Germany document photo requirements

What these formats have in common — Germany

1. 01Every format here uses the same photo size: 35 × 45 mm.
2. 02The background depends on the document: Plain neutral, Plain light. Check the row before you shoot.
3. 03Across these formats the head takes 70–80% of the picture height.
4. 043 documents — you supply the photo yourself.
5. 057 documents work either way — bring a photo of your own, or have it taken at the office.
6. 06These entries were last read between 17 May 2026 and 1 Oct 2026.
7. 07A single document can still add rules of its own on top of this — the document page is the complete list.

Photo specifications at a glance — Germany

How to make such a photo

For the selected document — German Passport, Germany, 35 × 45 mm. Three ways; pick the one that suits you.

1. 

   With a phone at home

   Ask someone to photograph you against a light wall in daylight, the phone at eye level. Then, for free:

   • 01Cropping to size
   • 02Background replacement
   • 03A check against your document’s rules
2. 

   

   With AI from a selfie

   Upload any selfie — the AI builds a photo to the selected document’s rules: size, background, light and head position. You see the result before you pay.

   €5.99per photo, one-off, no subscription

   If it’s rejected, we refund you

   Make it from a selfie
3. 10 × 15 sheet · 4 photos 35 × 45 mm

   In a photo studio

   If you need a printed photo today, show the photographer the requirements from the document’s page. And a ready phone photo we will lay out on a 10 × 15 or A4 sheet for free — print it at any photo studio.

   Print sheet

Recent notes — Germany

Short notes we wrote when a requirement, a form or a submission portal changed.

• Germany Schengen Visa Photo Requirements: 35 x 45 mm Biometric Photo, Face 70-80 %, Not Older Than 6 MonthsGerman Schengen visa photo: biometric 35 x 45 mm, face 70-80 % of the photo height, plain background, neutral look.
• Baby Passport Photo Rules: Eyes Open? Toys? Dummies? What the UK and Germany Actually SayFor a UK passport the baby must be alone, without toys or dummies; under-1s needn't have eyes open, under-6s needn't look at the camera.
• Germany's Digital Passport Photo Rule: How the E-Passfoto Process Works Since May 2025German passports and ID cards now take only digital photos — captured at the office or uploaded by a registered photographer and retrieved via a code.
• Passport Photo Size by Country: 18 Passports, 8 Different Formats — and Why One Photo Never Fits AllOf 18 passports we compared, 8 use 35x45 mm — but the US, Canada, Turkey, China, Spain and others don't, and head size ranges from 26 to 36 mm.

All updates →