Can a passport photo be black and white?
Mostly no. The US, UK, Australia and India require colour photos; Canada is the exception and accepts black and white.
Rules checked on · official sources only
What each country says
| Country | Answer | Official quote | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United StatesPassport | Colour only. Passport photos must be in colour; the visa FAQ states black and white photos will not be accepted. | Submit a high-resolution color photo that is not blurry, grainy, or pixelated. Yes, the photos must be in color. Black and white photos will not be accepted. |
travel.state.gov travel.state.gov |
|
| United Kingdom | Colour only. Black and white digital or paper photos are not accepted. | HM Passport Office will not accept black and white digital or paper photos. They make it difficult to tell a customer’s skin tone, eye colour and true likeness. Your photo must be: clear and in focus in colour unaltered by computer software |
HM Passport Office examiner guidance gov.uk |
|
| Canada | Either. Photos may be in colour or in black and white. | Image quality Your photos may be in colour or in black and white. |
canada.ca | |
| Australia | Colour. Photos must be good-quality colour prints, and the official video says the photo must be taken in full colour. | good quality colour prints, produced using dye sublimation (i.e. not from an inkjet printer) Do ask someone to be your photographer. Ensure your photo is taken in full colour. |
passports.gov.au passports.gov.au (video transcript) |
|
| India | Colour only. The portal says to paste only a colour photograph; it lists black and white photographs as a don't. | Paste ONLY ONE COLOUR photograph as per the specifications given below The photograph should be in color and in the size of 45mm x 35mm. |
passportindia.gov.in passportindia.gov.in (PDF) |
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Answers quote the official pages linked above. Not affiliated with any government. Final acceptance is up to the issuing authority.