Brazil Driving Licence (CNH) Photo: The Exact Detran Standard
Learn the precise photo standard for the Brazilian driving licence (CNH) and prepare a perfectly compliant reference image before your Detran biometric appointment.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Brazil 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 Brazil photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Brazil Driving licence 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 Driving licence photo: what matters
Getting the photo right for a Brazilian driving licence — the Carteira Nacional de Habilitacao (CNH) — means meeting the technical standard set by the state Detran (Departamento Estadual de Transito) that issues your document. Our tool automatically crops and formats your own picture to that exact official specification, so you can see precisely how a compliant CNH photo must look before you ever reach the counter.
The defining peculiarity of the CNH is that the licence photo is captured on-site at the Detran. During your appointment, the office performs a full biometric collection — your digital photograph, fingerprints and signature are recorded together and linked to the national driver registry (RENACH). Because of this integrated, fraud-resistant process, a self-made or downloaded photo is generally not accepted for submission: the image must come from the Detran's own equipment or, in some states, a certified photographer with secure upload. This makes the CNH different from a passport, where you bring your own print.
The official image standard the Detran applies is:
- Size: 30x40 mm (354x472 px)
- Background: plain white (#FFFFFF), evenly lit, no shadows
- Face size: head fills 70-80% of the frame height
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera
- Glasses: clear prescription glasses generally permitted, but eyes must be fully visible with no glare or tinted lenses
- Headwear: not allowed, except for religious reasons
- Recency: a current likeness — taken within the last 6 months
- Common reasons photos are rejected in Brazil:
- Using a self-supplied or app-edited photo instead of the mandatory on-site Detran capture
- Tinted, reflective or heavy-framed glasses that hide or obscure the eyes
- Smiling, parted lips or a turned head instead of a neutral, front-facing pose
- A grey, cream or coloured backdrop, or uneven lighting that casts shadows behind the head
To prepare, upload your picture and our tool will produce a standard-compliant 30x40 mm reference image with a clean white background and correct face proportions. Be aware of the honest reality: because the CNH now requires the photo to be taken digitally at the Detran during biometric collection, this reference is for preparation and self-checking — to confirm your hair, glasses and expression meet the rules before your appointment — and is not a print you submit yourself. Use it to arrive confident and avoid surprises at the counter.
What an accepted Driving licence photo looks like
Brazil · 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
- 70–80%
- Glasses
- Allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Only for religious reasons
- File
- JPG · ≤ 2 MB
Print size is 30 × 40 mm and the digital file is 354 × 472 px.
Official requirements source: gov.br, detran.rj.gov.br
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Brazil Driving licence 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 Brazil Driving licence photos
What size is the Brazilian driving licence photo?
Can I submit my own photo for the CNH?
Why is the CNH photo taken at the Detran?
Can I wear glasses in my CNH photo?
What background colour is required?
How can your tool help if the photo is taken on-site?
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.