Netherlands photo size — 35×45 mm

Netherlands 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

26 – 30 mm (crown to chin)

Background

Grey, light blue or white

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 Netherlands asks for specifically

Dutch passport and ID-card photos are governed by the Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens, which publishes the Fotomatrix — a transparent measuring template that municipal counter staff literally lay over your photograph. It is the most precisely specified photo in Europe, and the only one that measures the width of your face as well as its height.

The one people get wrong

The face is measured twice. Height is 26–30 mm from chin to crown for anyone aged 11 or over (19–30 mm up to age 10), and width is 16–20 mm from one ear attachment to the other. That height is noticeably smaller than the 70–80% rule most of Europe uses — a photo cropped to the generic Schengen proportions has the head too large and is refused at the counter.

Background

Grey, light blue or white, and it must be even, a single colour, with no gradient or shadow and enough contrast against the head. The Netherlands is more permissive here than France, which bans white outright.

Glasses

Glasses are allowed provided the eyes are fully visible through completely transparent lenses, with no disturbing reflection and no shadow cast. Reflection is called out specifically — from shiny skin and jewellery as well as lenses.

Head coverings

The head must be uncovered, with one written exception: on religious or philosophical grounds it may stay covered, provided the face itself is fully visible.

Expression

Neutral gaze, looking straight into the camera, mouth closed, head straight to the front, eyes on a horizontal line, shoulders square. A tilted head is rejected because it breaks automated face recognition.

Children

Under-sixes are exempt from the posture and expression rules — eyes on a horizontal line, head untilted, shoulders square, neutral gaze, looking at the camera and mouth closed — but no visible support may appear in the frame.

Exceptions

The photo must be no more than six months old at the moment of application, printed at 400 dpi or better on smooth photo paper, unedited and not a copy. Physical or medical exemptions exist, and a doctor’s signed statement can be demanded where there is reasonable doubt.

Source: Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens — Fotomatrix model 2020: acceptatiecriteria voor de pasfoto. 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 Netherlands that is 26 to 30 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.

Printing a Netherlands 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.