Germany Residence Card (eAT) Photo — Meet the Federal Biometric Standard
Germany's residence permit uses the same mandatory federal biometric Passbild standard as the German passport — 35x45 mm, light grey background, neutral expression. Here is exactly how a compliant photo must look.
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 Residence 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 Residence card photo: what matters
A photo for a German electronic residence permit (elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel / eAT) must match Germany's federal biometric standard precisely, or your appointment at the Ausländerbehörde can be delayed. Germany has no separate photo rule for the residence card — it is governed by the same mandatory biometric Passbild specification as the German passport and ID card, defined by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) on the official Fotomustertafel and produced to Bundesdruckerei standards.
The most important point for this document: since 1 May 2025, the residence-permit photo must be captured digitally — either on-site at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) or by a certified photographer who transmits it through a BSI-secured upload. Printed, self-supplied paper photos are generally no longer accepted for the eAT. This is the single biggest reason a photo brought from home is now refused at the counter.
The exact technical requirements are:
- Size: 35 x 45 mm (413 x 531 px), portrait orientation
- Background: plain light grey (#D3D3D3), evenly lit, no shadows
- Face size: the head fills roughly 70-80% of the frame height (32-36 mm chin to crown)
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: none, except for documented religious reasons
- Recency: taken within the last 6 months, sharp and in full colour
- Common reasons photos are rejected in Germany:
- Bringing a printed self-made photo instead of an on-site or certified digital capture (the new May 2025 rule)
- Wearing glasses or having reflections/glare on the lenses
- A background that is too dark, patterned or not the required light grey
- Head too small or too large, or the face not centred and frontal
You can use this service to prepare a perfectly standard-compliant reference image from your own picture — automatically cropped to the exact 35x45 mm biometric layout with the correct grey background and head proportions. Because the eAT now requires on-site or certified digital capture, a downloaded file is not for direct submission; instead, use it to see precisely how a compliant photo must look, to check your appearance before the appointment, or for other purposes. Being clear about that is part of getting it right.
What an accepted Residence 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
- Not allowed
- Facial expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Headwear
- Only for religious reasons
- File
- JPG · ≤ 2.4 MB
Print size is 35 × 45 mm and the digital file is 413 × 531 px.
Official requirements source: bundesdruckerei.de, bmi.bund.de
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Germany Residence 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 Residence card photos
What size is a German residence permit photo?
Can I submit a self-made photo for the German eAT?
What background colour is required?
Can I wear glasses in the photo?
Does Germany have a separate photo standard for the residence card?
Can I wear a head covering?
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.