Cyprus Passport Photo: The Exact ICAO Standard, Explained
Learn precisely what a compliant Cyprus passport photo must look like under the CRMD biometric standard, and why your photo is now captured live at the appointment.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Cyprus 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 Cyprus photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Cyprus Passport 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 Passport photo: what matters
A Cyprus passport photo must meet the strict ICAO frontal-portrait standard enforced by the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) of the Ministry of Interior. The goal is a clean, neutral, full-face image on a pure white background that machines and border officers can read reliably for years.
There is one crucial point that surprises most applicants: the Cyprus passport is biometric, and the photograph is captured live by an officer during your in-person appointment. The CRMD records your facial image and fingerprints digitally on-site, so you do not normally submit a self-made print. Older paper applications referenced 4x5 cm prints, but the modern biometric frame is 35x45 mm, with the head measuring roughly 32-36 mm. Knowing the exact look in advance helps you arrive groomed and confident rather than guessing.
The governing photo specification is:
- Size: 35x45 mm (827x1063 px digital)
- Background: plain pure white (#FFFFFF), evenly lit, no shadows
- Face size: head fills about 70-80% of the frame height (~32-36 mm)
- Expression: neutral, eyes open, mouth closed
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: none, except worn daily for religious reasons (face fully visible)
- Recency: must reflect your current appearance, taken within the last 6 months
Common reasons photos are rejected in Cyprus:
- Glasses or tinted lenses causing glare or hiding the eyes are refused outright
- Off-white or grey backgrounds, or visible shadows behind the head, that break the pure-white requirement
- Smiling or an open mouth, raised eyebrows, or hair crossing the eyes
- Head too small or too large in the frame, so the face falls outside the 70-80% range
For Cyprus, the honest expert position is this: because the CRMD now captures your biometric photo digitally on-site (or via a certified photographer with secure upload), a downloaded or self-made photo is generally not accepted for submission. We do not promise acceptance for this document. What our tool does is prepare a flawless reference image to the exact 35x45 mm white-background standard, so you can see precisely how a compliant photo must look, prepare your appearance for the appointment, or use it for other purposes. Transparency, not a false guarantee, is the real value here.
What an accepted Passport photo looks like
Cyprus · 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 · ≤ 2 MB
Print size is 35 × 45 mm and the digital file is 827 × 1063 px.
Official requirements source: moi.gov.cy, cyprusembassy.net
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Cyprus Passport 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 Cyprus Passport photos
What size is a Cyprus passport photo?
Can I submit my own photo for a Cyprus passport?
What background colour is required?
Are glasses allowed in a Cyprus passport photo?
Can I smile in the photo?
Is headwear permitted?
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.