EU ID card photo requirements: sizes and rules by country

Common rules under Regulation 2025/1208 for ID card photos

Most authority pages and Russian-language websites still refer to Regulation (EU) 2019/1157. However, this legal act expired on 09.07.2025 and was replaced by Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1208.

Article 3 of Regulation 2025/1208 specifies that identity cards issued by member states must be produced in ID-1 format, contain a machine-readable zone (MRZ), and comply with the minimum security standards of ICAO Document 9303. The identity card must include a highly secure storage medium containing the holder's facial image and two fingerprints in interoperable digital formats.

ID card photo size by EU country: comparison table

The table below summarizes the requirements of national authorities of eight European countries regarding the physical parameters of the photo provided when submitting an ID card application. For Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands, whose authority pages did not publish open specifications at the time of the study, the data is presented solely based on a verified profile database.

Unique requirements in France, Spain, Lithuania and Latvia

France: explicit ban on a white background

The official Service-Public.fr portal sets the frame characteristics. The photo width must be 3.5 cm, and the height 4.5 cm. The face from the bottom of the chin to the crown (excluding hair) must occupy 3.2 to 3.6 cm, equivalent to 70–80% of the photo's height. The picture must be no older than 6 months. The most significant difference in the French rules is the explicit ban on a white background ("Le fond blanc est interdit"). The background must be a light, uniform color; the authority gives light blue or light gray shades as examples. In addition, the photograph is accepted only if taken by an accredited professional photographer or in a booth with a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior.

Spain: non-standard 32 × 26 mm size

The Spanish National Police (Cuerpo Nacional de Policía) regulates a format that does not match any European standard. To obtain a DNI identity card, a color photograph measuring 32 × 26 mm is required. The background must be white, uniform, and smooth ("fondo uniforme blanco y liso"). The photo is taken full-face, without dark glasses. If the applicant obtains or renews an internal DNI card and a passport on the same day, a passport photo does not need to be submitted.

Lithuania: 40 × 60 mm format and head turn

According to Order No. 569 of the Ministry of the Interior of Lithuania, the nominal print size must be 40 × 60 mm. The applicant must provide at least 3 identical prints from one negative on a sheet. In a state institution, these photos are cut by special devices into 35 × 45 mm rectangles. The Lithuanian rules contain an allowance rare for Europe: the face can be turned to the side by 10–30 degrees (semi-profile). Head tilt is unacceptable — an imaginary line passing through the pupils of both eyes must be parallel to the top edge of the photograph. After cropping, the distance from the top edge to the crown must be 1–3 mm, the face height 31–36 mm, and from the bottom edge to the chin 8–11 mm.

Latvia: increased size for cropping and a stamp on the back

Regulation No. 134 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia requires the print to be 1–3 mm larger than 35 × 45 mm. The photo must be no older than three months. The face from the chin line to the hairline must occupy 70–80% of the height. Latvia prohibits retouching and the use of a photograph used to produce a previous document. A photo studio stamp with the date of production is mandatory on the back of the photograph, and it must not show through the picture.

The status of paper photos in Germany

According to § 7 of the Identity Card Ordinance (PAuswV), an ID card photo is taken electronically per the BSI TR-03121 technical guideline. A 45 × 35 mm paper photo is allowed abroad if electronic capture using the authority's equipment is impossible.

If paper is used, the size must be 45 millimeters in height and 35 millimeters in width (portrait orientation) without borders. The face must occupy 70 to 80% of the height. Notably, if such a paper photo is accepted, the authority enters the note "nicht verifizierbar" (non-verifiable) into the identity card register as the capture location. If a temporary identity card is issued, the submitted 35 × 45 mm photograph will be printed at a reduced size of 29 × 37 mm during document personalization.

Why ID card applications are rejected: real reasons

Below are the main rejection scenarios applicants face:

• Contradiction in background requirements (Spain vs. France). A white background is explicitly forbidden in France ("Le fond blanc est interdit"), the background must be a light color (light blue or light gray). Spain requires exactly the opposite — an exclusively white, smooth background. The same file will not pass in both countries.
• Non-standard requirements for the photo's back in Latvia. Latvia refuses the picture if there is no photo studio stamp with the production date on the back, if the stamp shows through the photo, if the photo was already used for a previous document, or if the print size is not 1–3 mm larger than 35 × 45 mm.
• Geometry violation when cropping the Lithuanian format. Lithuania accepts a 40 × 60 mm print and cuts it itself with a special device to 35 × 45 mm — if the frame is laid out tightly for 35 × 45 mm, the 1–3 mm distance to the crown and 8–11 mm to the chin will be violated after cropping, and the photo will be rejected.
• Mismatch of the Spanish 32 × 26 mm size. The Spanish 32 × 26 mm format does not match any European standard: cropping a pan-European 35 × 45 mm frame to the Spanish size shifts the head up and pushes it out of the acceptable oval.
• Restrictions on accepting paper photos in Germany. Since 2025, Germany has only accepted electronic ID card photos according to BSI TR-03121; a 45 × 35 mm paper photograph is allowed only at a foreign mission and only when electronic capture with the authority's equipment is impossible.
• Legally invalid references. Regulation 2019/1157 expired on 09.07.2025 and was replaced by Regulation 2025/1208. Text relying on the old number will be formally incorrect.

Biometrics procedure and validity periods

To prepare your documents reliably, you can make an EU ID card photo through our specialized service, which accounts for local exceptions.

1. Biometric data capture. Under Article 3 of the Regulation, the identity card must include a highly secure storage medium containing the holder's facial image and two fingerprints in interoperable digital formats.
2. Application of age exemptions. Children under 12 may be exempt from fingerprinting, and children under 6 are exempt unconditionally.
3. Determining the card's validity period. The validity period of an EU ID card is a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years. For persons aged 70 and above, a period longer than 10 years is allowed. In cases where it is temporarily impossible to take fingerprints, a card is issued with a validity of 12 months or less.
4. Phasing out old documents. Cards without a functional machine-readable zone (MRZ) or without minimum ICAO security standards cease to be valid no later than August 3, 2026; other non-compliant cards no later than August 3, 2031.

Requirements statistics from our profile database

In a database of 241 document profiles, 229 contain information about the physical print size. Among them, 17 different sizes are recorded. The most common is the 35 × 45 mm format (148 profiles); followed by the 51 × 51 mm (16), 30 × 40 mm (14), and 40 × 60 mm (11) formats. Regarding background requirements, 52 profiles out of 241 specify white, 23 specify a non-white shade (light gray or off-white), and the rest require a simple light background without specifying an exact color. The maximum photo age is present in only 32 profiles (2 profiles require a photo no older than 3 months, 30 profiles — no older than 6 months). The remaining profiles simply do not contain this restriction — this is a gap in the database data, not evidence that restrictions do not exist.