How to take a photo for your application

The INZ online system uses similar AI to the smart gates at the airport. The older online system is extremely sensitive to less than perfect photos, but the newer ADEPT system is a little more forgiving. The system will reject any photo that does not meet its specifications. The basic specifications are that it must be .jpg format, look like a passport photo and should be at least 500 Kb in size.

How to get a photo

There are basically 2 options:

1. Get it taken at a passport photo place / pharmacy / etc. This is usually OK and the new system will almost always accept these photos. The old system will sometimes reject them, but they can be manipulated usually to be acceptable.
2. Take it yourself. Using your phone camera or normal digital camera take a photo that looks like a passport photo. Stand in front of a plain. light coloured wall, about 1 m away so you don't cast a shadow and look straight at the camera. If you take 2 or 3 photos we can crop and adjust things as necessary

Instructions on taking your own photo

1. plan to make it look like the photo above, showing your head and sholders
2. Stand in front of a plain, light coloured wall. Make sure the surface of the wall is plain and uniform (don;t stand in front of a window for example) 
3. Stand about 1 m away from the wall, do not cast a shadow on the wall
4. Wear reasonably contrasting clothing. For example of you have light hair, a light complexion wearing white clothes in front of a white wall, this does not have enough contarst
5. Get your friend to take 2 or 3 photos
6. send these photos directly, without editing. Make sure they are in a picture file format (not Apple .HEIC) such as .jpg or .png

Common mistakes

There are some things which we often see that will make a photo unusable. When you prepare your photo for your application, please avoid the following:

1. Do not scan or photograph an existing photo. The photo must be the original digital photo, not a photo of a photo. 
2. The photo does not have to be formal, certified or part of a formal document, it just needs to be the original digital photo
3. Do not send a photo in any format except for .jpg. A  .pdf of your photo cannot be uploaded to the system
4. Make sure the background is plan and light coloured and there are no shadows behind you or on your face

You can find more information about acceptable photos on INZ's website https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-application/character-and-identity/acceptable-photos