DR Congo National ID Card Photo: Exact ONIP Requirements for 2024–2025
Prepare a compliant 35×45 mm biometric photo for the new DR Congo carte nationale d'identité following the official ONIP standard — with a free preview.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, DR Congo 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 DR Congo photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A DR Congo 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 your DR Congo national ID card — the carte nationale d'identité — starts with meeting the exact biometric photo standards set by ONIP (Office National d'Identification et de la Population). A reference image correctly prepared to the precise 35×45 mm format on a pure white background lets you walk into your enrollment appointment fully informed and knowing exactly what a compliant photo looks like.
The Democratic Republic of Congo launched its new biometric national identity system through ONIP between 2024 and 2025, marking a historic shift after decades without a standardized national ID document. The carte nationale d'identité is the first modern biometric document issued at scale across the DRC. Enrollment takes place at designated ONIP centers, where your photo and biometric data are captured digitally on-site by trained officials using secure equipment — the photo is not submitted by the applicant from home, but taken at the appointment itself. Arriving with a well-prepared reference image means you know exactly how to position yourself and what the session requires.
Official photo requirements for the DR Congo national ID card (ONIP standard):
- Size: 35×45 mm (827×1063 pixels at 600 dpi)
- Background: pure white (#FFFFFF), evenly lit, no shadows or patterns
- Face coverage: face must fill 70–80% of the frame height
- Expression: neutral and relaxed, mouth fully closed
- Eyes: fully open, looking directly at the camera, clearly visible
- Glasses: not permitted under any circumstances
- Headwear: not allowed except for documented religious reasons; forehead to chin and both cheeks must remain fully visible
- Recency: taken within the last 6 months
Common reasons photos are rejected in the DR Congo:
- Shadows on the face or background — ONIP's biometric system requires uniform, shadow-free lighting; uneven illumination is automatically flagged during processing
- Glasses of any kind — even transparent prescription or rimless frames are incompatible with biometric facial scanning, regardless of how subtle they appear
- Incorrect face-to-frame ratio — a face filling less than 70% or more than 80% of the frame height will be rejected by the biometric verification software
- Low resolution or motion blur — the 827×1063 px standard requires a sharp, high-quality image; blur or pixelation will fail automated quality checks
Use this tool to generate a fully compliant 35×45 mm reference image from your own photo — automatically cropped and sized to the exact ONIP standard, with a clean white background. A free watermarked preview is available before any purchase, so you can confirm the result looks right at no cost. Head to your ONIP enrollment center knowing precisely how a correct photo is framed — and keep your ready image for any visa, travel document, or official application that accepts a submitted photo.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
DR Congo · 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.
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a DR Congo 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 DR Congo National ID card photos
What is the official photo size for the DR Congo national ID card?
What background color is required for the DR Congo ID card photo?
Are glasses allowed in the DR Congo national ID card photo?
How is the photo taken for the DR Congo national ID card — can I submit one from home?
Is religious headwear allowed in the DR Congo ID card photo?
How does creating a reference image help me if the photo is taken at the ONIP office?
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.