Panama National ID Card (Cedula) Photo: The Exact Official Standard
Learn precisely how a compliant Panama cedula photo must look — size, white background, dress rules and the live on-site capture now required by the Tribunal Electoral.
This photo must be taken by an accredited service
For this document, Panama 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 Panama photos online:
A document photo is a headache of its own
A Panama 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 Panama national identity card — the cedula — is issued by the Tribunal Electoral, and its photograph follows a strict biometric standard. The goal of this page is simple: show you exactly how a compliant cedula photo must look so you arrive at your appointment fully prepared and know precisely what the authority expects.
Here is the key peculiarity that surprises most applicants: for the cedula, the photo is captured live on-site. The Tribunal Electoral operates a triada (photography) service at its regional and district offices, where your image is taken digitally on the spot. Because the background must render pure white, the official dress code forbids wearing white clothing — any other colour is fine, but white blends into the backdrop and gets your capture rejected. You are also expected to sit with shoulders upright, hair pulled back behind the ears, wearing only small earrings.
The technical specification the office works to:
- Size: 35x45 mm (827x1063 px)
- Background: plain white (#FFFFFF)
- Face height: fills 70-80% of the frame
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open
- Glasses: not allowed — remove them entirely
- Headwear: none, except genuine religious head covering
- Recency: the captured image must reflect your current appearance (within the last 6 months)
- Common reasons cedula photos are rejected in Panama:
- Wearing white or very light clothing that disappears into the white background
- Hair falling over the ears or face instead of being pulled back
- Wearing glasses, caps, hats or facial piercings, or large dangling earrings
- Tilted shoulders, a non-neutral expression or an open mouth
You can use our tool to generate a perfectly standard-compliant reference image from your own photo, automatically cropped to the exact 35x45 mm official format on a white background. Be aware, however, of an important honesty point: for the cedula, the Tribunal Electoral now requires the photograph to be captured digitally on-site (or by a certified photographer with secure upload), so a self-made or downloaded photo is generally not accepted for the actual application. Use the reference image to see exactly how a compliant result should look, to dress and groom correctly, and to prepare confidently before your appointment.
What an accepted National ID card photo looks like
Panama · 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: tribunal-electoral.gob.pa, panamadigital.gob.pa
Requirements verified: 08.2026
How to take a good photo
The most common reasons a Panama 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 Panama National ID card photos
Can I submit a self-made photo for the Panama cedula?
What size is the Panama cedula photo?
Why can't I wear white clothing for the cedula photo?
Are glasses allowed in the Panama cedula photo?
How should my hair and shoulders look?
Where is the Panama cedula photo taken?
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.