Serbia Residence Card Photo — Official Requirements for Your Boravak

A compliant photograph is one of the most scrutinised elements of a Serbian residence permit application. The issuing authority — Serbia's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP, Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova) — requires a portrait built to the international ICAO standard: 35×45 mm, plain white background, neutral expression, and precise face framing. Submitting a photo that meets every technical point from the first attempt removes a frequent cause of returned applications and unnecessary delays.

Unlike countries that accept digital photos through an online portal, the Serbian boravak process requires physical submission in person at the local Policijska uprava (police administration unit) in the applicant's place of residence. This means the photograph must be a printed 35×45 mm image on photographic paper — not printed on plain office paper, which is refused at the counter. To ensure the print is sharp and dimensionally accurate, the digital source file must be prepared at 827×1063 pixels at 300 dpi; any scaling artefacts or softness in the digital file will show on the final print.

• Size: 35×45 mm printed; 827×1063 px digital source at 300 dpi
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) — no shadows, patterns, colour gradients, or texture
• Face coverage: face must fill 70–80% of the frame height
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible
• Glasses: permitted only if both eyes are fully visible, lenses are untinted, and there is no glare on the glass
• Head coverings: not permitted except for documented religious reasons; the full face from chin to hairline must be unobstructed
• Recency: taken within the last six months
• Print quality: sharp focus, even lighting, no red-eye, no shadows cast on the face or background

Common reasons MUP rejects Serbia boravak photos:

• Off-white or shadowed background: any shadow behind the subject, or a background that reads as grey, cream, or off-white rather than pure white, fails the check at the counter
• Face framing outside the 70–80% rule: a portrait cropped too loosely so the face is small, or too tightly so the top of the head is cut off, does not meet the ICAO framing requirement
• Tinted or reflective lenses: photochromic, sunglasses, or lenses with any glare — even partial — are not accepted, regardless of whether the eyes appear partially visible
• Photo printed on plain paper: images submitted on standard office or inkjet paper rather than proper photographic paper are turned away before the application is even reviewed

To get a photo ready for your Serbia boravak: upload a clear portrait and it is automatically cropped and adjusted to the exact 35×45 mm standard required by MUP — correct face framing, white background, and the precise resolution for printing. Before paying, you receive a free watermarked preview to confirm the result looks right. Download the final file, have it printed on photographic paper, and submit. If MUP returns the photo for any technical reason, it is redone free of charge or you receive a full refund. You pay only for the finished file that meets the standard.