What size is the Belgian passport photo?

Printed, 35 x 45 mm. The head takes 69% to 80% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.

Can I wear glasses in my Belgian passport photo?

Yes, but only with no tint and no glare, and with your eyes clearly visible.

Can I smile in my Belgian passport photo?

Neutral, mouth closed, no smile and no teeth showing, looking straight at the lens; head and shoulders straight, facing the camera.

Can I wear a head covering in my Belgian passport photo?

Not allowed, except for religious or medical reasons; forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose and chin fully uncovered.

How recent must my Belgian passport photo be?

Taken in the last 6 months. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.

Is my photo uploaded?

No. The photo is read and checked in your browser. The page tells our server only that a photo was checked, that it passed, or that a file was saved; never the photo, your face or any measurement. It finds where your face is in the photo; it never recognises who you are.

How is the head measured?

The page finds your chin and eyes in the photo and estimates the top of your head from your forehead, since hair hides it: the dashed line shows the estimate. If it is not at the top of your head, move it with Top of head and the checks follow.

Will my photo be accepted?

Only the issuing authority decides. A photo that passes every check here meets the published size, head and background rules as checked on 4 November 2026; you confirm the rest, such as glasses, expression and how recent the photo is.

What does the Detail check add?

Detail check for your Belgian passport photo, €6.99: the Detail check of your own photo against the official rules (opt-in; it never changes your photo), unlimited re-checks and the whole family's photos for this document for 30 days. No file and no print sheet: the rules don't allow us to change this photo. Pay only once your photo passes. Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed. Paid once, with no subscription. In the Detail check our AI model, run in the EU, checks glasses, expression, shadows and more in the file you chose, if you choose to send it, and never changes it. Without buying you can check any photo here and save the acceptance report, free.

Passport, visa and ID photos · Belgium

Belgian passport photo: check yours

Check your Belgian passport photo against the official rules before you send it. We never change it. Official size: 35 x 45 mm. Background: light-coloured, plain and even, no colour gradient, enough contrast with the head; strong blue or red backgrounds excluded. Rules read on diplomatie.belgium.be on 4 November 2026.

Choose the photo file you were given
We check it against the official rules, without changing it
If it passes, send that same file

Choose your photo file

Free check. Once it passes, our Detail check, €6.99: unlimited re-checks for 30 days, and we never change your photo. Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed.

Your photo

Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.

What a passing photo needs

Stand a step in front of a plain light wall, with nothing behind you.
Face a window or soft light: even light on the face, no shadows on it or behind.
Phone at eye level, about 1.5 m away: ask someone, or hold it at arm's length.
Glasses only with no tint and no glare on them.
A neutral face, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.

Check your photo

Drop your original photo file here, or choose it As the photographer or the camera gave it

The first photo loads the face finder and the background outline from this site, about 15 MB, once.

Guide lines Dashed: top of head. Solid: chin.

Adjust the top-of-head line

Top of head The top of your head is an estimate: move the dashed line to it. This moves the line only; your photo is not changed.

See every measurement

Check	Measured	Result

Before you send it: our Detail check

€6.99

Detail check of your own photo against the official rules: glasses, expression, shadows and more (opt-in: our AI model, run in the EU)
It never changes your photo: you send the same file you checked
Unlimited re-checks and the whole family's photos for this document, for 30 days
Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed

Choose a photo first.

Pay only once your photo passes: the button turns on once it passes every check. One payment, no subscription. No file and no print sheet: the official rules don't allow us to change this photo. Rejected by the authority after it passed here? Email us the rejection within 30 days and we refund you in full. While you pay, your photo waits in this browser on this device for up to 24 hours: it is never uploaded.

Before you send it, confirm

Only you can see these: we never judge them from the photo.

If I wear glasses, they have no tint and no glare, and my eyes are clearly visible. My expression is as the rules ask (Expression, below). My eyes are open and clearly visible. The light on my face is even, with no shadow on my face or behind me. The photo was taken in the last 6 months.

If your photo passes, send the same file you checked here, unchanged.

Free: every rule your file was checked against, with the official words, made on this device.

The face finder and the background outline run in this page from files served by this site (sources and licences). They find where a face is in the photo; they never recognise who it is.

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government.

This page only checks your photo: it never crops, edits or re-saves it.

Many Belgian communes, embassies and consulates now take the photo themselves at the counter, so ask yours first: you may not need one. If you bring a printed photo, the official photo matrix says it must not be retouched ('photo non retouchée') or be a copy, and it must be printed on smooth photo paper at 400 dpi or more. So this page checks your photo as it is and never changes it.

The rules at a glance

For the Belgian passport and electronic identity card (eID), printed photo, as the official rules state them.

Size: 35 x 45 mm
Background: Light-coloured, plain and even, no colour gradient, enough contrast with the head; strong blue or red backgrounds excluded.
Head size: 69% to 80% of the photo's height, chin to top of head
Glasses: Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression: A neutral face, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.
Taken: In the last 6 months
Edits: None: this page only checks your photo, it never changes it. The official rules say: “photo non retouchée”

All the official rules and sources

Printed size: 35 mm wide, 45 mm tall (35 mm wide x 45 mm high)
This page: Checks your photo as it is; it makes no file
Head height: 69% to 80% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head
Background: light-coloured, plain and even, no colour gradient, enough contrast with the head; strong blue or red backgrounds excluded
Glasses: Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression: neutral, mouth closed, no smile and no teeth showing, looking straight at the lens; head and shoulders straight, facing the camera
Head covering: not allowed, except for religious or medical reasons; forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose and chin fully uncovered
Taken: In the last 6 months
Colour: Colour only

not retouched; not a copy; a good likeness, in good condition
35 x 45 mm, no white borders; head (chin to top of the skull) 31-36 mm, whole head shown and centred
printed on smooth, high-quality photo paper, at least 400 dpi
even lighting; no shadows on the face or background; no reflections, no red eyes; natural rendering, sharp, enough contrast
glasses allowed if the eyes are fully visible, lenses fully transparent, no disturbing reflections or shadows; otherwise remove them (Foreign Affairs suggests removing them anyway)
colour for passports; the photo matrix accepts black and white for the eID and Kids-ID only
children under 6: posture and expression rules relaxed; any support must not be visible

For: Belgian passport application at a commune in Belgium or at a Belgian embassy or consulate: printed photo, unless the office takes it at the counter; Belgian eID application at the commune: printed photo, unless the commune uses live enrolment.

Official source: diplomatie.belgium.be, checked on 4 November 2026.

your color passport photo: which must be very recognizable and recent;

Many embassies, consulates, and municipalities will take your passport photo themselves, so you do not need to bring a photo.

For young children who cannot sit still in front of the camera, it is best to bring a photo with you.

If you bring a photo, it must meet international technical standards for automated facial recognition at borders and airports.

Official source: diplomatie.belgium.be, checked on 4 November 2026.

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.

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 part towards the ears must be visible.

The eyes are perfectly visible: no reflecting or tinted glasses, frames should not be too big but not too close to the eyeline either. To avoid any difficulties, if you wear glasses, you can remove them for your photo, even if you wear them daily.

Official source: diplomatie.belgium.be, checked on 4 November 2026.

photo date de maximum 6 mois

pas de copie

photo non retouchée

impression sur papier lisse, de qualité supérieure

résolution minimale de 400 dpi

Dimensions de la photo: 35mm x 45mm (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).

L’exigence de résolution minimale s’adresse au photographe, qui doit vérifier si la qualité optique de l’impression correspond à une résolution d’au moins 400dpi.

photo noir/blanc acceptée sauf pour les passeports

Tête apparaissant en entier sur la photo

Il est interdit d’afficher un large sourire ou de garder la bouche ouverte, même légèrement. Les dents ne peuvent pas être visibles.

Les reflets dans les verres ou sur la montures doivent être autant que possible évités. Si cela s’avère impossible, la personne doit ôter ses lunettes.

Si des raisons religieuses s’opposent à ce que la personne apparaisse tête nue sur la photo, tous les critères d’acceptation mentionnés dans les présentes spécifications restent en vigueur, excepté le point "tête nue" dans la rubrique VISIBILITE DU VISAGE.

Official source: www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be, checked on 4 November 2026.

Le citoyen doit être muni d'une photographie (sauf si la commune utilise le live enrollment) répondant aux caractéristiques requises

Les communes qui utilisent le système live enrollment doivent informer leurs concitoyens, que la photographie destinée à la carte d’identité sera prise directement à la commune et sera conforme aux normes de la matrice photo se référant aux normes ICAO (critères d’acceptation de la photographie).

Les dimensions des photographies, de forme rectangulaire, sont de 35 mm x 45 mm, sans bords blancs.

La hauteur de la tête du titulaire doit être comprise entre 31 mm au minimum et 36 mm au maximum.

Les photographies en couleur ou en noir et blanc doivent comporter des fonds clairs et unis (exclusion des fonds bleus ou rouges prononcés).

Les photographies doivent être ressemblantes et ne pas être abîmées.

La photo peut dater de maximum 6 mois.

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Rules change: check the official page before you apply.

How to use it

Use the original photo file, as the photographer or the camera gave it.
Choose it here. The page finds your face and checks the photo without changing it.
Move Top of head if the dashed line is not at the top of your head.
Fix what the page lists, and tick what only you can confirm.
If it passes, send that same file, unchanged.

Questions

What size is the Belgian passport photo?: Printed, 35 x 45 mm. The head takes 69% to 80% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
What background does the Belgian passport photo need?: Light-coloured, plain and even, no colour gradient, enough contrast with the head; strong blue or red backgrounds excluded.
Can I wear glasses in my Belgian passport photo?: Yes, but only with no tint and no glare, and with your eyes clearly visible.
Can I smile in my Belgian passport photo?: Neutral, mouth closed, no smile and no teeth showing, looking straight at the lens; head and shoulders straight, facing the camera.
Can I wear a head covering in my Belgian passport photo?: Not allowed, except for religious or medical reasons; forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose and chin fully uncovered.
How recent must my Belgian passport photo be?: Taken in the last 6 months. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
Is my photo uploaded?: No. The photo is read and checked in your browser. The page tells our server only that a photo was checked, that it passed, or that a file was saved; never the photo, your face or any measurement. It finds where your face is in the photo; it never recognises who you are.
How is the head measured?: The page finds your chin and eyes in the photo and estimates the top of your head from your forehead, since hair hides it: the dashed line shows the estimate. If it is not at the top of your head, move it with Top of head and the checks follow.
Will my photo be accepted?: Only the issuing authority decides. A photo that passes every check here meets the published size, head and background rules as checked on 4 November 2026; you confirm the rest, such as glasses, expression and how recent the photo is.
Why can't I save a new file here?: This page only checks your photo: it never crops, edits or re-saves it. Many Belgian communes, embassies and consulates now take the photo themselves at the counter, so ask yours first: you may not need one. If you bring a printed photo, the official photo matrix says it must not be retouched ('photo non retouchée') or be a copy, and it must be printed on smooth photo paper at 400 dpi or more. So this page checks your photo as it is and never changes it.
What does the Detail check add?: Detail check for your Belgian passport photo, €6.99: the Detail check of your own photo against the official rules (opt-in; it never changes your photo), unlimited re-checks and the whole family's photos for this document for 30 days. No file and no print sheet: the rules don't allow us to change this photo. Pay only once your photo passes. Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed. Paid once, with no subscription. In the Detail check our AI model, run in the EU, checks glasses, expression, shadows and more in the file you chose, if you choose to send it, and never changes it. Without buying you can check any photo here and save the acceptance report, free.