Norway Work Permit Photo: The Exact Biometric Standard Explained
Everything you need to know about the biometric photo for a Norwegian work permit (residence card) — exact dimensions, background, and why the picture is now captured on-site.
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 Work permit 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 Work permit photo: what matters
A work permit in Norway is a category of residence permit, and the photo that appears on your residence card must meet the same biometric facial standard set by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the National Police. The reference format is the familiar European 35x45 mm portrait (827x1063 px), identical to the standard used for Norwegian passports and other residence cards. Getting the framing, expression and lighting exactly right is what makes a photo usable for an official identity document.
Here is the crucial peculiarity for Norway: for a work/residence permit you generally cannot submit your own downloaded photo. After your application is registered, the biometric photo and fingerprints are captured digitally on-site at a police station or at a Norwegian foreign service mission (embassy/consulate). The same secure facial standard applies — frontal pose, neutral face, no glasses, a light grey or white background (around #E6E6E6) — but the image itself is taken by the authority, not uploaded by you. This protects the integrity of the residence card and is non-negotiable.
- Size: 35x45 mm reference (827x1063 px).
- Background: plain light grey, approximately #E6E6E6 (white also accepted).
- Face height: the face should fill roughly 75-80% of the frame.
- Expression: neutral, eyes open, mouth closed.
- Glasses: not allowed.
- Headwear: none, except for genuine religious or medical reasons (face fully visible).
- Recency: appearance must be current — within the last 6 months.
- Common reasons photos are rejected in Norway:
- Wearing glasses or tinted lenses — even clear frames cause reflections and obscure the eyes.
- A coloured, patterned or shadowed background instead of the required even light-grey tone.
- A smile, open mouth or visible teeth instead of a strictly neutral expression.
- Hair, a fringe or headwear covering the eyes, eyebrows or facial outline.
Because Norway captures the official image on-site, the honest approach is to arrive fully prepared rather than rely on a self-made file. Our tool automatically crops your own picture to the exact 35x45 mm Norwegian standard, so you can see precisely how a compliant photo must look, check your pose, background and framing before your appointment, or use the standard-compliant image for other purposes. We do not promise that a self-supplied photo will be accepted for the residence card itself — for that document the digital on-site capture by the police or mission is mandatory.
What an accepted Work permit 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 Work permit 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 Work permit photos
What size is the photo for a Norwegian work permit?
Can I submit my own photo for a Norway work permit?
What background colour is required?
Are glasses allowed in the photo?
Can I wear a head covering?
How recent must the photo be?
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.