Norway Residence Card Photo (Oppholdskort): The Exact UDI Standard
Everything you need to know about the photo for a Norwegian residence card (oppholdskort) — the exact UDI biometric standard, and the crucial rule that the picture is taken on-site, not supplied by you.
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 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
The photo for a Norwegian residence card (oppholdskort) must meet the biometric facial standard set by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the police. The image follows the same strict requirements as a Norwegian passport photo: a clear, frontal, neutral portrait against a plain light-grey background, sized to the European 35x45 mm reference. Getting these details right is what separates an accepted application from a delayed appointment.
Here is the single most important thing to understand, and where most people go wrong: for the residence card you do not bring your own photo. UDI confirms that the police office or the foreign service mission (embassy/consulate) captures a new biometric photo of you directly at your appointment, together with your fingerprints and signature. This digital on-site capture is mandatory — a self-made or downloaded picture is generally not accepted for the actual submission. The standard below is therefore the standard the on-site camera must meet, and it is exactly what your prepared reference image should look like.
The official biometric specification:
- Size: 35x45 mm (827x1063 px at print resolution)
- Background: plain, uniform light grey (#E6E6E6), no shadows or patterns
- Face size: head fills roughly 75-80% of the frame height
- Expression: neutral, eyes open, mouth closed
- Glasses: not allowed
- Headwear: none, with a limited religious or medical exception (face fully visible)
- Recency: the portrait must be a current likeness (within the last 6 months)
- Common reasons residence card photos are rejected in Norway:
- Wearing glasses — Norway no longer permits them, and reflections or frames hiding the eyes cause automatic rejection
- A background that is too dark, too white, or coloured instead of the required neutral light grey
- A non-neutral expression — smiling, an open mouth, or visible teeth break the biometric match
- Hair, a fringe, or headwear covering the eyebrows or face outline
Our tool automatically crops and formats your own picture to this exact UDI standard, so you can see precisely how a compliant residence-card portrait must look before your appointment, check your framing and background, or use the result for other documents that do accept self-supplied photos. We are transparent: because the oppholdskort photo is captured digitally at the police or mission office, we make no promise of acceptance for this submission — instead we give you a perfectly standard-compliant reference so you arrive prepared and confident.
What an accepted Residence 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: udi.no
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Norway 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 Norway Residence card photos
Can I bring my own photo for a Norwegian residence card?
What size and background does the oppholdskort photo require?
Can I wear glasses in my Norway residence card photo?
Is headwear permitted?
What expression should I have?
If the photo is taken on-site, why prepare a compliant image in advance?
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.