The hidden 30×40 mm standard: full photo requirements for a Russian work patent

The familiar-format trap: why your home-country passport photo won't do

Foreign nationals who come to Russia for work may start their paperwork in the first days after entry, when little time remains before they must obtain a patent. People often print photos in advance, going by the specifications they are used to from getting a passport at home. The photo size for a patent is 30 × 40 mm; a 35 × 45 mm set prepared for an RVP is the wrong size for a patent.

In a verified database of 241 document profiles, 229 specify a printed photo size, and 17 different sizes appear among them. The most common size in this database is 35 × 45 mm, listed in 148 profiles. The 30 × 40 mm size is listed in 14 profiles. For an RVP, Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 407 of 08.06.2020, subparagraph 30.2, requires two photos measuring 35 × 45 mm. It is the RVP regulation that sets file requirements: JPEG, TIFF or PDF, with a maximum size of 2 MB. Order No. 695 does not publish specifications for a digital photo file; the cited provision sets out requirements for a paper photo. Database figures as of 22 Sep 2026, the date of this article.

Table: Photo specifications compared for a work patent, an RVP and home-country passports

A detailed look at the requirements of Order No. 695

Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 695 of 05.10.2020 sets the photo requirements for a patent application. To prepare a work patent photo correctly, check it against the following regulatory requirements.

Frame geometry and age

Under paragraph 31.1, the photo must match the applicant's age on the day the application is submitted. The head, from crown to chin, takes up no more than 80% of the height of the whole image. The close-up must include the head and the upper part of the shoulders.

Clothing, headwear and glasses

Subparagraph 31.3 prohibits submitting a photo taken in uniform, outerwear or a scarf covering part of the chin. Subparagraph 31.2 allows a photo in headwear that does not hide the oval of the face if the applicant's religious beliefs do not permit them to appear before strangers without a head covering. Paragraph 31.5 states that the applicant's eyes must be open; being photographed in dark glasses or with a bandage over the eyes is permitted on medical grounds.

Lighting, background and the ban on retouching

Under subparagraph 31.5, the background is white and even, without stripes, spots, foreign objects or shadows. In a verified database of 241 document profiles, 52 specify a white background, 23 name a specific non-white shade, and the rest require a light background without stating an exact colour. Subparagraph 31.4 does not allow a photo with an edited image if the editing was done to improve appearance or for artistic effect. The photo must accurately show the features of the face. Figures as of 22 Sep 2026.

The submission procedure: what happens to your photo

In Moscow, the Multifunctional Migration Centre accepts applications and documents for issuing and reissuing work patents for Moscow and the Moscow Region. The centre states that all the procedures needed to put together a complete set of patent documents can be completed on its premises.

1. Gluing into the application. Under paragraph 31 of the regulation, the photo is glued into the top corner of the application for the public service. The photo is part of the application, so the practical advice is to glue it in carefully so as not to damage the form.
2. Digitisation by an official. Under paragraph 111, if a decision is made to provide the public service, the official enters the details into GISMU and scans the photo, uploading it to GISMU.
3. Photographing on site. Bringing and gluing in your own photo does not replace being photographed at the office. Paragraph 112 states that foreign nationals for whom a decision to issue a patent has been made are subject to photographing and mandatory state fingerprint registration. Subparagraph 62.2 provides for workstations with the appropriate equipment in the reception premises.

The photographing at the office is carried out in addition to the glued-in photo, not instead of it.

Why applications are rejected: the real reasons for refusal at the photo stage

Identity mismatch. Subparagraph 73.3 provides for checking that the applicant is the same person shown in the submitted photos and in the photo in their identity document. A noticeable difference between the photo and the one in the document may raise questions. An Uzbek passport is applied for through the Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services (EPIGU): the applicant visits a data collection point in person to give fingerprints and a photo. The source does not state how many months old a photo may be.

Refusing biometrics at the centre. Photographing and fingerprinting are mandatory for everyone who has been approved for a patent. Subparagraph 41.1.15 lists refusal to undergo mandatory state fingerprint registration and photographing as grounds for refusing to provide the public service.

Wrong format. A patent requires a 30 × 40 mm photo; the distance from the crown to the chin must not exceed 80% of the frame's height. A 35 × 45 mm photo does not match the size specified for a patent.

Processing time and cost of a work patent

Under paragraphs 22 and 23 of Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 695, processing and issuing a patent must take no more than 10 working days from the day the application is accepted. Issuing a duplicate must take no more than 3 working days from the day the applicant contacts the migration unit with the relevant request.

The Tax Code of the Russian Federation (Article 333.28) sets the state fees for these administrative actions. Subparagraph 27 sets a fee of 4,200 rubles for issuing or reissuing a foreign national's patent. Subparagraph 28 sets a fee of 2,100 rubles for issuing a duplicate patent or amending the information it contains. The publicly available legal act does not confirm that photos are printed on site at any particular migration centre and does not state the cost of such a service.

Before applying, you can check the requirements against the current text of the legal act and the agency's information.