Crop a photo to 35 × 45 mm — Germany passport
We have not yet confirmed from Federal Foreign Office of Germany whether this document accepts a photo you prepare yourself. Until that is checked, this page promises nothing about it — the sizes below are the published ones, the route is not.
Upload your photo
The document is already selected — the frame is locked to 35 × 45 mm. Drag the photo inside the frame; the shape cannot be broken.
The photo is cropped in your browser. It is not uploaded to a server and we do not store it.
How to crop it, in three steps
- Upload a photo taken face-on, in even light
- Move the photo until the eyes sit on the guide line and the head fills 71–80%
- Save the 35 × 45 mm result — print it or attach it to the application
Exact numbers for this document
| Parameter | What it must be |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 × 45 mm |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 413 × 531 px |
| Pixels at 600 dpi | 827 × 1063 px |
| Aspect ratio | 7:9 |
| Head, share of height | 71–80% of photo height |
| Head, chin to crown | 32–36 mm chin to crown |
| Eye line from the bottom edge | 55–70% |
| Background | Plain light background. |
| Glasses | Eyes must be fully visible; no tinting or reflections. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
What cropping will not fix
- A wrong background — cropping does not repaint the wall behind you. This document needs: plain light
- A shadow on the face or on the wall. Step 1–2 m away from the wall and shoot facing a window.
- Glare on the lenses. Take the glasses off or turn away from the light source and shoot again.
- A smile, raised brows or a half-open mouth. Cropping keeps the face it was given.
- Too few pixels. If the original is smaller than 413 × 531 px, enlarging it only blurs the face.
Germany-specific things to know
- From 1 May 2025 self-supplied paper photos no longer accepted for new German passports/IDs — digital capture only
- Bürgeramt appointment slot includes free Lichtbild capture; external Lichtbild service costs €15-25
- BSI publishes the test images and rejection codes openly at bsi.bund.de — exceptional transparency for an EU authority
Printing on a single sheet
4 × 2 frames fit on one 10×15 cm sheet — 8 copies from a single print.
Photos per print sheet
| 10 × 15 cm · 4×6″ | 8 (4 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 36 (6 × 6) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
Where these numbers come from
Source: Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Last checked against the official page on 2026-05-21.
- The German Missions passport page requires two identical recent biometric passport photos for an adult passport application.
- The same page tells applicants not to cut the passport photos themselves.
- The German Missions page links to official biometric sample photos and a passport-photo template for compliant passport/ID photos.
- The official German biometric sample sheet defines the working photo size as 35 × 45 mm with head height 32-36 mm.
Questions people ask before cropping
35 × 45 mm. 71–80% of photo height.
413 × 531 px (300 dpi) · 827 × 1063 px (600 dpi).
71–80% of photo height. 32–36 mm chin to crown.
Plain light background.
A wrong background — cropping does not repaint the wall behind you. This document needs: plain light A shadow on the face or on the wall. Step 1–2 m away from the wall and shoot facing a window. Glare on the lenses. Take the glasses off or turn away from the light source and shoot again. A smile, raised brows or a half-open mouth. Cropping keeps the face it was given. Too few pixels. If the original is smaller than 413 × 531 px, enlarging it only blurs the face.
4 × 2 frames fit on one 10×15 cm sheet — 8 copies from a single print.