Requirements for a photo for an international passport for the old and new sample in 2021: size, quantity and format

General requirements for photographs for international passports

As a rule, photographers in studios are often faced with requests to take photographs for international passports, and therefore the requirements for photographs are familiar to them.
But it will be better when the customer himself knows the parameters of the passport photo and can control the result. Seemingly small shortcomings can become a reason for refusal to issue a document. Let's consider the general requirements for photos:

1. The photo must be clear, of good quality, without darkening or overexposed areas.
2. Photos submitted in paper form must be printed on matte paper. Glossy photographs are not accepted because they cannot be laminated.
3. Editing photographs using special computer programs such as Photoshop is prohibited.
4. Both black and white and color photographs are accepted.
5. The image is located strictly in the center of the photo.
6. The background behind the person being photographed should be white or light blue or light gray. The presence of drawings and patterns in the background is unacceptable.
7. The color scheme of the photograph should not be too light or, conversely, dark; only natural colors should be used.
8. Light plays an important role: there should be no shadows on the face and background canvas. The main thing is that the spotlight does not dazzle or force you to squint.
9. You may only use photographs taken less than 6 months ago.
10. Any photos in which a person for some reason does not look like himself are not suitable for a foreign passport. The image must fully correspond to the applicant’s appearance at the time of submission of documents.
11. Photos taken in the format required for a general passport or visa will not be suitable.

What clothes to choose for a passport photo

Clothes are practically invisible in the passport photograph, and yet there are also some requirements for it. Therefore, before choosing what to be photographed in for a new generation international passport, read the following recommendations:

1. The dress code can be business or casual. It should not create excess volume at the neck and shoulders: women should not choose dresses with frills and shoulder pads, as well as outfits decorated with a lot of jewelry that will create glare.
2. It is worth giving preference to monochromatic items in light shades, not colorful ones. However, white clothes will not work - they blend into the background.
3. It is strictly forbidden to take photographs in overalls, sports and service uniforms.

What are the requirements for the face, glasses and hats?

When a citizen who is going to apply for a foreign passport orders photographs from a photo salon or takes photographs on his own, it is important to remember all the nuances regarding how the face should look in the photo:

1. The face should be turned strictly frontal.
2. The oval of the face should be completely open.
3. There should be no emotion on the face. Smiling, raised eyebrows or pursed lips are not acceptable. A person’s state should be calm, he should not be tense.
4. The eyes should look straight into the camera lens - if the gaze is directed to the side, the photo will not be accepted. The line connecting the eyes should be horizontal, without tilting. The effect of “red” eyes is unacceptable
5. Before taking photographs, you should not apply makeup or bright makeup, which would significantly distort your facial expression. The maximum you can afford is light daytime makeup.
6. Hair should be carefully gathered into a ponytail or braid or left loose, without covering the face or its individual parts. Hair on the side should not hide the oval of the face. If your bangs usually cover one eye, you will still have to remove them.
7. Lighting should not distort the natural color of the skin.

A separate point in the requirements for what clothes to be photographed in for a foreign passport relates to the presence of hats: they are permissible only if the citizen is an adherent of a religion that prohibits appearing in public with his head uncovered.

We are talking about Muslim women who are required to wear a hijab, and Jews who do not allow themselves to go out without a kippah. Be that as it may, the headdress should not create shadows or hide the oval of the face.

People often doubt whether it is possible to be photographed wearing a headdress for documents if their image and clothing style require them to wear it all the time. The answer here is clear: hats, berets, caps, scarves and other headwear used as accessories cannot be worn before photography.

Glasses with clear and dark lenses as decoration should also not be present in the photograph. However, if a person is forced to wear them daily to correct vision, glasses can be left.

If you wear sunglasses or only when working, it's best to take them off in front of the camera.

Despite the fact that it is more difficult to take a photograph of a citizen wearing glasses suitable for a foreign passport, it is still possible to fulfill the requirements:

1. The eyes should be clearly visible through the lenses and the pupils and irises should be distinguishable.
2. Elements of glasses should not block the eyes, and therefore thick frames should be immediately excluded.
3. Glasses lenses should not create glare.
4. Dark, tinted and colored lenses are not acceptable.

How many photos do you need for an old and new passport?

Let's find out how many photos you need for a passport:

1. To obtain an old-style international passport, you will need 4 photographs: 2 pcs. will be pasted into the applicant’s application form;
2. 2 pcs. must be submitted along with the documents.

The procedure for obtaining a biometric foreign passport involves citizens contacting the departments of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of registration for photographing using special equipment. If it is not available at the place of application, the institution’s specialists must send applicants to the nearest branch of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the MFC, where it is possible to take an electronic photograph. Taking photographs with authorized bodies does not replace the need to submit paper photographs.

. You can do this quickly, safely and online using a proven service

Photo requirements for a biometric passport

Photos on a biometric foreign passport are not pasted in, but are printed directly on the facing page. And doubts as to whether a photo on photo paper is needed for a biometric passport are understandable. However, paper photographs will be needed in order to attach them to the applicant’s package of documents.

There is no need to worry about electronic photographs, and there is no point in studying the requirements for them: specialists from the state body Main Directorate for Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs take photographs using specialized equipment with automatic settings for the correct image parameters. And if necessary, graphic editors are launched that can correct a not very successful picture.

In addition, there are no overly strict requirements for electronic photographs, since a new type of international passport will be used for 10 years, and during this time the person will certainly change in appearance. The identity of the document owner will be confirmed by his biometric data.

As for paper photographs attached to the applicant’s documents, the format of the photo for a new-style international passport is no different from that for an old-style identity card: 35 by 45 mm.

For details about other documents and the procedure, see the article “How to make a foreign passport.”

List of photo requirements for an old-style international passport

In 2021, in the departments of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, along with biometric international passports, old-style international passports will continue to be issued. Photos are pasted into them, not printed, and therefore you should pay special attention to the requirements for photographs - the photo should reflect changes in a person’s appearance as much as possible.

A photo for a 5-year international passport must meet all the general requirements that we discussed at the beginning of the article. In addition, images must meet the following parameters:

1. Color or black and white photographs are permitted, but full color is preferred.
2. The photo dimensions for an old-style international passport are 35 mm x 45 mm, while the face should occupy almost the entire area of ​​the photo - 30 mm x 32 mm. There should be at least 2 mm of empty space from the edge of the head to the top border of the photo.
3. Below, the image is blurred in the shape of a semi-oval (Note: now they accept photos without a blurred semi-oval, as they are for a new foreign passport).

Read in full about how to apply for an old-style international passport.

Requirements for photos on the State Services portal

If a citizen of the Russian Federation submits an application for a foreign passport online, then a photo in electronic format must be attached to it. You can upload a file with a photo through State Services using the corresponding button available on the page with the application form. If necessary, the service allows you to immediately crop the photo to the desired size.

As with the paper version, the photo should have a size of 35x45 mm . In this case, the file itself must be no more than 5 MB in size . The portal allows uploading files in 3 formats : jpeg, bmp and png. Resolution must be 300 DPI or higher . The last point is especially relevant if you are using a photo scanned from a paper original, and not the original digital version of the image.

It is also useful to read: Payment for a foreign passport through State Services at a discount

It is easier and more convenient to take a photo for an international passport in a studio, but if you wish, you can prepare it yourself. In any case, it is worth considering that there are a number of requirements for such photographs that must be observed.

Requirements for children's passport photos

Not only adults, but also children must obtain an ID card to travel abroad.

In the case of children, it is recommended to apply for an old-style international passport, since children grow quickly, and the biometric passport will have to be changed before its expiration date due to the fact that the baby’s photo will not correspond to his actual appearance. In addition, “old” passports have a lower cost compared to biometric ones.

The problem when applying for a new type of international passport for a small child is how to photograph a newborn on an international passport, because there are no concessions regarding the requirements for photographs - the photographs must meet all standard parameters. Therefore, it is recommended to photograph children in a familiar environment - this will make it easier to take a photo, and parents will have enough time to achieve a positive result.

For photographing an infant, special devices are offered that help fix the face in the desired position, and therefore, if you decide to issue a biometric passport, contact the specialists of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The child will have to be supported, but remember that the parents’ faces and hands should not be visible in the photo.

A photo for an old-style international passport for a child under 14 years of age must be clear and of high quality, since it will serve as an identifier when crossing the border, and the child’s facial features are quite smooth, which complicates the recognition process. Photos of children on a foreign passport can be printed in color or black and white, but it is still advisable to take full-color photographs.

Despite the fact that it is difficult to force very young children to behave calmly, in the department of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, parents will be required to take photographs where the child’s mouth is closed and his gaze is directed into the camera lens. In addition, facial expressions are not allowed: the face must be calm, the child must not smile, squint or grimace.

All recommendations for obtaining a foreign passport for children are presented in the material “How to get a foreign passport for a child.”

How to upload a photo on the State Services website

At the moment, it provides the opportunity to issue online both types of passports - old and new. Whatever foreign passport you decide to get, you will need to fill out an electronic application form, which must be accompanied by a completed photograph in electronic format. And before uploading a photo, you should study the technical requirements for a photo for a foreign passport in electronic form:

• Acceptable image formats are .jpeg, .bmp and .png;
• minimum image resolution – 300 dpi;
• the maximum allowed file size is 5 MB, the minimum size is 10 KB;
• black and white photography in 8-bit monochrome, color – in 24-bit.

The remaining parameters are standard, and we talked about them earlier. As you can see, you can take a photo for a foreign passport for the State Services at Home website, but remember that you cannot retouch the pictures in graphic editors: you are only allowed to add sharpening and edit the size and format of the image.

When the photo is ready, you can start working with the State Services website. To do this, you must be a registered user and confirm your identity at one of the accredited institutions listed on the portal: only then will most of the services offered, including the issuance of a foreign passport, become available.

1. Find the “Passports, registrations, visas” section in the “Service Catalog”, open the “Foreign Passport” page. Choose which document you would like to receive - old-style or biometric. Click “Get a service”, then fill out the electronic form that opens.

2. When you reach the “Upload your photo” item, click on the “Upload photo” button - a list of requirements will open in front of you.

3. When the photo is uploaded, you will be automatically redirected to a page where the photo can be rotated, cropped, shifted and enlarged/reduced so that the head, eyes and shoulders are at the desired level. The lines to follow will be indicated by dotted lines.

4. If the uploaded photo is not suitable, click the “Change Photo” button and upload another one. After completing the data entry in the form, you need to send it for review. If you did everything correctly, after 1-2 days in your personal account on the State Services portal you will find an invitation to appear at the Main Department of Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to have your photograph taken by specialists from a government agency.

In addition to the photo requirements, there are other features of obtaining a foreign passport, and we talk about them in a separate topic on how to make a foreign passport using the State Services service.

What is photo resolution in dots per inch (dpi)?

A pixel (pixel, px) is an indivisible unit that makes up a digital image in raster graphics. At the same time, image quality in electronic form is usually measured in dots per inch ( literally - the number of pixels in one inch ).

An inch is an English unit of length equal to 2.54 cm . The more pixels there are in one inch, the sharper and more detailed the digital image.

Thus, image quality directly depends on the number of pixels in one inch, or as they say - pixel density .

Typically, images that we see on websites have a trimmed (compressed) size with a resolution of 72 or 96 dpi . This is the gold standard for posting images on the Internet, and it is due to the fact that graphic files are compressed in quality, for the sake of the speed of their loading on a web page.

If the photo resolution needs to be processed quickly, and with a guarantee of approval by the State Services, then you can order file editing from us. We accept any photos from the frontal view and with a direct gaze. You can take a photo with your phone and against any background. To order, click on the button below.

Order photo processing for State Services ›

It is known that the less a digital image weighs (read, the lower the pixel density in it), the faster it goes through batch processing when accessing a web page (read, the faster it loads and displays when opening the site).
Rice. 2. The speed of loading images on the site depending on the original resolution[/td]

For further printing and obtaining a detailed image, this resolution is not suitable (or rather, you can print such images, but the image quality will be mediocre precisely because of the low resolution).

In turn, the optimal resolution of a well-detailed photograph, which can later be printed, is considered to be from 300 or 450 dpi (dots per inch or pixels).

The standard image resolution for posting on the Internet is 72 px or 96 px. These resolution values ​​in dots per inch allow images to load most optimally when accessing a web page

However, in reality, this resolution (73 px or 96 px) is quite low. It’s worth printing a photo in a similar resolution on paper, and all the flaws in the quality of the image will immediately appear (it will be slightly blurred, pixels may be visible - the notorious “ladder” along the contours of the objects appearing in the picture).

Why does the same picture look normal on the monitor screen? The thing is that almost all monitors, with the exception of professional ones, are low-resolution devices, while printing devices (printers, minilabs) are already a class of high-resolution devices.

Order photo processing for State Services ›

That is, the latter display the picture as it really is (that is, in reality on paper). Accordingly, in order to obtain the required image quality (and for public services, let us remind you, it must be at least 300 or 450 dpi), it is necessary to increase or decrease the pixel density in one inch.

Next, we will figure out how to do this. But first, let’s actually look at why the department requires such a value for picture quality.

How to take a passport photo yourself

Many people have the idea of ​​taking a passport photo themselves. Not everyone will be able to do this, since they need a good camera with sufficient resolution, but if this issue can be solved, then all that remains is to choose the background and lighting. By taking a photo at home, you can save on a photo studio.

A digital version of a photograph can be obtained in one of the following ways:

• scanning paper photographs;
• photographing and editing photos from scratch.

Lighting

It was said earlier that there are special requirements for the background for photography, and therefore you will have to find a piece of white fabric or a sheet of whatman paper and hang it on the wall so that the window is behind you or directly in front of you. To avoid shadows and glare on your face, the light should fall on you evenly - for this you should take photographs during the day in natural light and use the camera flash. If the light source is on the left or right, a shadow will appear on the opposite side of the face.

Accommodation

To take a suitable photograph in a minimum number of attempts, you need to wisely find a place to install the camera, which must remain motionless. Stand about half a meter from the background, and place the camera on a tripod or on any object that could serve as a stand, about 2-3 meters from you. Have someone position the lens in front of your face, focus the camera, and take the photo.

Editing

The resulting image must be sent from the camera to an electronic medium or the flash card must be removed and the images transferred to a computer. All that remains is to edit the photo: crop it to size, make the background white and adjust the sharpness. If necessary, you can make a translucent oval below the shoulders.

There are many illustrated instructions for working with simple graphic editors published on the Internet, so you can easily prepare photos for printing.

Remember that photographs must be printed on matte high-quality photo paper, and the cartridges in the printer should not be old or half-empty - otherwise your efforts will be in vain, and the pictures will be pale and blurry.

If you want to take the photo yourself

These days, most people have a good digital camera and a personal computer at home, allowing them to take and edit images themselves. If you make this decision, we recommend that you follow these guidelines:

• Adjust your lighting to avoid shadows that could obscure or distort your face;
• The higher the resolution, the better;
• Try not to retouch too much - it will be noticeable, and the photo may not be accepted;
• Use a photo printer for printing.

This is important to know: How to restore a passport if it is lost?

We recommend that you follow these simple tips, and there should be no problems with obtaining a foreign passport.

What are the prices for passport photos?

How much it costs to take photographs in photo salons depends only on the region of the Russian Federation and the level of a particular studio: since the requirements for photographs for an old and a biometric passport do not differ, their cost is similar. True, some studios agree to produce 2 photographs, while others oblige the customer to pay for all 4 photographs, although only two are required for a new type of foreign passport.

Having assessed the information, citizens, as a rule, decide to contact the studio in order to save their time, since the price of a photo for a Russian passport is acceptable and not too burdensome.

Special photographs in electronic format taken by specialists of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are provided free of charge. Probably, their production is included in the cost of the state fee for obtaining a foreign passport.

Here are the average prices for photographs for a foreign passport in several large cities of Russia:

Read about how much it costs to obtain a passport.

Useful video

This video clearly shows how to take a photo for a new type of international passport with your own hands in the “Pro Document Photo” program, observing all the requirements:

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5. Where is it possible to obtain an old-style international passport for an adult and a child?
6. Do I need to apply for a visa and do I need a foreign passport to Armenia?

Where can I take a photo for a passport?

Whether you need to take a passport photo in a photo studio or take a photo at home is up to you to decide. As a rule, finding a salon nearby that provides similar services is not difficult. They are usually located in shopping centers or basements, and the list of services offered includes a passport photo. Here you can ask to print a paper version of the photo and send a digital photo to an electronic medium for further sending through the State Services website.

Turning to professionals will save you from the need to arrange a place for photography, set up a camera, ask for help, edit photos and worry about printing images: photo salon employees know the rules for preparing photos for documents, and you will not be in danger of being refused to accept papers from employees of the Main Department of Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.