El Salvador DUI Photo Requirements: RNPN-Compliant ID Card Photo
Official RNPN photo standards for El Salvador's Documento Único de Identidad — size, background, expression, and what to know about biometric enrollment.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, El Salvador 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 El Salvador photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A El Salvador 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
A compliant photo for El Salvador's Documento Único de Identidad (DUI) must meet the biometric portrait standards set by the Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales (RNPN) — the government body responsible for issuing the country's sole national identity document. Meeting these requirements precisely ensures your reference image is ready the moment you need it for any official purpose.
The DUI is one of Central America's most technologically advanced identity documents, and its photo process reflects that. Your photograph is captured digitally on-site during biometric enrollment at a DUICENTRO or RNPN service center — you do not submit a photo in advance. The image is then laser-engraved directly onto the polycarbonate card body, alongside a secondary "ghost image": a hidden duplicate portrait embedded as an anti-tampering security feature. Because lighting and camera settings at the center are controlled to biometric grade, the RNPN holds the portrait to strict standards — correct face proportion, a neutral expression, and a plain white background are essential for accurate biometric matching and card personalization.
- Photo size: 35 × 45 mm (827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi)
- Background: pure white (#FFFFFF) — no patterns, shadows, or gradients
- Face coverage: 60–80% of total frame height
- Expression: neutral and relaxed; mouth closed, no smile
- Glasses: not permitted — any type, including prescription lenses
- Headwear: not permitted except for documented religious reasons; face and hairline must remain fully visible
- Recency: must reflect current appearance (taken within the last 6 months)
- Eyes: open, clearly visible, looking directly at the camera
Common reasons DUI enrollment photos fail in El Salvador:
- Off-white, cream, or grey background — even a slight colour deviation can disrupt RNPN's biometric scanner calibration
- Any eyewear, including prescription glasses — facial landmarks must be fully unobscured for biometric data capture
- Headwear worn without a documented religious exemption, or a religious covering that shadows the face or hairline
- A smile showing teeth, or any expression that alters natural face geometry
Our tool automatically formats your photo to the exact 35 × 45 mm (827 × 1063 px) RNPN standard — white background, correct face proportion, pixel-perfect dimensions. Since the DUI enrollment photo is captured live at a DUICENTRO center, this prepared image serves as your expert reference: you see precisely what a compliant portrait must look like before your appointment, arrive fully confident, and keep a ready file for other documents — a U.S. visa, a Central American travel permit, or any application that accepts a submitted photograph. A free watermarked preview is available before you download.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
El Salvador · 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
- 60–80%
- 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: presidencia.gob.sv, dui.info.sv
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a El Salvador 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 El Salvador National ID card photos
How is the DUI photo taken in El Salvador?
What size must an El Salvador DUI photo be?
Are glasses allowed in an El Salvador DUI photo?
What background colour is required for the DUI photo?
Can I wear a hijab or religious head covering in the DUI photo?
If the DUI photo is taken at the RNPN center, why prepare a reference image?
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.