Albania Passport Photo: Exact ALEAT Biometric Standard Explained
Everything you need to know about the Albanian biometric passport photo standard captured by ALEAT — exact dimensions, white background and head-size rules, plus an honest note on why self-made photos are not submitted.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Albania does not accept a self-prepared photo. By law it must be captured on site by an authorised service and submitted electronically, so we cannot produce a submittable file for it. The official specification is shown below so you know exactly what to expect at your appointment.
This photo is captured on site — but we can make your Albania photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Albania Passport photo has strict requirements, and a mistake costs time and money. We’ll show you how to pass on the first try.
It gets rejected
Wrong size, background or cropping — and the system returns the application.
Expensive and slow
A trip to a photo studio means a queue, time and €7–12 for a reshoot.
Confusing requirements
Exact size, head height, light background, facial expression — easy to get wrong.
Redo it all over
Rejected — take another photo, pay and submit again. Round and round.
«Below are the exact requirements from the official source, so you arrive at your appointment prepared.»
Ordinary photo → ready for submission
We remove the background and clutter, set the framing and lighting — keeping your face without «beautifying».
Your face stays yours — we do not change features, only the background, lighting and framing.
Your Passport photo: what matters
The Albanian biometric passport carries a face photo that must meet the ICAO 9303 international standard, implemented nationally by ALEAT, the company contracted by the Albanian state to issue biometric documents. The reference specification is a 36x47 mm photo on a pure white background, with the head measuring 32-36 mm from chin to crown — the same national biometric standard applied to Albanian visas.
Albania works differently from most countries, and this is the single most important thing to understand. You do not hand in a photo you took yourself. The procedure begins online, but the passport is only issued after you appear physically at an ALEAT office, where a technician captures your facial image and fingerprints live on the spot. Because the photo is taken under controlled conditions at the counter, a downloaded or studio print is generally not accepted for submission — the biometric enrolment is done for you, in person.
The official photo specification that ALEAT's equipment follows looks like this:
- Size: 36x47 mm (425x555 px at print resolution)
- Background: plain pure white (#FFFFFF), evenly lit, no shadows
- Face size: head fills roughly 68-77% of the frame height (32-36 mm chin to crown)
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking straight at the camera
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: none, except for religious reasons with the full face visible
- Freshness: the captured image must reflect your current appearance (within the last 6 months)
- Common reasons photos are rejected in Albania:
- Wearing glasses — even thin clear frames cause glare and reflections that fail biometric checks
- A head that is too small or too large in the frame, breaking the 32-36 mm chin-to-crown rule
- A grey, cream or off-white background instead of pure white #FFFFFF
- A smile, raised eyebrows or open mouth instead of a strictly neutral expression
Because the official Albanian passport photo is captured digitally on-site at ALEAT, our tool does not replace that appointment and we make no promise of acceptance for this document. What it does give you is a perfectly standard-compliant reference image: prepare your own picture to the exact 36x47 mm, white-background, head-size rules so you know precisely how a compliant photo must look before you go, check your appearance against the biometric criteria, or use the result for visa applications and other purposes where a self-supplied photo is permitted.
What an accepted Passport photo looks like
Albania · 36 × 47 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 36 × 47 mm · 425 × 555 px
- Background
- White plain
- Head in frame
- 68–77%
- Glasses
- Not allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Only for religious reasons
- File
- JPG · ≤ 250 KB
Print size is 36 × 47 mm and the digital file is 425 × 555 px.
Official requirements source: ambasadat.gov.al
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Albania Passport photo gets rejected — and how to avoid them. Compare good and bad shots.
1Format and freshness
A color photo taken no more than 6 months ago.
2Lighting and background
Even light with no shadows on the face; a plain light background, without glare.
3Head position
Face head-on, head centered, no tilt or turn.
4Facial expression
Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera.
5Glasses and accessories
No glasses (especially sunglasses); eyes fully visible, without glare.
6Headwear
Only for religious reasons and not covering the face — the face fully visible.
7Clothing
Ordinary everyday clothes; no uniforms or face-covering clothing.
Common questions about Albania Passport photos
Can I submit my own photo for an Albanian passport?
What size is an Albania passport photo?
What background colour is required?
Can I wear glasses in my Albania passport photo?
Is headwear allowed?
Then why prepare a compliant photo online?
Your photo is protected
A photo is personal data, so we handle it carefully and in line with GDPR. We process it only to prepare the document and delete it within clear deadlines.
- Only with consentWe process the photo only after your explicit consent before upload.
- Auto-deletionWe delete the source photo within a day, the ready file after 7 days.
- No sharing with third partiesYour photos are not sold or used to train any third-party systems.
- Deletion on requestYou can ask to delete your data at any time — with a single request.