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Information for flying training organisations - Passport photo quality

Passport photo quality

New pilot licensing regulations commence on 1 September 2014. CASA is currently reviewing and, where necessary, updating all website content to ensure it correctly reflects these regulations. Please note the information on this page might be outdated. If you have any questions about the new licensing regulations please contact your local Aviation Safety Advisor or CASA’s Licensing and Registration Centre for up to date advice.

Sample photographs meeting and not meeting the requirements. The first photograph meets requirements whereas the second and third ones do not.

Photographs

Applicants must provide two identical passport-sized photographs that meet the following requirements:

  • Must have been taken within six months before the issue of the AVID/ASIC;
  • Portrait format: between 35mm and 40mm wide and between 45mm and 50mm high;
  • With good quality colour on high quality paper, no ink marks on the image;
  • Appropriate brightness and contrast to show skin tones correctly; resolution not grainy; sharp focus and clear;
  • One photograph must be certified as a true likeness of the applicant by the person who certifies the proof of identity documents;
  • Be of your head and top of shoulders; looking straight at the camera, show your shoulders square on (not portrait style with you looking over one shoulder);
  • Show your face square on with both ears visible (if the hair covers the ears, both edges of the face must be visible);
  • Be taken with a neutral expression with your mouth closed, be close-up, so the head takes up most of the photograph (70-80% - see diagram on page 3 of the application form);
  • Have a plain, light-coloured background; taken with uniform lighting (no shadows across the face);
  • Show eyes clearly open and visible, not obscured by hair, show your eyes clearly through glasses, if worn, with no flash reflection from the glasses, and no tinted lenses; if possible, avoid heavy frames;
  • Show you without any hat or other head covering – if you wear a head-covering for religious reasons, we will accept a photograph of you wearing this, but features must be visible from top of forehead to tip of chin, and from both sides of the face.

Electronic photographs

CASA will accept an electronic photograph if:

  • It is in JPEG format;
  • Meets quality standards equivalent to a conventional photograph (refer guidelines above).
  • A certified paper copy of the photograph is provided with the application form.

Signatures

  • The specimen signature must be contained within the signature box and be written using a blue or black pen.