Quick answer: A Russia international passport photo must be 35 × 45 mm with even white background without stripes, spots, foreign objects, or shadows. Neutral expression, see glasses rule. Last verified .
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| Format | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Background | Even white background without stripes, spots, foreign objects, or shadows. |
| Pose | Strictly full face, neutral expression, mouth closed. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed. |
| Glasses | Citizens who permanently wear glasses must be photographed wearing glasses without tinted lenses; frame must not cover the eyes. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows and foreign objects in the background not permitted. |
| Head covering | Permitted for religious reasons, provided the head covering does not conceal the facial oval. |
| Attire | Uniforms, outer clothing, and scarves covering part of the chin not permitted. |
| Digital resolution | Check the authority portal before digital upload |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| File size | Check the authority portal before upload |
Russian foreign passport (zagranpassport) photo verification is run by the **Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD)** through Federal Migration Service offices, with digital intake via the Gosuslugi portal (gosuslugi.ru). The spec is 35×45mm printed with 32-36mm head height and exactly 5mm (±1mm) free space above the crown — a measurement Russia publishes more precisely than ICAO baseline. Russian-specific: the printed photo must be on glossy or opaque paper — matte paper is explicitly rejected (unusual among major authorities). Gosuslugi digital upload accepts 826×1063 px JPEG at 240KB-5MB, white background only. The same photo standard applies to both the foreign passport (10-year biometric) and the older 5-year passport variant still issued through some regional offices.
| Authority | Saint Petersburg public services portal / Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia |
|---|---|
| Source | Russian international passport photo requirements |
| Verified | |
| Confidence | Official — exact |
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for Russia international passport applications. The final decision always belongs to Saint Petersburg public services portal / Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, 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.
Use a blank white wall or tape a white bedsheet flat — avoid creases. Stand at least 50 cm from the surface so your shadow does not fall onto it. Patterned wallpaper or any textured surface creates a gradient that fails the automated background check, even if it looks white to the eye.
Face a large window during daylight hours. Even, frontal, diffused natural light produces the cleanest indoor result. Never use on-camera flash — it creates hard shadows on the background and washes out facial geometry. Turn off any coloured indoor light sources.
Extend your chin slightly forward and downward — this elongates the neck and sharpens the jawline. Keep your head level: the camera must be exactly at eye height. Tilting up or down distorts the biometric head-height ratio.
Keep both shoulders square to the camera. Passport standards require a straight-on stance — turned shoulders shift the perceived centre of the face and will cause the automated alignment check to fail.
Citizens who permanently wear glasses must be photographed wearing glasses without tinted lenses; frame must not cover the eyes In practice, the biometric scanner flags even minor glare invisible to the naked eye. Removing glasses before shooting is the only option that eliminates the risk entirely.
Look directly into the lens. Keep a completely neutral expression — no smile, raised eyebrows or squinting. Mouth closed and relaxed. Biometric matching calibrates against the neutral reference stored in the passport chip; any muscular movement lowers the match confidence score.
Avoid white or very light tops — they merge with the white background and make the shoulder outline hard to detect. Deep solid tones work best: navy, dark teal, burgundy or charcoal. No uniforms, hats or accessories that cover the face or neck.
Groom your beard one or two days before shooting — a freshly trimmed beard photographs with the cleanest edge definition. If shaving completely, do so the morning of the shoot and apply a calming balm to reduce redness, which can alter the skin-tone map used by background removal.
Saint Petersburg public services portal / Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia publishes the following rejection codes. Knowing the exact code on your notice tells you precisely what to fix in the reshoot.
| Code | Reason | Fix |
|---|---|---|
RU-FP-01 |
Photo on matte paper (only glossy/opaque accepted) | Reprint on glossy photo paper |
RU-FP-02 |
Top-of-head to top-of-photo distance outside 5mm ±1mm | Re-crop with precise Russian standard headroom |
RU-FP-03 |
Digital file outside 826×1063 px / 240KB-5MB Gosuslugi spec | Re-encode for Gosuslugi upload |
RU-FP-04 |
Background not pure white | Off-white rejected — pure white required |
RU-FP-05 |
Photo older than 6 months | Re-shoot |
The required background is Even white background without stripes, spots, foreign objects, or shadows. Even a slightly off-white, grey or cream tone may fail the automated colour check used by passport submission systems. Shadows from the subject onto the wall behind them are the most common cause of this rejection.
The head must be straight and centred. A tilt of even 3–5 degrees is flagged by the ICAO face-alignment algorithm used in Russia passport biometric verification. Place the camera at exactly eye level and centre your face horizontally.
Both eyes must be fully visible and clearly open. Glasses glare, a fringe across one eye, or a shadow from overhead lighting across the eye area are automatic rejection triggers in the biometric check.
Biometric matching calibrates against a neutral reference stored in the passport chip. A smile or even a slightly parted mouth shifts facial geometry and lowers the match confidence score, causing the application to be returned.
The digital file must be at minimum 600 × 600 px and free of motion blur or JPEG compression artefacts. Overexposed highlights on the forehead or cheeks erase facial geometry the biometric scanner needs to read.
Most passport authorities require a recent photo taken within the last six months. Even if your appearance has not changed, the application is delayed until a new photo is provided.
The head must occupy the specified percentage of the photo height (see the spec table above). Too close (face fills the frame) or too far (head appears small) both fail at the automated dimension check.
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) requires glossy or opaque photo paper for foreign passports. Matte paper causes the embedded chip's anti-counterfeit ink reaction to fail. This is documented in the Saint Petersburg public services portal photo requirements PDF. Submit on glossy paper to avoid automatic rejection at the МФЦ.
Gosuslugi.ru requires a confirmed account that is typically created in person at an МФЦ in Russia. Russian citizens abroad apply through the consulate, not Gosuslugi. Photo digital upload at Gosuslugi requires 826×1063 pixels JPEG, 240 KB - 5 MB.
Same format: 35×45 mm. But the BACKGROUND differs: foreign passport requires PURE WHITE; internal passport application photos may use white or light grey. The face dimension (32-36 mm chin to crown) and 5 mm above-head margin are consistent across both.
The Russia international passport photo must be 35 × 45 mm.
Even white background without stripes, spots, foreign objects, or shadows. No gradients, textures, shadows or objects behind the subject are permitted. The tool removes background shadows automatically, but starting with a flat, evenly lit wall gives the best result.
Yes. Stand in front of a flat white wall in good natural light, face the light source and use the rear camera of your phone with a 3-second timer. The tool handles the crop, background normalisation and compliance check against the Russia biometric standard.
Most passport authorities require the photo to be taken within the last six months. Do not reuse an older portrait even if your appearance has not changed — many submission systems check the photo timestamp against the application date.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the photo is rejected by the Russia authority and you supply the official rejection notice. The refund covers the €4.99 download fee in full. See the refund policy page for the exact process.
Citizens who permanently wear glasses must be photographed wearing glasses without tinted lenses; frame must not cover the eyes. In practice, the biometric scanner at submission points flags even minor lens glare that looks fine to the naked eye. Removing glasses before shooting is the only option that eliminates the risk entirely.
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.