Polish passport photo · 35 × 45 mm

Checked and laid out to the official Gov.pl requirements and the interior ministry’s specification diagram — including the published eye position. Checked by us on 2026-08-17.

Poland publishes more geometry than almost anyone: head 31–36 mm (70–80% of the photo), eyes 20–30 mm from the bottom edge — one of only a handful of authorities with an official eye position — and an explicit answer to the big-hair problem: never shrink the face below 31 mm; let the hairstyle leave the frame instead. The digital channel wants at least 492 × 633 px under 2.5 MB, which our output clears. Rules are published in Polish; the English here is our rendering, with the original quoted in our source record.

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Official specification

Finished size	35 × 45 mm
Head height (chin to crown)	31 – 36 mm
Eye height	44–67% from the bottom
Background	white or light and uniform — white or light grey recommended — with no shadows and no decorative elements
File formats	JPG / JPEG
File size	up to 2.5 MB
Taken within	the last 6 months

Full rules

The photo must be current — taken no earlier than 6 months before submitting the application.
Printed format 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, showing the whole head from its top plus the upper shoulders, with the face occupying 70–80% of the photo.
The interior ministry's diagram puts that 70–80% at a head height of 31–36 mm, with the face on the vertical axis of the photo.
The eyes must sit 20–30 mm from the bottom edge of the photo; for children up to 11 the lower bound may move down to 15 mm.
With voluminous hair, the head should be fully shown only if the face is not shrunk to fit — the face must never measure less than 31 mm, and part of the hairstyle may fall outside the frame instead.
White or light and uniform background, free of shadows and decorative elements — white or light grey is recommended — showing the photographed person alone.
Natural facial expression with the mouth closed, looking straight into the lens with both eyes open and clearly visible, not covered by hair or glasses.
Corrective glasses are allowed if the eyes are clearly visible, the frames do not cover the eyebrows, and no light reflects in the lenses. No dark-tinted glasses.
No head coverings or other items that make recognition difficult.
Sharp with appropriate contrast in every area of the face, neutral colours reproducing natural skin tone, an unclipped head outline, no overexposed background, and no creases or surface damage.
Applying online — for an ID card, or a passport for a child under 12 — attach a colour digital photo of at least 492 x 633 pixels, up to 2.5 MB, keeping the proportions of a 35 x 45 mm photograph.
Children up to 5 may have closed eyes, an open mouth or an unnatural expression; the face must be unobstructed, the head straight, and the background light and uniform with nobody else in frame.

Sources

https://www.gov.pl/web/gov/zdjecie-do-dowodu-lub-paszportu
Gov.pl — Republic of Poland service portal, photo for an ID card or passport · we checked it 2026-08-17

zdjęcie powinno być aktualne – zrób je nie wcześniej niż 6 miesięcy przed złożeniem wniosku … zdjęcie powinno przedstawiać całą głowę (od jej czubka) oraz górną część barków, twarz powinna zajmować 70-80% zdjęcia … rozdzielczości minimalnej 492 x 633 piksele, wielkości maksymalnej do 2,5 MB, tak, aby fotografia zachowywała proporcje odpowiadające fotografii o wymiarach 35 x 45 mm … na zdjęciu nie możesz mieć nakrycia głowy, okularów z ciemnymi szkłami ani innych rzeczy, które utrudniają rozpoznanie.

https://www.gov.pl/attachment/6d6870e4-ac3e-4aa2-b2f5-a11ccca49858
Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA), Poland — passport photo specification diagram · we checked it 2026-08-17

Format zdjęcia - szerokość 35mm, wysokość 45mm. … Wysokość głowy musi zajmować 70-80% zdjęcia, tj. 31-36mm. Przy dużej objętościowo ilości włosów należy zwrócić uwagę, aby głowa była w pełni odwzorowana, przy założeniu, że wymiar twarzy nie będzie pomniejszony (część fryzury może znaleźć się poza kadrem). Wysokość twarzy nie może być mniejsza niż 31mm. Oczy powinny znajdować się na wysokości 20-30mm od dolnej krawędzi zdjęcia, w przypadku dzieci (do 11. roku życia) dolna granica może zostać przesunięta do 15mm. … Tło białe lub jasne jednorodne pozbawione cieni i elementów ozdobnych, zaleca się kolor biały lub jasnoszary.

Questions

What are the Polish passport photo requirements?

35 mm by 45 mm, taken within 6 months, showing the whole head from its top plus the upper shoulders, the face occupying 70–80% of the photo — 31–36 mm on the interior ministry's diagram — with a natural expression, closed mouth, and eyes open, visible and looking straight at the lens.

Where do the eyes have to be?

Poland publishes an exact eye position: 20–30 mm from the bottom edge of the photo, with the lower bound relaxed to 15 mm for children up to 11. We lay out so the eyes land near the middle of that band and check against it.

What if I have a lot of hair?

Poland answers this directly: the face must never be shrunk below 31 mm to fit the hairstyle in — part of the hairstyle may fall outside the frame instead. That is the same trade-off our layout makes.

What are the digital upload requirements?

Applying online — for an ID card, or a passport for a child under 12 — the photo must be at least 492 x 633 pixels, at most 2.5 MB, in the proportions of a 35 x 45 mm photograph. Adult passports are applied for in person with a printed photo. Our 600 x 771 px output clears both uses.

What background does Poland require?

White or light and uniform, free of shadows and decorative elements — white or light grey recommended — with nobody and nothing else in frame.

Can I wear glasses?

Corrective glasses are fine if your eyes are clearly visible, the frames do not cover your eyebrows, and no light reflects in the lenses. Dark-tinted glasses are not allowed. Children up to 5 get relaxed expression rules.

Our own assumptions

Poland publishes these requirements in Polish. The rules above are our English rendering; the original Polish is kept verbatim in our source record, and that original is what governs.
The official eye position is 20–30 mm from the bottom edge; on the 45 mm frame that is 44.4–66.7% of the height, which we round to the 44–67% band we display and lay out into. Our layout places the eyes at roughly 58% from the bottom, comfortably inside it.
Poland's own diagram resolves the voluminous-hair dilemma in the same direction we do: never shrink the face below 31 mm — let the hairstyle fall outside the frame instead.
The 492 × 633 px / 2.5 MB digital channel covers online ID-card applications and online passport applications for children under 12; adult passports are applied for in person with a printed photo. Our 600 × 771 px output clears the digital minimums and prints exactly to 35 × 45 mm.
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.