Albania Driving Licence Photo — Exact 35×45 mm Standard

When you apply for an Albanian driving licence (lejedrejtimi), the photo you hand in at the DPSHTRR (Drejtoria e Përgjithshme e Shërbimeve të Transportit Rrugor — the national road transport directorate) must meet the European 35×45 mm standard exactly. Albania's EU-aligned card format means photo reviewers at DPSHTRR offices follow the same strict checklist used across the Schengen zone — a slightly wrong crop or a tinted background is enough to send you back to a photo shop.

One detail that catches many applicants off-guard: unlike some countries that accept digital uploads through a government portal, Albania still requires you to hand physical photos directly to staff at the DPSHTRR counter. That means there is no second chance once you are in the queue — the photos you bring must already be perfect. The 35×45 mm format is the standard used across most EU and Western Balkan driving licences, and Albanian reviewers are trained to spot deviations: anything smaller than the precise 413×531 px digital equivalent, or printed at the wrong DPI, is routinely refused.

• Size: 35×45 mm (digital: 413×531 px at 300 dpi)
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) — no shadows, gradients, or coloured studio backdrops
• Face coverage: face must fill 70–80% of the frame height
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes fully open and looking directly at the camera
• Glasses: not permitted under any circumstances
• Head covering: only permitted for documented religious reasons; the full face must remain clearly visible
• Recency: photo must have been taken within the last 6 months
• Print quality: sharp focus, no pixelation, true-to-life skin tones, no red-eye

• Common reasons photos are rejected at DPSHTRR offices:
• Background that is off-white, cream, or has a studio gradient — DPSHTRR staff compare against a white reference card
• Face too small in the frame — a common result of standard passport-booth crops that leave too much headroom
• Glasses present, including thin-framed or rimless glasses, which are prohibited regardless of prescription need
• Photo older than six months or visually inconsistent with the applicant's current appearance (e.g. significant change in hair colour or facial hair)

To avoid a wasted trip to the DPSHTRR office, prepare your photo before you go. Upload any clear, recent photo taken in good light — it is automatically cropped to the exact 35×45 mm DPSHTRR-compliant standard, background corrected to pure white, and sized to the correct pixel dimensions for printing. You receive a free watermarked preview before paying anything, so you can confirm it looks right. If you pay, download, print, and the office still rejects it, we will redo the photo at no charge or refund you in full — you pay only for a photo you are confident in.