparing the file yourself saves time, and you can retake the photo as many times as you like until you are happy with it.
Getting the head size and position right
Head size is the most common reason a passport photo looks wrong even when the background and light are good. In a 531-pixel-tall passport photo, a head that fills about half the height is roughly 265 pixels from chin to the top of the head, and the gap above the hair is about 42 pixels. If you stand too far from the camera, your head is too small; too close, and the crop cuts off your hair or chin. Our tool measures your face and places it in the frame at the right size, so the passport photo is centred with your eyes level and your shoulders visible at the bottom.
Light and background tips for a passport photo
Good light makes the biggest difference to a passport photo taken at home. Stand facing a window during the day so the light falls evenly on both sides of your face. Avoid a ceiling lamp directly above you, which casts shadows under the eyes and nose, and avoid flash, which can leave a glare on the skin. You do not need a white wall: the AI removes the room behind you and replaces it with a clean white background. Still, a plain wall a step or two behind you helps the tool separate your hair from the background and gives a sharper passport photo edge.
Passport photos of babies and children
Children also need their own passport photo, and a young child can be the hardest person to photograph. Lay a baby on a plain white sheet and take the photo from directly above, or sit an older child on a chair in front of a plain wall. Take several photos in a row and pick the one where the eyes are open and the face is straight to the camera. A child needs the same passport photo as an adult: 413 × 531 pixels, a plain white background and a file under 300 KB. Upload the best shot to our tool and it crops and checks the passport photo the same way.
After you download your passport photo
Keep the passport photo file in a folder you can find again, together with the original photo from your camera. If the application form asks you to upload the passport photo a second time, or if you need to fix a typo and start again, you will not have to retake it. Do not edit the downloaded passport photo in another app: filters, beauty modes and extra cropping change the face or the frame and can make a good passport photo fail the check. If you are not happy with the result, go back to the original photo and run it through the tool again. A passport photo has to be recent, so for your next application take a new passport photo instead of reusing an old file.
What the AI passport photo check looks at
When you upload a photo, the tool runs the same checks a person at a passport office would do by eye. It finds your face, measures the head and crops the passport photo, then looks at the background, the light on your face, your expression, whether both eyes are open and whether the passport photo is sharp. If something is off, you see what to fix and can take a new photo straight away. A passport photo that passes the check is ready to download as a small JPEG file.
Renewal, replacement and emergency passports
The online process also covers passport renewal and replacement if your passport is lost or damaged. Each new passport needs a recent passport photo, so do not reuse the photo from your old passport. In urgent situations, South Korean citizens can apply for an emergency passport, which has a shorter validity period. For specific fees and any extra requirements, check the official passport portal or contact the nearest South Korean embassy or consulate.
Korean passport photo checklist
- Correct dimensions: 413 × 531 pixels.
- File size no larger than 300 KB.
- Plain white background with no shadows or patterns.
- Head about half of the photo height, centred and straight.
- Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open.
- A sharp, recent passport photo with no filters.
Other South Korean documents
Foreign nationals who travel to or live in South Korea need different photos. See our South Korea visa photo page, the alien registration photo page and the residence card photo page. Each document has its own photo size, so make the photo for the exact document you apply for.
