Passport photo guidelines

Finland introduced new requirements for passport photos on 21 August 2006. The new requirements are based on the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations. The aim of these requirements is to standardise passport photos and improve the verification of passport holders’ identities. The revised requirements support the new biometric passports in particular, because the digital facial image stored on the passport chip will be used later in automatic face recognition.

The photos attached to passport applications must conform to the requirements described here.

The guidelines in a printable pdf format

The guidelines are divided into six categories:

General characteristics (1/6): Photo dimensions and other general guidelines.
Background (4/6): Requirements for the photo background and children's passport photos.

Position (2/6): Guidelines on the position of the subject. Lighting (5/6): Position and intensity of lighting.

Expressions and accessories (3/6): Guidelines on facial expressions, glasses and head coverings. Technical characteristics (6/6): Requirements for the print quality and other technical characteristics of the photo.

Frequently asked questions

Back | Print page