Azerbaijan National ID Card Photo: Get the Exact 3x4 cm Standard Right
Learn precisely how the photo for Azerbaijan's biometric national ID card (sexsiyyet vesiqesi) must look and prepare a perfectly standard-compliant reference image before your ASAN xidmet appointment.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Azerbaijan 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 Azerbaijan photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Azerbaijan National ID card 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 National ID card photo: what matters
Getting the photo for an Azerbaijani national ID card (sexsiyyet vesiqesi) right means matching the exact biometric standard used by the State Migration Service through ASAN xidmet service centers. The specification is unforgiving: a 30x40 mm (354x472 px) portrait on a pure white background with a neutral, front-facing expression. Knowing precisely what a compliant image looks like saves you a wasted trip.
There is one crucial peculiarity that sets Azerbaijan apart from many countries. Since the rollout of the biometric ID card in 2018, the facial image is captured live, on-site at the ASAN xidmet or State Migration Service desk. A camera operator photographs you in person at the moment of application. For this reason, a self-made or downloaded photo is generally not submitted or accepted for the ID card itself, the official record is created from the on-site digital capture. Understanding the standard still matters, because you must arrive looking the part: it is your appearance, not your printout, that gets photographed.
The governing portrait standard you should match is:
- Size: 30x40 mm (354x472 px), standard 3x4 cm format
- Background: pure white, #FFFFFF, evenly lit and shadow-free
- Face height: the face must fill 70-82% of the frame height
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking straight at the camera
- Glasses: allowed only if the eyes are fully visible, with no glare and no tinted lenses
- Headwear: not permitted, except plain head coverings worn for religious reasons that do not obscure the face
- Recency: the image must reflect your current appearance, taken within the last 6 months
Common reasons photos are rejected in Azerbaijan:
- A grey, cream or off-white backdrop instead of the required pure white, the most frequent failure
- Smiling or an open mouth, the biometric system needs a strictly neutral face
- Glasses causing reflections on the lenses or hair falling across the eyes or eyebrows
- Uneven lighting that casts shadows on the face or behind the head onto the background
Our tool automatically crops and formats your own picture to the exact 3x4 cm Azerbaijani standard, white background, correct face proportions and framing. To be fully transparent: because the national ID card photo is captured digitally on-site, this prepared image is not meant for direct submission. Instead, use it as a precise reference to see exactly how a compliant portrait must look, to check your appearance and clothing before your appointment, or for any other personal or documentary purpose where the standard 3x4 format is useful.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
Azerbaijan · 30 × 40 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 30 × 40 mm · 354 × 472 px
- Background
- White plain
- Head in frame
- 70–82%
- Glasses
- Allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Only for religious reasons
- File
- JPG · ≤ 500 KB
Print size is 30 × 40 mm and the digital file is 354 × 472 px.
Official requirements source: mfa.gov.az
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Azerbaijan National ID card 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 Azerbaijan National ID card photos
What size must an Azerbaijan ID card photo be?
Can I submit my own self-made photo for the ID card?
What background colour is required?
Can I wear glasses in the photo?
Is a smile allowed?
Where do I get the ID card photo taken?
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.