Belgian passport photo · 35 × 45 mm
Checked and laid out to the FPS Foreign Affairs photo requirements and Belgium’s official ICAO norms leaflet. Page updated 2025-03-20, checked by us on 2026-08-17.
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Head and shoulders in frame, with clear space above the hair — the head should fill about half the photo, not all of it.
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Official specification
| Finished size | 35 × 45 mm |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 31 – 36 mm |
| Eye height | not published by this authority |
| Background | light-coloured, with sufficient contrast between head and background |
| File formats | not published by this authority |
| File size | not published by this authority |
| Taken within | the last 6 months |
Full rules
- The photo must comply with ICAO standards — stricter than in the past — and if it does not, your municipality will have to refuse it.
- Photo dimensions 35 x 45 mm, no more than 6 months old, in colour, on smooth high-quality paper.
- Face length from the chin to the top of the crown between 31 and 36 mm — 70 to 80% of the photo's height.
- A neutral facial expression: mouth shut, no smiling; head and shoulders straight, right in front of the camera.
- Face totally uncovered: forehead, chin and the area towards the ears must be visible.
- Eyes perfectly visible: no reflecting or tinted glasses; frames neither too big nor too close to the eye line. To avoid any difficulty you may simply remove your glasses, even if you wear them daily.
- Even exposure: no under- or over-exposure, no shadows on the face or the background, and sufficient contrast between head and background on a light-coloured background.
Sources
https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/belgians-abroad/belgian-passport/quality-requirements-photo
FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium — quality requirements for the passport photo · page updated 2025-03-20 · we checked it 2026-08-17
FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium — quality requirements for the passport photo · page updated 2025-03-20 · we checked it 2026-08-17
It must comply with ICAO Standards (International Civil Aviation Organization). These standards are stricter than in the past. If your photo does not comply, your municipality will have to refuse it. Four fundamental rules… A neutral facial expression: mouth shut, no smiling. Head and shoulders straight, right in front of the camera. Face totally uncovered… The eyes are perfectly visible: no reflecting or tinted glasses…https://austria.diplomatie.belgium.be/sites/default/files/2023-02/normes-icao-fr.pdf
FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium — ICAO photo norms leaflet (hosted by the Belgian mission in Austria) · we checked it 2026-08-17
FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium — ICAO photo norms leaflet (hosted by the Belgian mission in Austria) · we checked it 2026-08-17
Dimensions de la photo: 35 mm x 45 mm (l x h). Longueur du visage (du menton au sommet du crâne): entre 31 en 36 mm (= entre 70 en 80 % de la hauteur de la photo). … photo date de maximum 6 mois … Le fond est bon si: de couleur claire … Le contraste entre la tête et le fond doit être suffisant. Pas d'ombres sur le visage ou le fond.Questions
What are the Belgian passport photo requirements?
35 x 45 mm, in colour, no more than 6 months old, with the face — chin to the top of the crown — between 31 and 36 mm, which is 70 to 80% of the photo's height, on a light-coloured background with sufficient contrast and no shadows.
What are the four fundamental rules?
Foreign Affairs lists them plainly: a neutral expression with the mouth shut and no smiling; head and shoulders straight, facing the camera; the face totally uncovered from forehead to chin and towards the ears; and the eyes perfectly visible.
Can I wear glasses?
Only if your eyes stay perfectly visible: no reflecting or tinted lenses, frames neither too big nor too close to the eye line. Foreign Affairs suggests simply removing your glasses for the photo, even if you wear them daily.
What happens if my photo does not comply?
The rules are blunt: your municipality will have to refuse it. The standards follow ICAO and are stricter than they used to be.
Can I upload the photo?
No — the photo is handed in with your application at the municipality, or at the consulate abroad. What we produce is a correctly sized file for printing on smooth high-quality paper.
Our own assumptions
- Belgium publishes the four fundamental rules in English and the full geometry in its ICAO norms leaflet (we cite the French edition hosted by a Belgian mission). The originals govern.
- Head height is laid out at 33.5 mm, the centre of the official 31–36 mm band — the same band Poland uses.
- The leaflet asks for a light-coloured background without naming a colour, so our background check accepts a plain light neutral; strongly tinted backdrops may warn.
- There is no digital self-upload channel — photos are handed to your municipality (or consulate abroad), which is obliged to refuse non-compliant ones.
- The chin is measured by 68-point facial landmarks; the crown comes from the top of the cut-out outline. Assumed accuracy ±5%, calibrated only on synthetic fixtures.
Where the authority does not specify something, we say so rather than pretending it does. The points above are our engineering choices, not official requirements.