# Germany Passport Photo Maker, 35x45 mm

Country: Germany

Document: Passport

Page language: en

Page: [Germany Passport Photo Maker, 35x45 mm](https://onedollarpassportphoto.com/de/passport/)

Requirements last verified: 2026-05-27

## Photo specifications

These are document-specific values from the page data. Printed and digital requirements may apply to different application routes; consult the guide and sources below.

| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Photo dimensions | 35 × 45 mm |
| Photo paper | Glossy or matte |
| Digital pixel dimensions | 413 × 531 px (see guide/source for applicability and minimum vs exact sizing) |
| Photo age | Taken within 6 months |

## Appearance and composition

- Background: Plain white or light grey background, uniform and without patterns. Light grey preferred for better contrast with light-colored hair.
- Head size: Face must cover 70-80% of photo height (32-36mm face height)
- Expression: Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open looking directly at camera
- Glasses: Not permitted.
- Even lighting; no harsh shadows.
- Filters, beauty modes and retouching are forbidden.
- Color photo.
- Head coverings are permitted for religious reasons; check the source for conditions.
- Uniforms are restricted; check the source for exceptions.
- No earphones or wireless devices.

## Common rejection reasons

- Wrong photo size — Must be 35x45mm, not the US 2x2 inch format

- Wearing glasses — Glasses are not allowed in German biometric photos unless medically necessary with doctor's documentation

- Non-white background — Background must be plain white or light grey, uniform without patterns

- Wrong head size — Face must cover 70-80% of photo height (32-36mm from chin to crown)

- Photo too old — Must be taken within the last 6 months

- Shadows on face or background — Even lighting required with no visible shadows

## Source for the document requirements

[Source linked by the document page](https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/DE/themen/moderne-verwaltung/reisepass/biometrie/09-kein-papier-passbild.html)

The complete guide below includes additional sources and application-specific qualifications when available.

## Create a photo with One Dollar Passport Photo

The service sizes, crops and checks a photo for the selected document. Its output settings are service choices, not additional government requirements.

- Digital photo download: $1 USD.
- Optional human expert review: +$4.99 USD.

[Open the photo tool](https://onedollarpassportphoto.com/de/passport/)

Complete Guide

## German passport photo: requirements and where to get one

What a compliant German Reisepass photo needs, the May 2025 digital-only rule that changed how you submit it, and a straight comparison of where to get it in Germany.

Written by

Jake

Community & Writing, One Dollar Passport Photo

Reviewed by

Lisa

Expert Reviewer, One Dollar Passport Photo

Fact-checked & verified

May 27, 2026

## The official requirements

Since 1 May 2025 a German passport photo has to reach the Bürgeramt digitally, not as a paper print, which changes how you get one before the spec even matters. The BMI biometric standard:

-   **Size:** 35×45 mm (width × height), portrait
-   **Background:** plain white or light grey, uniform with no patterns or shadows
-   **Head size:** face covers 70–80% of the photo height (about 32–36 mm chin to crown)
-   **Eye position:** eyes between roughly 50% and 70% of the photo height from the bottom
-   **Expression:** neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight at the camera
-   **Glasses:** not allowed, unless medically necessary with a doctor’s certificate
-   **Recency:** taken within the last 6 months
-   **Color:** color photo, even lighting, no filters

Since 1 May 2025, the photo also has to be **digital** and reach the office through an approved channel — printed photos you took yourself are no longer accepted (see Submitting your photo).

## How to take a compliant photo

A current phone camera is sharp enough; German rejections are almost always about framing, background, and lighting. The setup that works:

1.  Stand 1.5–2 metres in front of a plain white or light-grey wall, with enough distance behind you that no shadow falls on the wall.
2.  Face a window for soft, even front light. Overhead light leaves shadows under the eyes and nose.
3.  Have someone else take it from chest height, straight on. Selfies distort the face shape and almost always frame the head wrong.
4.  Look straight at the lens, neutral mouth, both eyes open, hair clear of the eyebrows and eyes.
5.  Crop to 35×45 mm with the face filling 70–80% of the height — or upload the shot to a tool that measures and crops to the German biometric spec, then arrive at the Bürgeramt with a digital file.

## Why photos get rejected

Bürgerämter return the same handful of problems repeatedly. Each one, and the fix:

-   **Wrong size** — submitting the US 2×2 inch or UK 45×35 mm format. It must be 35×45 mm portrait.
-   **Face outside 70–80% of the frame** — too small (looks like a snapshot) or too tight (head cropped). Re-crop or re-shoot from the right distance.
-   **Glasses left on** — Germany tightened this rule in 2020. Take them off unless you have a doctor’s certificate that you cannot.
-   **Background not uniform** — a patterned wall, a shadow, or a colour other than white/light grey gets the photo bounced.
-   **Smiling or showing teeth** — neutral expression only. A slight closed-mouth smile is borderline; safer to keep the mouth fully neutral.
-   **Filtered or beautified photo** — phone “beauty” filters and skin smoothing fail the biometric check.
-   **Photo older than 6 months** — it must reflect your current appearance.

## What to wear (and not wear)

Germany recommends a light-grey background, which flips the usual advice: a white shirt now blends into the backdrop rather than standing out. A darker, solid colour photographs cleaner.

**Avoid:** glasses of any kind, hats or caps, hoods, headphones, uniforms, and a white top against the light-grey background.

**Fine:** ordinary everyday clothing, light makeup that doesn’t change your everyday look, religious head coverings worn daily (face fully visible from forehead to chin), and medical devices like hearing aids.

Glasses are the most common surprise: many applicants don’t know Germany aligned with the EU ban in 2020, and even prescription glasses are turned away without a medical certificate.

## Where to get your photo

Since the May 2025 rule, the question isn’t just price — it’s **how the photo reaches the Bürgeramt**. Real options in Germany:

| Where | Price (EUR) | Appointment | Speed | Reaches the Bürgeramt as |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fotograf (photo studio) | €15–€25 | Often yes | Same day | QR / data-matrix code from a certified studio |
| PointID / similar terminal at the Bürgeramt | €6 | No — taken at your appointment | Minutes | Direct upload from the terminal |
| Fotoautomat (street/station booth, biometric mode) | €8–€12 | No | Minutes | QR code, only if the booth is certified for the BSI cloud |
| dm / Rossmann photo counter | €10–€15 | No | Same day | QR code, only at branches with a certified terminal |
| Online tool (this site) | ~€1 | No | ~2 minutes | Print yourself — accepted by some consulates abroad; **not accepted at a German Bürgeramt under the May 2025 rule** |

Inside Germany, the simplest path is the €6 terminal at your appointment or a certified studio that hands you a QR code. Older Fotoautomaten and online tools still produce a perfectly compliant _image_ — useful for German consulate applications abroad, schools, employer files, or visa packets that accept printed photos — but a Berlin or Hamburg Bürgeramt will not accept a printed photo you brought in yourself.

## Submitting your photo

The May 2025 rule split Germany from its own consulates: digital-only inside the country, still paper at most missions abroad.

**At a Bürgeramt in Germany** — Since 1 May 2025 the photo must arrive digitally. Two routes are accepted: (1) take the photo at the Bürgeramt’s own terminal at your appointment, or (2) bring a QR / data-matrix code from a certified photo studio, which the clerk scans to pull the image from the BSI-certified cloud. A short transition period in mid-2025 allowed paper photos in exceptional cases; that window has closed. Plan for the digital channel.

**At a German embassy or consulate abroad** — Most missions still ask for **two identical printed 35×45 mm biometric photos** with the application. The German Missions in the US, for example, list printed photos as a required document. Check your specific consulate’s page before printing — a small number have begun moving to digital intake too.

If you’re applying inside Germany, do not print a photo at home and bring it; it will be refused. If you’re applying abroad, print on photo paper and bring two identical copies.

## Babies, kids & special situations

**Infants and toddlers** follow the same biometric rules — plain background, neutral expression, no hands, arms, toys, or pacifiers in the frame. For very young babies, lay the child on a white sheet and shoot from directly above; both eyes should be open and visible. Bürgerämter generally recommend using a certified studio for children under six rather than the on-site terminal.

**Religious head coverings** are permitted when worn daily for religious reasons. The face must be fully visible from the lower forehead to the chin, with no shadows cast by the covering.

**Glasses** are not permitted, including prescription glasses. The only exception is a documented medical reason — recovering from eye surgery, for example — supported by a doctor’s certificate.

**Medical devices** such as hearing aids or oxygen tubes worn daily are allowed and do not need to be removed.

### Sources & References

This guide is fact-checked against official government publications and updated regularly to reflect the latest requirements.

1.  \[1\]
    
    [BMI — Vereinfachte Ausweisbeantragung ab Mai 2025](https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/kurzmeldungen/DE/2025/04/neue-passbilder.html)
    
    bmi.bund.de
    
2.  \[2\]
    
    [BMI — Ab wann darf ich kein Papier-Passbild mehr mitbringen?](https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/DE/themen/moderne-verwaltung/reisepass/biometrie/09-kein-papier-passbild.html)
    
    bmi.bund.de
    
3.  \[3\]
    
    [German Missions in the US — Passport for adults](https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/02-passportsandidcards/passport-adult-951294)
    
    germany.info