Malaysia eVisa Photo Size, Passport Scan & What Your eVisa Looks Like (2026)

Two uploads cause most of the back-and-forth on a Malaysia eVisa application: the passport-size photo and the scan of the passport page. This guide shows what a good photo and a good scan look like, and what you can expect your approved eVisa to show.

Malaysia eVisa photo size and requirements

Every traveller, including children and babies, needs their own photo. Use a recent colour photo that looks like you today.

• Size: passport size, 35 × 50 mm (portrait).
• Background: plain white, with no patterns, objects or other people behind you.
• Face: looking straight at the camera, centred in the frame, eyes open and clearly visible.
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed.
• Lighting: even, with no shadows on your face or on the background.
• No editing: no filters, beauty apps or background-removal effects that change how you look.
• No sunglasses or tinted glasses.
• Head coverings only for religious reasons, and your full face, from forehead to chin, must stay visible.

Different sources quote slightly different technical details (exact head size, pixel dimensions, file size), so we don't list them here as fixed rules. Instead, our team checks every photo before submitting and will ask you for a new one if anything isn't right.

Tip: a phone photo can work well. Stand facing a plain white wall in daylight, have someone take the photo from about 1–1.5 metres away at eye level, and don't use the front-camera beauty mode.

How to scan your passport bio-data page

The bio-data page is the page with your photo and personal details. We read the two lines of letters and numbers at the bottom (the MRZ, machine-readable zone) to fill in your details, so they need to be sharp.

• Scan or photograph the page in colour.
• All four corners of the page must be visible. Don't crop the edges.
• The two MRZ lines at the bottom must be fully readable, from the first character to the last.
• No glare from lights or flash on the photo or the text.
• No fingers, clips or covers over any part of the page.
• Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive in Malaysia.

Tip: you don't need a scanner. Lay the open passport flat on a dark table near a window in daylight, turn off the flash, hold the phone straight above the page and take the photo. Zoom in afterwards to make sure every MRZ character is clear.

What does a Malaysia eVisa look like?

When your application is approved, you receive the eVisa (often called the eVisa Note) as a PDF. It typically shows:

• the traveller's full name, exactly as in the passport;
• the passport number and nationality;
• the visa type (for example, tourist / single entry);
• the validity dates;
• a reference number and a QR code that immigration can scan.

What to do with it:

• Check it straight away. Your name, passport number and date of birth must match your passport exactly. If anything is wrong, tell us before you travel.
• Print a copy or keep the PDF saved on your phone (ideally both).
• Carry it with your passport. Airline staff may ask to see it at check-in, and immigration will check it when you arrive.
• Travelling as a family? Each traveller gets their own eVisa, so keep every one together.

Be careful with "sample" eVisas online. Pictures shared on social media or other websites may be out of date or edited. The only eVisa that counts is the one issued for your own passport. If you apply through us, we email it to you and you can download it as soon as it is ready.

Common photo and scan mistakes

• Coloured, patterned or dark background behind the photo.
• A selfie taken too close, so the face looks stretched.
• Photo cropped from a group picture or an old ID card.
• Filters or beauty mode that smooth or change the face.
• Glare or a flash reflection over the passport photo or text.
• MRZ lines cut off at the bottom or blurred.
• Passport page cropped so a corner is missing.
• A finger or thumb covering part of the page.
• Passport with less than 6 months' validity left on arrival.

Not sure what else you need? Use our document checker or read the full Malaysia eVisa documents checklist. When you're ready, start your application. Our team checks every photo and document before anything is submitted, and tells you if something needs to be redone.