What size is a France passport photo?

France passport and identity photos must be 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. The face, from chin to top of skull excluding hair, should measure 32 to 36 mm.

Is a white background allowed for French passport photos?

No. Service-Public.fr says the background must be plain and light colored, such as light blue or light gray, and that a white background is forbidden.

Can I take my France passport photo at home?

For a passport or national identity card, France says the photo must be taken by a qualified professional or in a booth using an approved system. Online tools can help you understand the crop and background, but they do not replace the approved capture requirement.

France Passport Photo Requirements 2026: 35x45 mm Rules

France Passport Photo Requirements: 35x45 mm, Not White Background: what to check before download

Use this France Passport Photo Requirements: 35x45 mm, Not White Background guide to check the photo size, background, face position, and export format before you upload or print your document photo.

Before submitting, compare the final crop against your appointment checklist. A clean source photo, even lighting, and the right print resolution usually matter more than aggressive editing or artificial sharpening.

Quick answer

Photo size

35 x 45 mm

Face height

32-36 mm

Background

Light gray or blue

White background

Forbidden

Last reviewed: July 20, 2026. Source checked: Service-Public.fr, verified March 11, 2026.

Official France photo requirements

For a French passport or national identity card, the photo must measure 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. The face should measure 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, excluding hair. The photo must be clear, recent, properly contrasted, and free from shadows on the face or background.

The background must be plain and light colored. Service-Public gives light blue and light gray as examples and explicitly says a white background is forbidden. That is why a generic white-background passport photo can fail for France even if it works for another country.

Professional or approved booth rule

France also requires the identity photo to be taken by a qualified professional or in a photo booth using an approved system by the Ministry of the Interior. Online tools are useful for learning the correct crop, face position and background color, but they do not replace the approved capture requirement for official passport or ID card submission.

Rejection checklist

Do not use a pure white background.
Keep the mouth closed and expression neutral.
Face the camera directly with the head straight.
Avoid overexposed, underexposed or low-contrast photos.
Keep eyes open and visible; avoid tinted lenses and reflections.
Use a photo taken less than 6 months ago.

How VisaPicPro helps

Use VisaPicPro to preview a 35x45 mm crop, understand face position, and compare France against other country sizes. For official France passport or ID submission, still use an approved photographer or booth. For visa forms or personal print preparation, you can use the photo resizer and the passport photo size guide.

Practical notes for France Passport Photo Requirements: 35x45 mm, Not White Background

For France Passport Photo Requirements: 35x45 mm, Not White Background, the safest result starts with a simple front-facing portrait: camera at eye level, shoulders straight, no heavy shadows, and a plain background that can be cleaned without cutting into the hair or face outline.

Do not reuse a cropped social-media profile picture unless it still has enough resolution. A low-quality source can pass the preview on screen but look soft after printing, especially when a 300 DPI sheet is required.

Use the country preset first, then compare the size, background, and face position against the exact passport, visa, ID, or embassy checklist for your appointment. Some offices update upload limits without changing the public photo size.

The standard daily download is useful for a quick single-photo file. Upgrade only when you need HD quality, a print-ready sheet, or repeated downloads for several applications.

Source: use the sharp original camera file.

Lighting: avoid shadows, glare, and color casts.

Crop: keep head, chin, and shoulders natural.

Export: choose standard, HD, or print-ready output as needed.

Final quality checks for France Passport Photo Requirements: 35x45 mm, Not White Background

Use France Passport Photo Requirements: 35x45 mm, Not White Background as a working checklist before you visit an office, upload to a portal, or send the photo to a print shop. The page is meant to help you avoid avoidable rejection reasons, not just show a size number.

Take the photo again if the eyes are soft, the face is tilted, the background has visible texture, or the hair blends into the wall. Those issues usually cannot be fixed cleanly later without creating an artificial-looking result.

For digital upload, check pixel size, file format, and file-size limit. For printing, check physical dimensions and DPI before cutting. If the page or embassy asks for a recent photo, do not reuse an old portrait even if the dimensions are correct.

One standard daily download is available for quick use. Choose HD or print-ready export when you need sharper output, repeated downloads, multiple paper sizes, or a printable sheet that keeps the final size consistent.

Before export: preview the crop at full size and check the background edge.

Before submit: compare the file with the latest appointment or upload checklist.

For print: use 300 DPI and avoid resizing the downloaded file manually.

For privacy: keep your original photo local unless an official portal asks for upload.