Norway National ID Card Photo (Nasjonalt ID-kort): The Exact Police Biometric Standard
Everything you need to know about the Norwegian national ID card photo standard, including the police biometric capture rule that means your own photo cannot be submitted.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Norway 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 Norway photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Norway 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
The Norwegian national ID card (nasjonalt ID-kort), issued by the Norwegian Police (Politiet), carries a strict biometric portrait that is identical to the one used in the Norwegian passport. Understanding this exact standard before your appointment is the difference between a smooth visit and a wasted trip, because the police verify every measurement against ICAO biometric rules.
Here is the crucial detail most people miss: the national ID card uses the same biometric photo standard as the passport, and that photo is captured digitally on-site by the police in a biometric kiosk. A self-supplied or downloaded photo is generally not accepted for the card application. The portrait must measure 35x45 mm with the head occupying 34.5 mm of height, leaving roughly a 3 mm gap above the hair, the face filling 75-80% of the frame, shot against a light grey or white background at 600 dpi.
- Size: 35x45 mm (827x1063 px), head height 34.5 mm with a 3 mm top gap
- Background: light grey (#E6E6E6) to white, plain and shadow-free
- Face coverage: 75-80% of the total frame height
- Expression: neutral, eyes open, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: only for religious or medical reasons, face fully visible
- Recency: must reflect your current appearance (within 6 months)
- Common reasons photos are rejected in Norway:
- Wearing glasses of any kind, even thin or rimless frames that cause glare or hide the eyes
- A smile or visible teeth instead of the required neutral, closed-mouth expression
- Background too dark, uneven or coloured rather than the required light grey to white
- Hair, hats or shadows breaking the 3 mm top gap or covering part of the face
You can use our tool to produce a perfectly standard-compliant 35x45 mm reference image from your own picture, automatically cropped to the exact official measurements. For the national ID card itself, the police now capture the biometric portrait digitally on-site, so a self-made file cannot be submitted, but a correct reference photo lets you see precisely how a compliant portrait must look, fix issues with glasses, expression or hair beforehand, and walk into your appointment fully prepared.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
Norway · 35 × 45 mm. Tap any requirement to see what it means on a real photo.
- Size
- 35 × 45 mm · 827 × 1063 px
- Background
- Light plain
- Head in frame
- 75–80%
- 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: politiet.no, udi.no
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Norway 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 Norway National ID card photos
Can I submit my own photo for a Norwegian national ID card?
What are the size requirements for the Norway ID card photo?
Can I wear glasses in the Norwegian ID card photo?
What background colour is required?
Is headwear allowed on the Norway ID card photo?
Why prepare a compliant photo if the police take it on-site?
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.