Mexico Mexican passport photo Photo Size

Specifications

Mexican passport photo: 35 x 45 mm, fondo blanco and MXN/USD SRE fees

SRE passport rights in pesos (MXN) and US dollars per LFD 2026

Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), delegaciones and consulados

Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) - Direccion General de Delegaciones (gob.mx/sre) sets the rules.

The Mexican ordinary passport is issued by the SRE through its delegations in Mexico, oficinas de enlace in states without a full delegation, and consulados and embajadas abroad. The Consular Manual (Capitulo 2, Anexo 1) sets the photo criteria: 35 x 45 mm, white background, no glasses, no retouching, taken within 30 days. Most offices now capture the photograph, fingerprints and signature on site during the cita, so applicants do not upload a digital file. The OP-5 form (Solicitud de Pasaporte Ordinario Mexicano) is the standard application.

Inside Mexico, applicants book a cita at an SRE delegation, an oficina de enlace, or a municipal window. Abroad, Mexican nationals use the consulados de Mexico. The photo is taken at the window, so most people do not need to bring a studio print.

• SRE delegaciones — Full SRE offices in Mexico City and state capitals such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Tijuana and Merida.
• Oficinas de enlace — SRE liaison offices in states without a full delegation, often hosted in state government buildings.
• Consulados de Mexico (US) — Consulates in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, New York and Calexico take photos on site and charge USD fees.
• Cita online / MEXITEL — Book the appointment through citas.sre.gob.mx or the MEXITEL phone line; walk-ins are not accepted.
• Photo studios (estudios fotografos) — Still useful for the older rule that asks for up to three 35 x 45 mm prints; studios near SRE offices know the size.
• Home photography — If you need a print, use the PixlReady Mexico 35 x 45 mm preset to build the 413 x 531 px, 300 DPI frame.
• Embajadas de Mexico — Mexican embassies outside the consular network issue passports by appointment.

Book the cita through citas.sre.gob.mx; there is no applicant photo upload because the SRE captures the image on site. Bring the CURP, acta de nacimiento and a credencial del INE, and pay the fee at the window.

Cita SRE, CURP, INE and on-site biometrics step by step

The Mexican process is cita-driven: book online, bring identity documents, attend the delegation or consulate, pay the fee, and have biometrics captured on site.

1. Print your CURP from consultaserc.gob.mx and gather the acta de nacimiento and a current photo ID such as the credencial del INE.
2. Book a cita through citas.sre.gob.mx or the MEXITEL phone line at an SRE delegation or oficina de enlace.
3. Attend the appointment: the SRE captures the photograph, fingerprints and signature on site.
4. Pay the fee - about MXN $1,730 for 3 years, $2,350 for 6 years, $4,120 for 10 years, or USD $101/$137/$209 abroad.
5. People over 60 and accredited disability holders pay 50% of the fee; emergency passports carry a 30% surcharge.
6. The passport is usually issued on the same day or within a few business days at the delegation.
7. Abroad, the consulado processes the OP-5 application and returns the passport after biometrics.
8. Renew early; a cita can be hard to book in peak periods such as school holidays.

Shooting a 35 x 45 mm foto on a fondo blanco at home

1. If you must bring a print, stand against a plain white or very light wall (fondo blanco).
2. Frame the head and shoulders so the chin-to-crown face fills 70-80% of the 35 x 45 mm frame.
3. Face the camera directly with the head uncovered (cabeza descubierta).
4. Remove all glasses (sin lentes), sunglasses, tinted or reflective lenses.
5. Remove hats, earrings, piercings and accessories that obscure the face or hairline.
6. Keep a neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open and looking at the lens.
7. Use even lighting with no shadows on the face or behind the head.
8. Take the photo within the last 30 days - the SRE window is shorter than the six-month rule used elsewhere.
9. Use the PixlReady Mexico 35 x 45 mm preset to produce the 413 x 531 px, 300 DPI frame.
10. Do not bring a scanned, retouched or phone-edited print; the SRE manual rejects these.

Use the passport cropper with the Mexico preset.

On-site toma de foto: no applicant upload for SRE appointments

Modern SRE appointments are biometric: the photograph, fingerprints and signature are captured at the window, so there is no applicant digital upload. The older consular rule still mentions up to three identical 35 x 45 mm printed photos and explicitly rejects digital, scanned or retouched prints.

• Most offices take the photo on site - confirm whether you need to bring prints.
• If prints are required, they must be 35 x 45 mm on a white background.
• No digital, scanned or retouched photographs - the SRE manual lists these as rejected.
• No glasses, no hats, no earrings or piercings on the face.
• Photo within the last 30 days, not six months.
• Face fills 70-80% of the vertical frame per ICAO Doc 9303.
• No applicant JPEG upload to the SRE portal - the biometric capture is the official image.
• Bring the CURP printed out; the on-system photo is linked to your CURP record.

Compress an oversized JPEG with the image compressor.

Printing 35 x 45 mm Mexican photos when prints are required

When the older rule applies, up to three identical 35 x 45 mm prints are taken to the appointment. On a 4 x 6 inch sheet, four 35 x 45 mm frames fit in a two-by-two layout, leaving a small cutting margin.

• Print at 300 DPI so the frame renders at 413 x 531 pixels.
• Use quality photo paper; office paper is returned.
• Produce up to three identical prints if the consulate or delegation asks for them.
• Do not write on the front; keep the prints clean and uncreased.
• Most offices now take the photo on site, so bring prints only as a backup.
• Keep the white background pure; cream or grey can be rejected.
• Do not trim a larger photo down to 35 x 45 mm.
• Confirm the number of prints with your specific delegation before the cita.

Print-dialog settings: 300 DPI guide · 200 KB upload guide.

Why the SRE rejects scanned prints, glasses and 30-day-old photos

• Bringing a scanned, retouched or digitally altered print, which the SRE manual explicitly rejects.
• Glasses, sunglasses, tinted or reflective lenses.
• Photo older than 30 days - the SRE window is shorter than most countries.
• Wrong size: the 39 x 31 mm figure is not the central SRE standard; use 35 x 45 mm.
• Non-white or shadowed background (fondo must be blanco).
• Hats, earrings, piercings or hair covering the eyebrows and eyes.
• Face not filling 70-80% of the vertical frame.
• No CURP, acta de nacimiento or credencial del INE at the cita.
• Missing the cita or arriving without the required payment proof.
• Selfies with a tilted head or visible arm holding the camera.

Menores, acta de nacimiento and parental consent

Mexican minors are issued 1-year, 3-year or 6-year passports depending on age, and must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians who show their own ID and the acta de nacimiento. Children under 3 can receive a 1-year passport.

• Children under 3 may be issued a 1-year passport; ages 3-17 may choose 3 or 6 years.
• Both parents must attend with an official photo ID (INE or passport), or provide written authorisation.
• The acta de nacimiento (birth certificate) must be presented.
• The child must appear alone in the photo; no parent's hand, toy or dummy in frame.
• Infants may be photographed lying on a white sheet from above.
• The child's eyes should be open and looking at the camera as far as age allows.
• A guardian or court order (resolucion judicial) is required if a parent cannot attend.
• Minors over 18 choose 3, 6 or 10 years on the same terms as adults.

Mexican identity documents, CURP, INE and the OP-5 form

The passport sits at the centre of the Mexican identity system alongside the CURP, the acta de nacimiento and the credencial para votar del INE. The OP-5 form is the ordinary passport application.

• CURP (Clave Unica de Registro de Poblacion) is the unique population-registration code printed on a sheet you must bring to the cita.
• La credencial para votar del INE (Instituto Nacional Electoral) is the primary photo ID accepted at SRE windows.
• El acta de nacimiento is the birth certificate required for first-time applicants and minors.
• Forma OP-5 is the Solicitud de Pasaporte Ordinario Mexicano used at consulates and delegations.
• Cartilla del Servicio Militar Nacional may be requested for men as a supporting identity document.
• Matricula consular is a consular ID card issued to Mexicans abroad, separate from the passport.
• Tarjeta de visitante (Forma de Migracion Multiple) is the immigration document for foreigners entering Mexico.
• Emergency passports carry the 30% surcharge and are issued for urgent travel.
• The 50% over-60 discount and the disability discount are set by the Ley Federal de Derechos.
• Trabajadores agricolas under government memoranda qualify for a 50% discount on the 6-year passport.

Mexico local details: Spanish terms, SRE delegations and consular fees

The SRE publishes all passport rules in Spanish. The on-site photo capture, the 30-day recency window and the CURP/INE documents are the details most likely to trip up applicants used to uploading files.

• Spanish official terms: el pasaporte (the passport), la fotografia / la foto (the photograph), la Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), la cita (the appointment).
• Documents: la CURP (Clave Unica de Registro de Poblacion), el acta de nacimiento (birth certificate), la credencial del INE (voter ID), la toma de foto en oficina (on-site photo capture).
• Photo rules in Spanish: fondo blanco (white background), sin lentes (no glasses), cabeza descubierta (head uncovered), sin retoque (no retouching).
• Inside-Mexico fees are in pesos (MXN) per the Ley Federal de Derechos: roughly $1,730 for 3 years, $2,350 for 6 years and $4,120 for 10 years; verify at the SRE window as tariffs adjust annually.
• Overseas consulates charge in US dollars: USD $44 for 1 year, $101 for 3 years, $137 for 6 years and $209 for 10 years, with a 30% emergency surcharge.
• State-capital delegations include Mexico City, Guadalajara (Jalisco), Monterrey (Nuevo Leon), Puebla, Tijuana (Baja California), Merida (Yucatan), Hermosillo (Sonora) and Chihuahua.
• US consulates with heavy passport workloads include Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, New York, San Antonio, San Diego and Calexico.
• The 39 x 31 mm figure appears only on a single consulate replacement page (Chile) and is not the central SRE standard - use 35 x 45 mm.
• People over 60 and accredited disability holders pay 50%; agricultural workers under bilateral memoranda also receive a 50% discount on the 6-year passport.

Gotchas

• Official SRE size is 35 x 45 mm portrait (4.5 cm high x 3.5 cm wide), not the often-cited 39 x 31 mm.
• Most offices take the photo on site during the cita; applicants generally do not upload a digital file.
• Photo must be within the last 30 days, on fondo blanco, no glasses, no retouching.
• Fees: about MXN $1,730 / $2,350 / $4,120 for 3/6/10 years inside Mexico; USD $101 / $137 / $209 abroad.
• Bring CURP, acta de nacimiento and credencial del INE to the cita.