Colombia Driving Licence Photo: Exact Standard, Captured On-Site
Everything you need to know about the photo for a Colombian licencia de conducción, including the exact size, background and the on-site digital capture now required by RUNT.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Colombia 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 Colombia photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Colombia 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 Colombian licencia de conducción means matching a strict biometric standard managed by the RUNT (Registro Único Nacional de Tránsito) and the Ministerio de Transporte. The goal is a clean, neutral portrait on a pure white background that integrates correctly with the national driver registry and prints sharply on the licence card.
The most important thing to understand about Colombia is unusual: there is no separately published consumer print standard you can fulfil at home. Since the licence is issued through a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores (CRC) and the local transit authority, your photo and biometrics — including signature and sometimes fingerprints — are captured live, digitally, at the office during your appointment. The on-site operator controls the lighting, framing and background, which is why the displayed standard is uniform across every department of the country.
The official image specification looks like this:
- Size: 40x50 mm (472x591 px)
- Background: pure white, #FFFFFF, evenly lit with no shadows
- Face size: the head must fill roughly 54-66% of the frame height
- Expression: neutral, eyes open, mouth closed — no smile
- Glasses: not allowed; remove them before the shot
- Headwear: forbidden, except for documented religious reasons
- Recency: a current likeness, taken within the last 6 months
Common reasons photos are rejected in Colombia:
- Wearing glasses or tinted lenses that obscure the eyes or cause glare
- A grey, cream or off-white background instead of the required pure white
- A visible smile, open mouth or tilted head that breaks the neutral biometric pose
- Hair, caps or hoods covering the forehead, eyebrows or facial outline
Because Colombia mandates on-site digital capture at the CRC or transit office, a photo you take and download yourself is generally not accepted for submission — this is the honest reality of the current process. What our tool does is prepare a perfectly standard-compliant reference image from your own picture, automatically cropped to the exact 40x50 mm framing and white background. Use it to see precisely how a compliant photo must look, to groom and dress correctly before your appointment, or for any other purpose where you need an accurate driver-licence-style portrait. No guesswork, no surprises at the counter.
What an accepted Driving licence photo looks like
Colombia · 40 × 50 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 40 × 50 mm · 472 × 591 px
- Background
- White plain
- Head in frame
- 54–66%
- Glasses
- Not allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Not allowed
- File
- JPG · ≤ 2 MB
Print size is 40 × 50 mm and the digital file is 472 × 591 px.
Official requirements source: runt.gov.co
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Colombia 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 Colombia Driving licence photos
Can I use a self-made photo for a Colombian driving licence?
What size must the Colombia driving licence photo be?
What background colour is required?
Can I wear glasses in the photo?
Who takes the photo for the licence?
Can I smile or wear a hat?
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.