Cameroon National ID Card (CNI) Photo: Get the Exact Biometric Standard Right
Learn the precise 35x45 mm portrait standard for Cameroon's new biometric CNI and why the photo is now captured on-site during enrollment.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Cameroon 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 Cameroon photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Cameroon 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 portrait right for a Cameroon National Identity Card (Carte Nationale d'Identité, CNI) matters because the document is issued under the Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN), which sets a strict biometric facial standard. This page explains exactly what a compliant CNI portrait looks like and how the process now works.
Cameroon launched a new-generation biometric CNI in February 2025, produced with technology partner Augentic. This changed everything about the photo. The portrait is now captured live at an identification post during enrollment — taken on the spot together with your ten fingerprints — and then laser-engraved as an HD colour image directly into the card. Because the image is captured digitally on-site, a self-made or downloaded photo is generally not used for the new CNI. The older paper card was different: applicants had to bring four identical 35x45 mm photos on a white background, which is why the same spec still defines what a correct portrait must look like.
The exact portrait specification:
- Size: 35x45 mm (827x1063 px at print resolution)
- Background: plain pure white (#FFFFFF)
- Face height: the face must fill 70-80% of the frame height
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking straight ahead
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: none, except for religious head coverings that do not obscure the face
- Recency: the image must be recent — taken within the last 6 months
Common reasons CNI portraits are rejected in Cameroon:
- Submitting a self-supplied or printed photo when on-site digital capture is mandatory for the biometric CNI
- Glasses, tinted lenses or reflections — these are not accepted for the biometric portrait
- A grey, cream or shadowed background instead of pure white, or uneven lighting on the face
- Smiling, an open mouth, tilted head, or the face too small or too large within the frame
For the new biometric CNI, the portrait is taken for you by the operator at the identification post, so you cannot upload your own image for submission. What you can do is prepare: use our tool to produce a perfectly standard-compliant 35x45 mm reference image so you know exactly how a compliant portrait should look — correct framing, neutral expression, no glasses, white background — before your appointment. It is also ideal for the legacy paper documents and other uses that still require four matching CNI-style photos. We are transparent about this: for the biometric CNI we do not promise acceptance, because the authority captures the official image itself.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
Cameroon · 35 × 45 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 35 × 45 mm · 827 × 1063 px
- Background
- White plain
- Head in frame
- 70–80%
- Glasses
- Not allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Only for religious reasons
- File
- JPG · ≤ 300 KB
Print size is 35 × 45 mm and the digital file is 827 × 1063 px.
Official requirements source: biometricupdate.com, dgsn.cm
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Cameroon 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 Cameroon National ID card photos
Can I use a self-made photo for the new biometric Cameroon CNI?
What size must a Cameroon CNI photo be?
Are glasses allowed in a Cameroon CNI photo?
What background colour is required?
What changed with the February 2025 biometric CNI?
Then why prepare a photo at all?
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.