Iceland National ID Card Photo (Nafnskírteini): The Exact Biometric Standard
Everything you need to know about the photo for Iceland's national ID card (nafnskírteini) — the official 35x45 mm biometric spec, why it must be captured on-site, and how to prepare.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Iceland 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 Iceland photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Iceland 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
Iceland's national identity card, the nafnskírteini, has been issued in its current biometric form since 2024 by the district commissioner (sýslumaður). It uses exactly the same photo standard as the Icelandic passport: a 35x45 mm portrait that conforms to ICAO biometric rules. Getting that standard right is essential, because the same digital image is read by border systems and printed on a secure card.
The most important peculiarity to understand is how the photo reaches sýslumaður. For the nafnskírteini, the image is captured digitally on-site at the office, or taken by a certified photographer who submits it directly through a secure channel. This means a photo you download or take at home is, in practice, not accepted for the actual application — the capture and transfer are part of the controlled, tamper-proof process. Iceland's plain background is typically white or light grey, with a neutral, straight-on pose and no smile.
The exact technical requirements are:
- Size: 35x45 mm (827x1063 px at print resolution).
- Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) or light grey, evenly lit, no shadows.
- Face size: the head fills roughly 70-80% of the frame height.
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible.
- Glasses: not allowed.
- Headwear: none, except head coverings worn for religious reasons (the face must remain fully visible).
- Recency: the photo must be recent — taken within the last six months.
Common reasons photos are rejected in Iceland:
- Wearing glasses — even thin frames or clear lenses are refused under the current biometric rules.
- Background that is not plain — a coloured wall, visible texture, or shadow behind the head breaks the white/light-grey requirement.
- Any smile or visible teeth — the expression must be fully neutral with the mouth closed.
- Hair or headwear covering the face or eyebrows — only religious head coverings are permitted, and the full face must stay visible.
Because sýslumaður requires on-site digital capture for the nafnskírteini, we do not promise that a self-supplied file will be accepted at the counter — that would be misleading. What this tool does honestly help with is producing a perfectly standard-compliant reference image: it automatically crops your own picture to the exact 35x45 mm framing, white background and 70-80% face height, so you can see precisely how a compliant photo must look, fix issues before your appointment, or use the image for other purposes. Treat it as preparation, and let the certified capture happen at the office.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
Iceland · 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: syslumenn.is
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Iceland 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 Iceland National ID card photos
What size is the Iceland national ID card photo?
Can I submit a photo I took myself for the nafnskírteini?
Are glasses allowed in the Iceland ID card photo?
What background colour is required?
Can I smile in the photo?
Is religious headwear allowed?
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.