Monaco National ID Card Photo: Exact Requirements & What to Prepare

A compliant photo for the Monaco National Identity Card (carte d'identité nationale monégasque) must meet the ICAO biometric standard adopted across Europe: 35×45 mm, light non-white background, full-face neutral expression. The document is issued exclusively to Monegasque nationals by the Ministry of State (Ministère d'État), and every requirement — including how the photo is taken — is strictly enforced at the counter.

Monaco's carte d'identité follows a procedure that sets it apart from most European ID systems: the applicant must appear in person at the Ministry of State, and the biometric photograph is captured digitally on-site by an official operator or by a certified professional photographer via a secure upload channel. This means a photo you print at home, take in a photo booth, or download from an online tool is not accepted for submission. The reason is data integrity — Monaco's small-state administration maintains direct control over the biometric image that enters the national register. If you use a photo service for this document, be clear that the resulting image serves as a personal reference or preparation tool, not a submission-ready file.

• Size: 35×45 mm (digital equivalent: 827×1063 px at 600 dpi)
• Background: Light gray — specifically #E6E6E6; plain, uniform, no shadows or patterns. Pure white is not compliant.
• Face coverage: The face must fill 70–80% of the frame height, centred, with even space at the top of the head.
• Expression: Neutral, mouth closed, eyes fully open and looking directly at the camera.
• Glasses: Not permitted — including tinted, photochromic, or thin-frame glasses.
• Headwear: Not permitted except for documented religious reasons; head must be fully visible including hairline and ears.
• Recency: Photo must have been taken within the last six months and must accurately reflect current appearance.
• Print quality: When a printed photo is used (e.g., for a certified photographer), it must be sharp, colour-accurate, with no pixelation or ink smudges.

Common reasons photos are rejected at Monaco's Ministry of State:

• Background colour off-spec: Pure white or cream backgrounds are rejected — Monaco requires the specific light gray (#E6E6E6) tone used across ICAO/European biometric standards.
• Glasses worn: Any eyewear, including very light frames, causes automatic rejection regardless of a medical note (contact lenses are acceptable).
• Insufficient face coverage: A photo where the face occupies less than 70% of the frame height — common with standard consumer photo crops — will not pass the biometric check.
• Self-made or booth photo submitted: Monaco explicitly requires the biometric capture to occur under official supervision; photos not meeting the secure-capture protocol are refused at the counter.

Our tool automatically crops and formats any portrait to the exact 35×45 mm ICAO standard — correct background, face proportion, and colour balance — giving you a precise visual reference for what a compliant image looks like. Because Monaco's Ministry of State requires the photograph to be taken on-site or by a certified photographer with a secure digital upload, a downloaded image file cannot be used as your submission photo. Use this tool to understand the standard before your appointment, to verify your appearance meets the requirements (expression, no glasses, headwear), and to prepare a reference print you can bring to a certified professional photographer if needed. Transparency about the process is our priority — a photo that matches the standard is the only photo worth taking.