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Expatriate passport photos must have a white background from 1 December 2026
The Expatriate Services Division of the Immigration Department of Malaysia announced on 6 November 2026 a standard background for passport photos in expatriate applications. It applies from 1 December 2026 to photos submitted through Xpats Gateway and ESD Online.
How this page is kept up to date The official sources behind this page are watched every weekday by the SIM regulatory watch; the page is updated when the rule moves (for example from announced to in force). The text is re-read and its sources re-opened by the editors at least every two months. Last change to this page: 10 November 2026.
At a glance
- Status: announced on 6 November 2026, with an effective date of 1 December 2026, as stated by the Expatriate Services Division (ESD).
- The rule: all passport photos submitted through Xpats Gateway and ESD Online must have a white background.
- Who it may affect: employers and expatriates whose applications go through Xpats Gateway or ESD Online; the notice says it applies to all pass types, including the Employment Pass, Dependant Pass and Investor Pass.
What the rule says
The ESD of the Immigration Department of Malaysia published a notice titled “Standardisation of passport photo background requirement for expatriate applications” on 6 November 2026.
The notice says it follows the ESD’s “previous announcement regarding the enhancement of the Photo Verification feature”. It describes the new background rule as “an upcoming update to the passport photo requirements for expatriate applications”.
The rule itself is short: “Effective 1 December 2026, all passport photos submitted via Xpats Gateway and ESD Online must have a white background.” It applies to “all pass types, including” the Employment Pass (EP), Professional Visit Pass – Expert, Dependant Pass (DP), Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP), Social Visit Pass – Internship and Investor Pass. The ESD says the aim is consistency and to “facilitate the photo verification process for applications involving MyVISA”.
The ESD’s news list also shows an earlier notice, dated 20 August 2026, on the enhancement of photo verification for Visa With Reference (VDR) / Electronic Visa Approval Letter (eVAL) applications through ESD Online. The full 6 November notice links to this earlier notice as its “previous announcement”.
What it means in practice
- Before submitting: the ESD encourages applicants and employers to check photos with the Photo Verification feature on ESD Online, to “minimise issues arising from non-compliant passport photos”.
- Notice period: the notice is dated 6 November 2026 and the rule starts on 1 December 2026. That is 25 days between the announcement and the effective date.
- Time left from the date of this page: on 10 November 2026, 21 days remain before 1 December 2026.
What is not clear yet
- For photo specifications, the notice refers readers to the Photo Verification section on ESD Online, which we have not reviewed.
- The notice does not give a shade or colour code for “white”.
- It does not say whether other photo requirements (size, head position, file format) change.
- It does not say what happens to a photo with a non-white background after 1 December 2026, for example rejection or a request to resubmit.
- It does not say whether applications already submitted before 1 December 2026 but still being processed are affected.
- It lists six pass types after the word “including”, so the list may not be complete.
Guides updated with this change
This page reports official texts. It is not legal or tax advice: for your own situation, ask an adviser registered in Malaysia.
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Update history
- First published, from ESD, latest news: passport photo background.
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