Germany National ID Card (Personalausweis) Photo — Meet the Exact Biometric Standard
See exactly how a compliant German Personalausweis photo must look — the unified BMI biometric standard, the new 2025 on-site digital-capture rule, and every measurement that matters.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Germany 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 Germany photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Germany 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 German national ID card (Personalausweis) photo must satisfy the unified federal biometric standard defined by the BMI Fotomustertafel and the Pass- und Personalausweisverordnung. This is the same strict portrait specification used for the German passport, administered through the Bürgeramt (citizens' office). Getting the geometry, background and expression exactly right is what determines whether your image meets the standard.
The most important thing to know: since 1 May 2025, the Personalausweis photo must be captured digitally on-site — either directly at the Bürgeramt photo terminal or by a certified photographer who transmits the image through the BSI-secure upload system (using a PIN or QR code). Printed, self-supplied paper photos are no longer accepted for submission. This anti-fraud rule means a downloaded or home-made photo generally cannot be handed in at the counter — the capture itself must happen through the secured chain.
The exact biometric requirements are:
- Size: 35×45 mm (413×531 px), portrait orientation
- Background: plain light grey, #D3D3D3, evenly lit with no shadows
- Face: fills 70–80% of the frame height; head height chin-to-crown 32–36 mm; head straight and frontal
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible
- Glasses: allowed only if the eyes are fully visible with no glare, reflection or tint
- Headwear: not permitted, except for genuine religious reasons (face must remain fully visible)
- Recency: taken within the last 6 months and resembling your current appearance
- Common reasons photos are rejected in Germany:
- Wrong head size — chin-to-crown outside the strict 32–36 mm window, the single most frequent failure
- Background that is too white, too dark, coloured or shadowed instead of the required neutral light grey
- Non-neutral expression — a slight smile, parted lips or visible teeth
- Submitting a self-printed photo after the May 2025 rule change, which the office can no longer accept
Use our tool to prepare a perfectly standard-compliant reference image from your own picture — automatically cropped and sized to the exact official 35×45 mm specification. It is the clearest way to see how a compliant Personalausweis photo must look, to check your framing before your appointment, or to keep a correct copy for other uses. Please note honestly: for the actual ID-card application, German law now requires the photo to be captured digitally at the Bürgeramt or by a certified photographer with secure upload, so a self-made photo cannot be submitted for issuance.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
Germany · 35 × 45 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 35 × 45 mm · 413 × 531 px
- Background
- Light plain
- Head in frame
- 70–80%
- Glasses
- 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 413 × 531 px.
Official requirements source: bundesdruckerei.de, personalausweisportal.de
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Germany 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 Germany National ID card photos
What size must a German ID card photo be?
Can I submit a self-made or downloaded photo for my Personalausweis?
What background colour is required?
Are glasses allowed in the photo?
Can I smile in the photo?
Is the Personalausweis photo the same as a passport photo?
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.