Germany passport photo size & requirements
German passport photos are 35 x 45 mm (biometric) with a plain light-grey background and a face height of 32–36 mm.
Germany follows the EU biometric standard (35 x 45 mm, face 32–36 mm) but the Bundesdruckerei — the German federal printing office responsible for identity documents — applies one of the strictest automated biometric checks in Europe. German passport photos are verified against the ICAO 9303 standard, which includes checks for sharpness, lighting uniformity, colour balance, and eye openness that go beyond what most other EU countries enforce.
German passport and national ID (Personalausweis) applications are handled at the Bürgeramt (citizens' registration office). Photos must be taken by a professional photographer in Germany, or meet equivalent standards if taken abroad. One practical quirk: the Bürgeramt officer will assess your photo in person before accepting it, and individual officers have some latitude to reject a borderline photo — consistency across offices is not guaranteed.
- Photo size
- 35 x 45 mm
- Resolution
- 300 DPI
- Head height
- Face from chin to crown should be 32–36 mm
- Background
- Plain light grey
Germany passport photo requirements
- Photo must be 35 x 45 mm (biometric format).
- Face length (chin to crown) should be 32–36 mm, covering 70–80% of the photo height.
- Plain light-grey background; white is also accepted.
- Neutral expression with mouth closed and eyes open, facing the camera directly.
- Even lighting with no shadows or reflections.
- No head coverings except for religious or medical reasons.
Common reasons Germany passport photos get rejected
Even a technically correct photo can be turned away for these issues. They come up repeatedly in official rejection notices.
- Head tilt or rotation of more than 5° — the German biometric system specifically measures facial symmetry and will flag even subtle angles.
- Uneven lighting that creates a brightness gradient across the face, rather than flat, even illumination from the front.
- Background that is not plain light grey or white — patterned wallpaper or textured backgrounds are a common issue with home-taken photos.
- Photo taken with the front (selfie) camera — the wider lens distorts face proportions in a way that can fail biometric width-to-height ratios.
- Photo that is too sharp in the background — if the background has visible texture or depth, it fails the plain-background check.
- Wearing a head covering that is not for documented religious or medical reasons.
Make your Germany passport photo
Use our free passport size photo maker — select Germany from the country list and it will automatically apply the correct size (35 x 45 mm) and background settings for you.
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Select Germany in the tool to get the exact 35 x 45 mm preset.
Other countries
United States 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) 
Albania 35 x 45 mm 
Australia 35 x 45 mm 
Brazil 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm); US visa applications use 2 x 2 in 
Canada 50 x 70 mm 
China 33 x 48 mm 
France 35 x 45 mm 
Iceland 35 x 45 mm 
India 35 x 45 mm (Indian visa & many applications use 51 x 51 mm / 2 x 2 in) 
Ireland 35 x 45 mm 
Italy 35 x 45 mm 
Japan 35 x 45 mm 
Luxembourg 35 x 45 mm 
Malaysia 35 x 50 mm 
Netherlands 35 x 45 mm 
New Zealand 35 x 45 mm 
Nigeria 35 x 45 mm 
Norway 35 x 45 mm 
Pakistan 35 x 45 mm 
Philippines 35 x 45 mm (Philippine visa applications often use 2 x 2 in) 
Russia 35 x 45 mm 
Saudi Arabia 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) 
Schengen / EU 35 x 45 mm 
Singapore 35 x 45 mm 
South Africa 35 x 45 mm 
South Korea 35 x 45 mm 
Spain 32 x 26 mm (Spanish ID/passport); EU visas use 35 x 45 mm 
Switzerland 35 x 45 mm 
Thailand 35 x 45 mm 
Turkey 50 x 60 mm 
United Arab Emirates 43 x 55 mm 
United Kingdom 35 x 45 mm 
Vietnam 4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm)