Finland Residence Permit Photo: Migri Wants 47 x 36 mm, Under 6 Months Old, and Never a Reused Photo

Applying for a Finnish residence permit? The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) says to add an official passport photo to the application, and its appendix form (OLEL_PK) lists the exact rules.

Size and head position

• The photo is 47 mm high and 36 mm wide.
• The distance between the top of the head without hair and the bottom of the chin is 32–36 mm.
• The head is straight and in the middle of the photo; head and shoulders face the camera — portrait-style photos looking over one shoulder are not acceptable.
• Taken straight from the front, not from higher up, lower down or from the side.
• Children younger than 11: a smaller head is acceptable if blurring or other distortion cannot otherwise be avoided, but the head must still be at least 25 mm high.

Face, background and quality

• Looking straight at the camera; the full face shown, garments or hair not covering any part, eyes clearly visible; neutral expression, mouth closed.
• Glasses can always be removed; tinted glasses and eye patches are allowed only for medical reasons.
• Background plain, neutral and light, with no shadows and the face clearly distinguishable against it; no other people or objects (a small child may be supported, but no part of the supporter is visible).
• Uniform lighting, no red eye, natural colour of light, not over- or under-exposed.
• Printed on high-quality photograph paper, sharp, with no scratches, stains or creases; no manipulation or retouch.

Photo age and the no-reuse rule

The photo may not be more than 6 months old. A Migri press release of 16 February 2018 adds that the same photo cannot be used in a new application: officials can check in the case management system which photo was used before, and if the same photo is used again Migri has to ask for a new one and the processing time becomes longer.

Where to get it and how to hand it in

Migri: go to a photo shop that takes passport photos. You can add a paper photo or the photograph retrieval code from the photo shop; a digital photo’s receipt or retrieval code is taken to the service point. The paper photo is glued in the box on the appendix, not stapled, and the signature goes in the centre of the box. The same passport photo or code is needed for a residence card, an alien’s passport or a refugee travel document; none is needed for a citizenship application or EU registration.

See our Finland residence permit photo page for the format.