Italy photo size — 35×45 mm

Italy 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 Italy asks for specifically

Italian passports are issued by the Polizia di Stato, and the photo rules follow the ICAO standard published by the Ministero degli Affari Esteri for its consulates. Italy is unusually explicit that the photograph is checked at the counter — the Polizia publishes a rejection sheet, and a photo that fails is handed straight back.

The one people get wrong

The photograph must be no more than six months old, and two identical copies are normally asked for. Bring a spare pair: a set printed for a different country will often be the wrong size, and Italian offices do not crop for you.

Glasses

Prescription glasses may be worn, but the lenses must be clear — no tint — and there must be no flash reflection on them. Heavy frames that cover any part of the eye are rejected. If your frames cannot avoid it, take the photo without them.

Head coverings

A head covering is accepted only where it is worn for religious reasons. In that case the outline of the face must be clearly visible from the base of the chin to the forehead, and both sides of the face must show.

Expression

Neutral expression with the mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible, looking straight at the camera. Centred and fully frontal — a half-profile is not accepted, and neither is a downward glance.

Children

The same rules apply at every age. In a baby’s photograph no part of the person holding them — including their hands — may appear in the frame.

Source: Ministero degli Affari Esteri (Ambasciata d’Italia) — Fototessera per passaporto e carta d’identità: norme ICAO. 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 Italy 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 Italy is normally usable for them too:

• Schengen visa
• Biometric (generic)
• Germany
• France
• 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 Italy 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.