Germany is known for its meticulous standards and rigorous requirements in any thing, especially in law. The requirements in German passport photos are no exception. The authorities have laid out a comprehensive set of rules that you must follow up to or your application will be denied immediately.
Imagine showing up to your passport appointment, then they tell you to go home just because your photos didn’t meet the precise specifications. Talk about a bureaucratic headache! The good news is, with a little preparation and knowledge of the German passport photo guidelines, you can sail through this step with ease.
In this post, we’ll summarize all the German passport photo requirements, breaking them down into simple, easy-to-follow rules. From head positioning to backgrounds, lighting to image quality, we’ll cover all the bases to ensure your photos get stamped with approval. Say “Prost!” to a hassle-free passport experience.
German passport photo requirements
Below are detailed information about German passport photo requirements you need to keep in mind.
| Requirement | Specifications | Simple Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Photo Size | 35mm x 45mm (width x height) | About the size of a large postage stamp |
| Head Size | 32mm – 36mm (chin to crown of head) | Your head should fill most of the photo |
| Background | Plain, light grey or off-white | Like a light wall, no patterns or objects |
| Face Position | Looking straight at the camera, centered | Imagine a line down the middle of the photo, your face on it |
| Facial Expression | Neutral (no big smiles or frowns) | Like a relaxed ID photo |
| Eyes | Open, clearly visible, no glasses glare | Glasses ok if you normally wear them, eyes must be seen |
| Glasses (if worn) | Thin frames, no reflections, no tinted lenses | Glasses shouldn’t hide your face |
| Headwear | Generally not allowed, exceptions for religion | Your whole face must be visible, from chin to forehead |
| Photo Quality | Recent (less than 6 months old), clear, sharp | A professional photo is best, no selfies |
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Photo size
The size of the passport photo must be 35mm in width and 45mm in height. If measured in inches, the photo size is 1.37 inches in width and 1.77 inches in height.
The ratio of the face occupies 70% to 80% of the frame. The head height in the photo must be a maximum of 36mm, and a minimum of 32mm. If the top of the head is covered by hair, your face must be between 27mm and 40mm high, otherwise this passport photo will be rejected.
Photo quality
The quality of a German passport photo requires the following:
- A quality passport photo must show the full face from the chin to the top of the head along with facial details as well as the left and right sides of the face.
- Make sure the photo is intact, not dirty, not torn, or wrinkled.
- Photos are sharp, clear, and have appropriate contrast.
- Uniform lighting is required to avoid appearing shadows, reflections or red eyes in the photo.
- The photo must keep the proper color balance and reflect the natural skin tones correctly. Photos can be either in black and white or color.
- The photo background must be bright color, plain without any patterns. The background color must contrast with the person’s face and hair.
- No other individuals or objects except for the applicant are permitted to appear in the photo.
- Shadows in the background are not accepted.
Posing and expression
German passport photo requirements about posing and expression includes the following notes:
Head position:
- The face should stay in the center of the photo.
- Keep the head in an upright position, no tilted head or turning head.
Facial expression:
- Maintain a neutral facial expression with closed mouth, no smiling or laughing.
- Avoid the frowning face, scowling or angry face.
- The applicant in the photo should look at the camera directly.
- The eyes must be open and clearly visible.
- Do not let the hair or glasses frame obscure the face or a part of the face.
Dressing
About dressing, you need to take note of how to wear eyeglasses and head coverings to meet the German passport photo requirements
Glasses:
- The use of tinted lenses or sunglasses is not permitted.
- The eyes should be clearly visible and free of any flash reflections.
Head Coverings
- Wearing hats or head coverings is not allowed, except for religious reasons.
- When wearing religious head coverings, the face must be visible from bottom of the chin to the forehead.
- Avoid shadows on the face that are made from head coverings.
German passport photo requirements for infants and babies
In the requirements for a German passport photo, there are some other guidelines for babies and infants that you need to pay attention to.
Special guidelines for children in the age of 6 to 9 includes:
- The ratio of faces occupies from 50% to 80% of the photo frame.
- The length from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head in the photo must measure from 22mm to 26mm.
- In case it is difficult to measure the top of the head without hair, the face in the photo must be measured from 17mm to 40mm.
Special guidelines for babies in the age of 5 and under includes:
- Facial expression or looking directly to the camera is not a must in the German passport photo.
- Their heads do not need to be in the center of the image.
- To babies under 1 years old, closed eyes are accepted in the photo.
How to take a German passport photo at home?
As usual, people will go to the studios to take a passport photo that meets all the German requirements. However, you can also take your own German passport photo at home with your own tools. Below is a detailed guide on how to take a German passport photo at home.
Step 1: Gears and setting up
First, you need to prepare a photography device. Currently, many phone devices have high-quality camera functions that can generate a high-quality photo. So you can use your own phone to take photos of yourself. If you have your own digital camera, it would be so good to take a passport photo. You can use a tripod to keep the cameras stable and easy to adjust the height of the camera at your eye level.
After preparing for the camera, prepare your outfit to match the German passport photo requirements, avoid wearing clothes with too many patterns. Besides, you should adjust your hair so that it is neat and does not cover your face. Remember to remove glasses and head covering when taking photos.
Step 2: Choose background + lighting
The next step is choosing the right background and lighting. You should choose a plain, light-colored background like a wall, or take a bright-colored fabric as a background. If you can’t find a qualified background, don’t worry because Passport Market can help you remove the background.
Regarding lighting, you need to choose a location with adequate and even lighting to meet uniform lighting requirements. If the lighting is not suitable, or creates shadows, you can change your sitting position or light direction to avoid shadows.
Step 3: Take photos
After you are prepared, you start taking photos. When taking photos, remember to look straight at the camera and keep a neutral facial expression. This step is similar to taking a portrait photo.
Step 4: Edit German passport photo by passportmaker.ai
Many people wonder where to get German passport photos. Once you have a photo you like, use PassportMaker to generate the photo. This tool will help you resize the photo according to the required passport photo size in German. Besides, your photo background will be removed to have a proper background.
Steps to use PassportMaker to generate the photo:
- Select the country and type of document
- Upload your photo
- Wait for the AI to generate the photo
- Download the final as a single image or multiple images.
Conclusion
With the information about German passport photo requirements mentioned above, we hope you have an understanding of what a standard passport photo is like. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
