French Passport Photo

French passport photo requirements

The same format as the one required for a passport photo is commonly used in many official French documents. The photograph for a French passport must be 35 mm in width and 45 mm in height and must show your head from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin. The head should cover 70-80% of the whole surface of the photo- between 32 mm and 36 mm.

Validity

Remember that the photo used for your French passport application must be recent - taken within the last 6 months. If your appearance has undergone a major change (if you underwent a sex change, gained or lost a significant amount of weight, had plastic surgery or were in an accident that left marks or scars on your face), you might want to retake your photo, as providing a valid photo that is representative of the current appearance of the applicant is one of the most important requirements.

Background

Your French passport photo’s background needs to be plain, uniform and in a light color. A good choice would be light grey or light blue, but not white, as this color is not permitted.

Quality

The photo must be taken in color and:

• in high-quality resolution (not pixelated),
• have good contrast, to show the natural colors of the skin, hair and eyes,
• not overexposed or underexposed,
• clear, not blurry,
• in the event that you wish to use a scanned photo, it has to be free of scratches or creases.

Shadows and lighting

Shadows in the background, or on your face and neck can result in your French passport picture being rejected, so be careful to take your photo in a well-lit area. Natural light is ideal, so take your picture during daylight hours, preferably where you will be able to stand in the natural light.

Facial expression

The photo should show your entire face, with open eyes and a closed mouth. You should be facing the camera directly and your head must not be tilted in any direction. Smiling or frowning is also forbidden- you should maintain a neutral facial expression during the photoshoot.

Glasses

You cannot wear sunglasses or other glasses with tinted or colored lenses, but everyday prescription glasses are allowed. Your eyes, including the pupil and the iris, have to be fully visible, so be careful about wearing glasses with thick frames. While taking a picture, don't let the light reflect in the lenses.

Head covering

You are not allowed to wear:

• a hat,
• a cap,
• a scarf,
• headphones,
• facial piercings that obscure any part of your face,
• any other accessory that would cover your forehead or eyes.

French passport picture - common mistakes 

A passport photo cannot be a selfie. If you want to take your picture at home, you need to have someone to help you or a tripod and a camera with a timer. Enlisting the help of a professional photographer is both expensive and time consuming, so try us instead!

You are forbidden from submitting a damaged photo, a photo taken over 6 months ago or one that has a white background. A photo that is either underexposed or overexposed, pixelated or blurry also cannot be used when applying for your French passport. Keep in mind the appropriate size of the photo, which is 35 x 45 mm. Take a look at your outfit: don't wear any items that cover your head or face, remember to close your mouth, open your eyes and maintain a neutral facial expression. 

Taking a photo for your French passport at home

• choose the right location, with a natural, bright light - in front of a window in daytime is the best choice,
• prepare the correct background (light, but not white),
• ask someone to take a picture of you or place your tripod at about 1.2m away from the place where you are standing,
• remember to keep your eyes open, your mouth shut and your facial expression neutral,
• take as many shots as you like, choose the image that you like most, and let us do the rest of the work!

If you followed the guidelines described above and managed to avoid the most common mistakes, all that is left for you to do is to upload your photo to our PhotoAiD website. Artificial Intelligence will carefully analyse your photo, and then our tools will take care of:

• deleting the existing background from the photo and replacing it with a more suitable one, if necessary,
• resizing your photo by preparing a template, which you’ll then be able to use as when cutting your printout,
• verifying your facial expression, as well as your head’s position , the colors, lighting, and other elements,
• finally- letting you know if you need to take an additional photo.