Thailand
5 government-specification photo formats.
Overview
Thailand's identity-document photo standards are split across three ministries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), through its Department of Consular Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassies, sets the rules for the Thai passport and for traditional embassy/consulate visa applications. The Royal Thai Immigration Bureau, in partnership with VFS, governs the Visa on Arrival (VOA / e-VOA) photo specification, while the Ministry of Labour's Department of Employment maintains a separate standard for work permits. The MFA also runs the official online e-Visa portal at thaievisa.go.th, whose digital photo format is distinct from both the consular print spec and the VOA spec.
The shared geometric baseline across MFA print specs is 35 x 45 mm at 300 DPI minimum (413 x 531 px), with face height at 70-80% of the photo, head and shoulders centered in full frontal view, and a plain white or off-white background. The key divergences sit at the edges of that baseline. The VOA / e-VOA spec is paper-oriented and uses a larger 40 x 60 mm (4 x 6 cm) print at 472 x 709 px with a strict 500 x 352 px minimum on digital uploads; a standard 35 x 45 mm passport print is not interchangeable with a VOA photo. The online e-Visa portal uses an unusually small 132 x 170 px digital thumbnail on a mandatory light grey #D3D3D3 background, capped at 60 KB rather than the 120 KB that applies to the other Thai print specs. Work permits use yet another size — 30 x 40 mm (3 x 4 cm) — and the Department of Employment also requires business attire (suit and tie if applicable); a passport-sized photo is not accepted as a substitute.
Recency is six months across every Thai spec. Selfies are not endorsed in Thai guidance; photos must be color, full frontal, with a neutral expression and mouth closed. Glasses should be removed (the VOA and e-Visa portals are explicitly stricter and reject them outright), and head coverings are permitted only for documented religious or medical reasons. Filters, retouching, beautification, and any digital alteration of facial features are prohibited across all five document types.
Issuing authorities
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Department of Consular Affairs — Thai passport, embassy/consulate visa, and the official thaievisa.go.th e-Visa portal.
- Royal Thai Immigration Bureau / VFS (e-VOA partner) — Visa on Arrival and e-VOA submissions through the VFS portal.
- Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour — Thai work permit, with its own 30 x 40 mm format and business-attire rule.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Which Thai documents have their own photo specifications?
Three ministries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department of Consular Affairs and Royal Thai Embassies) handles the passport and traditional embassy visas; the Royal Thai Immigration Bureau partners with VFS for the Visa on Arrival / e-VOA spec; the Ministry of Labour's Department of Employment maintains a separate work-permit format. The MFA also runs the online thaievisa.go.th portal with a distinct digital format.
What is the standard Thai passport photo size?
MFA print specs use 35 × 45 mm at 300 DPI minimum (413 × 531 px) with face height at 70–80% of the photo and a plain white or off-white background. The VOA / e-VOA spec uses a larger 40 × 60 mm print, the online e-Visa portal uses a 132 × 170 px thumbnail on light grey, and work permits use 30 × 40 mm.
Can I use a Thai passport photo for a Visa on Arrival?
No. The VOA / e-VOA spec requires a 40 × 60 mm (4 × 6 cm) print at 472 × 709 px with a 500 × 352 px minimum on digital uploads — a standard 35 × 45 mm passport print is not interchangeable. Each Thai document type needs its own capture: passport, VOA, e-Visa thumbnail, and work permit are all distinct sizes.
Why is the Thai e-Visa photo so small?
The official thaievisa.go.th portal requires an unusually small 132 × 170 px digital thumbnail on a mandatory light grey (#D3D3D3) background, capped at 60 KB. This is the smallest digital target SpecSnap ships across any country and is unique to the online e-Visa workflow — VOA, embassy visas, and the passport all use larger formats.
What gets a Thai photo rejected most often?
Submitting the wrong size for the workflow (a 35 × 45 mm passport print does not pass VOA review and a VOA-sized photo does not pass e-Visa upload), wearing glasses (the VOA and e-Visa portals reject them outright), and missing the e-Visa portal's specific light-grey background. Recency is six months across every Thai spec.
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