Bosnia and Herzegovina Passport Photo: The Exact IDDEEA Standard

A Bosnia and Herzegovina biometric passport requires a strictly standardised facial photograph that meets the rules set by IDDEEA (the Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange), the authority that issues passports and ID cards across the country. The goal is a clean, neutral, full-face image at 35x45 mm that satisfies international ICAO biometric requirements.

The most important peculiarity is how the photo is produced. For the current biometric passport, your photograph is captured on-site at the application office, together with your fingerprints and electronic signature, as part of a single live biometric enrolment session. In practice this means a downloaded or self-made photo is generally not submitted for the passport itself - the IDDEEA workstation takes the picture under controlled lighting. Officially, head height in the frame is measured at 32-36 mm, the background must be white or light grey, and your expression must be neutral.

The exact specification you should match:

• Size: 35x45 mm (413x531 px at print resolution).
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) or light grey, evenly lit, no shadows.
• Face size: the head fills roughly 70-80% of the frame height (head 32-36 mm).
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open and looking at the camera.
• Glasses: allowed only if the eyes are fully visible, with no glare and no tinted lenses.
• Headwear: not permitted, except for religious reasons where the full face stays visible.
• Recency: the image must reflect your current appearance (taken within the last 6 months).

• Common reasons photos are rejected in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
• Submitting a self-made or printed photo when the office requires live on-site capture for the biometric passport.
• Background that is coloured, patterned, or too dark instead of white/light grey.
• Head too small or too large - outside the 32-36 mm head-height range.
• Glare on glasses, tinted lenses, a smile, or hair covering the eyes or face outline.

Because the passport photograph is taken digitally at the IDDEEA office, we cannot promise that a self-prepared image will be accepted for submission - and we will not pretend otherwise. What this tool does is prepare a perfectly standard-compliant reference image from your own picture, automatically cropped to the exact 35x45 mm layout with the correct head proportions and background. Use it to see exactly how a compliant photo must look, to prepare for your appointment, or for other documents and personal use. Being honest about the on-site rule is the most useful thing we can tell you.