France photo size — 35×45 mm

France photo requirements at a glance

Photo size

35 × 45 mm

In inches

1.4 × 1.8 in

Pixels at 300 DPI

413 × 531 px

Pixels at 600 DPI

827×1063 px

Shape

Portrait, about 1.3:1

Head height

31.5 – 36 mm (crown to chin)

Background

Light grey

File size limit

None published

Copies per 4×6 in print

8

These figures were checked against an official or widely-cited source. Portals occasionally change their rules, so confirm on the page where you submit.

What France asks for specifically

Photos for French passports and identity cards are specified by the Ministère de l’Intérieur and published on service-public.gouv.fr; the titles themselves are produced by the ANTS. France is stricter than most of its neighbours on two points, and photographers outside the country get both of them wrong regularly.

The one people get wrong

The head must be bare. Unlike Germany, which permits a head covering worn for religious reasons, France requires the head uncovered — no hat, scarf or headband — with exceptions only on medical grounds. Ears must be visible too, so hair is pulled back if it would hide them.

Background

A plain light background — light blue or light grey. White is explicitly prohibited, which is the single most common reason a French photo taken abroad is refused: most photo booths and studios outside France default to white, and a white background is a rejection here even though it is fine for a German or American photo.

Glasses

Glasses may be worn but do not have to be. If they are, the frames must not be thick or mask the eyes, and the lenses must not be tinted, coloured or reflecting.

Expression

Neutral expression with the mouth closed, head straight, looking directly at the lens. The eyes must be “parfaitement visibles et ouvertes”.

Exceptions

The photograph must be less than six months old, and physically clean — “nette, sans pliure, ni traces”: sharp, with no fold and no marks. Lighting must be even, with no overexposure, underexposure or shadow across the face.

Source: service-public.gouv.fr — Quelle photo fournir pour un titre d’identité (passeport, carte d’identité) ?. Checked 2026-08-23. Rules change — confirm on the authority’s own page before you submit.

Getting the head size right

Head height is the measurement most photos fail on, and it is not the same as “how much of the frame your face fills”. It runs from the top of the head — the crown, not the top of your hair if it stands up — down to the bottom of the chin. For France that is 31.5 to 36 mm on a 45 mm tall photo, leaving the rest as space above the head and below the chin. The maker draws that band on screen while you position the photo, so you can see whether you are inside it before you export.

One photo, several countries

35×45 mm with a light grey background and the same head range is also what 7 other destinations we cover publish — so the photo you make for France is normally usable for them too:

• Schengen visa
• Biometric (generic)
• Germany
• Italy
• Portugal
• Sweden
• Norway

Sizes match, but each authority still sets its own rules on things like glasses, head coverings and how recent the photograph must be. Check the portal you are submitting to.

Printing a France photo at home

At 35×45 mm you get 8 copies on a single 4×6 in (10×15 cm) print, which is the cheapest size at almost every print counter and photo kiosk. Export at 300 DPI (413×531 px) for printing; some portals accept or prefer 600 DPI (827×1063 px) for digital submission. Cut along the guides with a straight edge rather than scissors — a crooked border is a surprisingly common reason for a photo to be handed back.