Quick answer: A France ID card photo must be 35 × 45 mm with the background must be plain and light — light grey or light blue; a white background is not allowed. Head occupies 71–80% of photo height (32–36 mm chin to crown). Neutral expression, see glasses rule. Last verified .
No registration · result in 60 seconds
| Format | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 71–80% of photo heightICAO 9303: 70–80% |
| Head height (mm) | 32–36 mm chin to crown |
| Background | The background must be plain and light — light grey or light blue; a white background is not allowed. |
| Pose | Full face, head centred, no tilt or rotation. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Clear lenses without reflections; eyes must be fully visible. See full rules → |
| Lighting | No shadows, creases, or marks on the photo. |
| Head covering | The head must be bare (La tête doit être nue): hats, headscarves, and headbands are prohibited; there are no exceptions. |
| Attire | Face must be fully open, hair must not cover the eyes; ears must be visible. |
| Digital resolution | Check the authority portal before digital upload |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| File size | Check the authority portal before upload |
| 10 × 15 cm · 4×6″ | 8 (4 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 36 (6 × 6) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
France national ID card (Carte Nationale d'Identité / CNI) photos are administered by French communes (mairies) through ANTS digital workflow. The format is 35×45mm with head 32-36mm chin-to-crown, excluding hair. The background must be a plain light colour — light blue or light grey; pure white is EXPLICITLY FORBIDDEN («Le fond blanc est interdit»).
The head must be uncovered — no hat, scarf or headband. Glasses are optional and allowed if the frames are thin, do not hide the eyes, and the lenses are untinted and glare-free.
The photo must be taken by an accredited professional or in a booth approved by the Ministry of the Interior, and must be less than 6 months old. Note: earlier claims about a 22-character ANTS ePhoto code and the 2021 electronic CNI (CNIe) are not confirmed by the official photo page and remain unverified.
| Authority | Service-Public.fr / Ministère de l’Intérieur |
|---|---|
| Source | French identity photo rules for passport and national ID |
| Verified | |
| Confidence | Official — exact |
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for France ID card applications. The final decision always belongs to Service-Public.fr / Ministère de l’Intérieur, but these are the differences that most often determine whether a document photo is accepted.
Upload a portrait — the tool crops, removes the background and checks compliance against the 35 × 45 mm rule automatically.
Stand 1–2 metres from a light-coloured wall. The background must be plain and light — light grey or light blue; a white background is not allowed. The photo will be printed on a card and viewed many times — any background imperfection is amplified at the small print size of an ID card.
Face a window for diffused natural light. Even illumination prevents shadows under the chin or beside the nose that look minor in preview but become prominent at card-print scale.
Camera at eye level, head straight, looking directly at the lens. Identity cards are checked at banks, polling stations and government offices over a 5–10 year validity — submit a photo that will still match in years to come.
Square shoulders, both visible in the frame, head and shoulders centred. France ID cards typically print the photo at a small fixed size — proportions matter more than absolute pixel resolution.
Clear lenses without reflections; eyes must be fully visible Identity cards have long validity periods. Removing glasses for the shoot prevents glare-related re-verification problems years from now.
Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. Identity cards must show your natural everyday appearance — neither a stylised portrait nor a candid photo. Imagine you are renewing a library card.
Dress as you would on a normal day. Avoid white or pale tops against light backgrounds. Solid dark colours work best. Religious head covering is allowed only where consistently worn in daily life and supported by your application.
The photo must reflect your current appearance. If your hair, beard or weight has changed significantly since you would naturally have a recent photo of yourself, take a new one for the application.
Service-Public.fr / Ministère de l’Intérieur publishes the following rejection codes. Knowing the exact code on your notice tells you precisely what to fix in the reshoot.
| Code | Reason | Fix |
|---|---|---|
FR-ID-01 |
Pure white background | Re-shoot against a light grey or light blue backdrop |
FR-ID-02 |
Glasses with thick frames, tinted lenses or glare | Glasses are optional and allowed: thin frames, eyes fully visible, no tint, no glare |
FR-ID-03 |
No ANTS ePhoto code | Use ANTS-approved booth or online service |
FR-ID-04 |
Photo older than 6 months | Re-shoot |
The background must be plain and light — light grey or light blue; a white background is not allowed is required. Identity cards print the photo at a small size — minor background colour issues become more visible at print scale than they appeared in the digital preview.
Head must be straight and centred. Even slight tilts fail the ICAO alignment check used by modern France ID card biometric systems.
ID cards must show your current everyday appearance. Significant changes to hair, beard, weight or facial features since the photo was taken cause rejection at the in-person submission stage.
Both eyes must be fully visible and clearly open. Glasses glare, hair across one eye, or shadow under the brow ridge all trigger rejection.
Identity card photos use the same biometric standard as passports — neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the lens. Any smile or expression change causes rejection.
Blur, overexposure, low resolution or JPEG compression artefacts cause rejection. The card-printing system requires a minimum resolution on the shortest side — see the spec table above.
Even a small shadow gradient on the wall behind the subject — caused by the subject standing too close to the wall — fails the automated background uniformity check.
The France ID card photo must be 35 × 45 mm. The head must occupy 71–80% of the photo height. The photo must reflect your current everyday appearance.
The background must be plain and light — light grey or light blue; a white background is not allowed. Identity cards are used frequently in daily life — for banking, age verification and domestic travel — so the photo is scrutinised many times and minor background issues become more visible at print scale.
Yes. Stand against a flat light-coloured wall, face a window for even natural light, and use a phone with a timer. The tool handles the crop, background normalisation and ICAO alignment check automatically.
Identity card photos generally need to reflect your current appearance. Most authorities accept photos taken within the last six months, but significant changes to hair, beard or facial features since the photo was taken may require a new one.
Clear lenses without reflections; eyes must be fully visible. Removing glasses for the shoot is the safest option, especially given the long validity period of most identity cards. Glare that passes today may fail re-verification at a future biometric checkpoint.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the France authority rejects the photo and you supply the rejection notice.
Anfas.Pro is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any government authority. The final decision to accept or reject a document photo rests solely with the issuing authority. Requirements change — always verify on the official authority portal before submitting.