New Zealand NZETA photo requirements

A New Zealand NZETA photo is 540 × 720 px on a white or off-white background, saved as a JPEG under 10 MB. The head must measure 518 px (72% of the height) from chin to crown, which is the part most photo tools ignore — a photo can be exactly the right size and still be rejected for a head that fills too much or too little of the frame.

720 px 540 px head 72% 8%
Head height and position are drawn to the published figure. The shaded band is the tolerance the photo is checked within.
New Zealand NZETA photo specification
Photo size540 × 720 px
Head height (chin to crown)518 px (72% of the height)
Top of photo to top of hairabout 58 px (8%)
BackgroundWhite or off-white
File sizeunder 10 MB, JPEG
UseOnline upload only
ExpressionNeutral, mouth closed, both eyes open and visible
Official sourceimmigration.govt.nz

How to make one

  1. Choose a well-lit, front-facing photo of yourself — a phone photo is fine.
  2. The head is measured and framed to the New Zealand NZETA rule automatically.
  3. The background is replaced with white or off-white by a matting model.
  4. Download a JPEG at exactly 540 × 720 px, compressed to under 10 MB, ready to upload.

Is my photo uploaded anywhere?

No. There is no server to upload it to — the cropping, face detection and background removal all run inside this browser tab, and nothing is stored. Turn off your Wi-Fi once the page has loaded and it still works.

Other New Zealand documents

Passport

Visa

Residence & immigration

ID card

Licences & permits

Education & exams

Cards & passes

Other Asia & Pacific requirements

Requirements change, and the issuing authority's own guidance is always the authority. These figures are transcriptions of published requirements, offered as a convenience and not as legal advice.