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Vietnamese passport photo requirements

Vietnamese passport photo: size and rules

As of October 27, 2026, a Vietnam passport photo for applicants in the U.S. is 4 x 6 cm, taken within 6 months against white, with the head bare, both ears showing and no glasses (per vietnamembassy-usa.org, checked on Oct 27, 2026).

Since April 1, 2026, the Vietnamese Embassy and other missions abroad take applications for the chip-enabled ordinary passport.

If the submitted photo differs from how the applicant looks at the counter or misses the rules, the Vietnamese Embassy may have a new photo taken.

Updated Rules checked against vietnamembassy-usa.orgHow we check

Vietnamese passport photo at a glance

Printed size
40 x 60 mmvietnamembassy-usa.org
Background
Whitevietnamembassy-usa.org
Glasses
Not allowedvietnamembassy-usa.org
Taken within
The last 6 monthsvietnamembassy-usa.org
Prints needed
2 identical photosvietnamembassy-usa.org

Questions people ask

What size is a Vietnamese passport photo in the U.S.?

Four by six centimeters, upright, say the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington and the TK02 application form. The embassy’s checklists ask for two prints along with the form, which carries a photo of its own.

The San Francisco consulate’s page is the exception: it lists two 2 x 2 inch photos, one glued to the form and one clipped to it. Check the checklist of the office that will receive your file before printing.

Sources: vietnamembassy-usa.org (pages 1, 2) · vietnamconsulate-sf.org

What photo does Vietnam’s online passport declaration need?

The declaration at passport.mofa.gov.vn takes an uploaded face photo, from a computer or a phone. Its rules: taken within 6 months, 3:4 from width to height, white background, at least 300 dpi, the face around 75% of the picture, and the eyes placed so the space above them is about two-thirds of the space below.

A 3:4 file is a different shape from the 4 x 6 cm print, so each needs its own crop. The rules box names JPEG 2000 as the file type.

Source: passport.mofa.gov.vn

Does the Vietnamese Embassy take the passport photo itself?

For the chip passport available since April 1, 2026, partly: after the online form, applicants go to the embassy to submit the file, be photographed and give fingerprints, and the checklist still includes two 4 x 6 cm portraits.

For other applications you bring the photos, and the embassy may take a new one if yours does not match how you look that day or misses the rules. Mailing is possible, with notarized documents, when a visit is impossible.

Sources: vietnamembassy-usa.org (pages 1, 2, 3)

Common reasons a photo is turned down

  1. If the submitted photo differs from how the applicant looks at the counter or misses the rules, the Vietnamese Embassy may have a new photo taken. vietnamembassy-usa.org

Every rule, with its source

Size and head position

  • The Vietnamese Embassy in Washington asks passport applicants for two photos measuring 4 x 6 cm. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • Form TK02, the application Vietnam uses for passports requested abroad, prints the photo rule beside its photo box: 4 cm by 6 cm, taken within the past 6 months. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • The Vietnamese Consulate General in San Francisco lists 2 x 2 inch photos instead, one glued to the form and one clipped to it. vietnamconsulate-sf.org

Background

  • Vietnam’s embassy in the United States requires a white backdrop behind the passport photo. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • For the chip-enabled Vietnamese passport, the embassy’s checklist calls for two 4 x 6 cm portraits on white, no older than 6 months. vietnamembassy-usa.org

Glasses, head coverings and clothing

  • A Vietnamese passport photo faces the camera with the head bare, the whole face and both ears visible, no glasses and neat, formal clothing. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • The San Francisco consulate words the eyewear rule more narrowly, ruling out dark glasses and hats in Vietnamese passport photos. vietnamconsulate-sf.org

How recent

  • Photos for a Vietnamese passport at the embassy must be no more than 6 months old. vietnamembassy-usa.org

Digital file

  • Vietnam’s online declaration for ordinary passports issued abroad, at passport.mofa.gov.vn, takes the face photo as an upload, from a computer or a phone. passport.mofa.gov.vn
  • The online Vietnamese passport declaration wants a 3:4 portrait, width to height, with a white background and a resolution of at least 300 dpi. passport.mofa.gov.vn
  • In the uploaded photo, Vietnam asks for the face to fill about 75% of the image and for the space above the eyes to be roughly two-thirds of the space below them. passport.mofa.gov.vn
  • The photo rules box on Vietnam’s online declaration names JPEG 2000 as the file format and repeats the bare-head, both-ears, no-glasses rule. passport.mofa.gov.vn

Printed photo

  • At the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington, the paper application carries a photo attached to it, unless the declaration is filled out online. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • Vietnam’s consulate in Houston asks for 3 passport-sized photos for a first passport and 2 for changes or renewals, without giving a size. vietnamconsulateinhouston.org

Babies and children

  • For a child born in the U.S. to Vietnamese parents, the embassy asks for the same two 4 x 6 cm photos, and a parent may complete and sign the form for the child. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • Vietnam’s form TK02a, for applicants under 14, applies the identical photo note to the child’s picture. vietnamembassy-usa.org

Where photos come from

  • Since April 1, 2026, the Vietnamese Embassy and other missions abroad take applications for the chip-enabled ordinary passport. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • Applying for a chip passport means filling out the form at passport.mofa.gov.vn, then going to the Vietnamese mission to hand in the file, be photographed and give fingerprints. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • Someone unable to visit the Vietnamese Embassy for reasons beyond their control may mail the application, with the documents notarized by a U.S. notary public. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • Vietnam’s Houston consulate lets first-time applicants apply in person or by post. vietnamconsulateinhouston.org

Who reviews the photo

  • Forms TK02 and TK02a were issued with Circular 31/2023/TT-BCA of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security. vietnamembassy-usa.org
  • Once a complete, valid file is in, the Vietnamese Embassy issues a renewed passport within 5 working days. vietnamembassy-usa.org

FAQ

Can I use a 2 x 2 inch U.S. passport photo for a Vietnamese passport?

The embassy in Washington and the TK02 form ask for 4 x 6 cm, an upright rectangle, so a square 2 x 2 inch print does not match their rule. The San Francisco consulate is the one office whose page lists 2 x 2 inch photos. Source: official pages "1.1.2. Thủ tục cấp hộ chiếu đối với người có hộ chiếu Việt Nam đã hết hạn — Embassy of Vietnam", "Mẫu TK02 / TK02a — Tờ khai đề nghị cấp hộ chiếu phổ thông ở nước ngoài (Thông tư 31/2023/TT-BCA)" and "Thủ tục xin cấp, cấp đổi Hộ chiếu Việt Nam — Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

How long does a Vietnamese passport renewal take at the embassy?

Up to 5 working days after a complete file arrives. When the embassy has to verify the applicant’s identity with authorities in Vietnam, it takes longer, depending on the case. Source: official page "1.2.1. Thủ tục cấp đổi hộ chiếu đối với người có hộ chiếu Việt Nam còn hạn — Embassy of Vietnam", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Do children need the same photo for a Vietnamese passport?

Yes. A child born in the U.S. gets the same two 4 x 6 cm photos on white, and form TK02a for under-14s carries the same photo note; a parent can fill out and sign it. Source: official pages "Thủ tục cấp hộ chiếu lần đầu đối với trẻ em sinh tại Hoa Kỳ có cha và mẹ đều là công dân Việt Nam" and "Mẫu TK02 / TK02a — Tờ khai đề nghị cấp hộ chiếu phổ thông ở nước ngoài (Thông tư 31/2023/TT-BCA)", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Can a photo service promise that my Vietnamese passport photo will be accepted?

No. No photo service, SelfieToPassport included, can promise acceptance: the embassy can ask for a new photo at the counter, and for chip passports it photographs applicants itself. Source: official pages "1.1.2. Thủ tục cấp hộ chiếu đối với người có hộ chiếu Việt Nam đã hết hạn — Embassy of Vietnam" and "Thông báo: Hướng dẫn mới về việc cấp Hộ chiếu phổ thông gắn chip điện tử — Embassy of Vietnam", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Is SelfieToPassport the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United States?

No. SelfieToPassport is not affiliated with the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United States or any other government agency. The Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United States publishes the photo rules for free at vietnamembassy-usa.org; this page links to each one.

Does SelfieToPassport replace the background of a Vietnamese passport photo?

We crop and resize your original photo and never replace or repaint the background. If the wall does not pass the check, the tool asks for a new photo and tells you how to fix the light or the wall.

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Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page comes from a page published by the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United States, read on the date shown. We rewrite each rule in plain words and link to the page it came from. Each rule has a review deadline; one that passes it without a new check comes off the page.

Something here out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official page.