WinPhoto

Passport, visa and ID photos · France

French passport photo: check yours

Check your French passport photo against the official rules before you send it. We never change it. Official size: 35 x 45 mm. Background: plain, light colour (light blue or light grey for example); white is forbidden. Rules read on service-public.gouv.fr on 4 November 2026.

  1. Choose the photo file you were given
  2. We check it against the official rules, without changing it
  3. If it passes, send that same 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 (not white) wall, with nothing behind you.
  • Face a window or soft light: even light on the face, no shadows on it or behind.
  • Have it taken by a photo studio or commercial photographer, as the rules ask.
  • Glasses only with no tint and no glare on them.
  • A neutral face, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.

Check your photo

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

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.

In France the photo for a passport or identity card must be taken by an authorised professional photographer or in a photo booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior. A photo made at home or edited here would not be accepted. So this page checks your photo as it is and never changes it: if it fails, have a new one taken at an authorised photographer or booth (white backgrounds are refused).

The rules at a glance

For the French passport and carte nationale d'identité (CNI), identity photo, as the official rules state them.

Size
35 x 45 mm
Background
Plain, light colour (light blue or light grey for example); white is forbidden.
Head size
71% 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 by
A commercial photographer or photo studio
Taken
In the last 6 months
Edits
None: this page only checks your photo, it never changes it.
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
71% to 80% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head
Background
plain, light colour (light blue or light grey for example); white is forbidden
Taken by
A commercial photographer or photo studio
Glasses
Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression
neutral, mouth closed, eyes fully visible and open, looking at the lens; head straight, face towards the lens
Head covering
not allowed: the head must be bare (no hat, scarf or headband, for example)
Taken
In the last 6 months
Colour
Colour or black and white
  • taken by an authorised professional photographer or in a booth with a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior
  • 35 x 45 mm; face 32-36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull (hair excluded)
  • plain light background such as light blue or light grey; white background forbidden
  • sharp, no creases or marks; not over- or under-exposed; good contrast, no shadow on the face or the background
  • hair must not cover the face; a fringe is accepted if it does not cover the eyes; ears uncovered
  • earrings and piercings allowed if the facial features stay clearly visible
  • glasses optional; if worn: thin frames not hiding the eyes, lenses not tinted or coloured, no reflection
  • colour strongly recommended
  • one photo per application, less than 6 months old and a good likeness

For: French passport or CNI application at a mairie (town hall) in France: one photo handed in at the appointment; French passport or CNI application at a French consulate or embassy abroad (the photo must be supplied).

Official source: www.service-public.gouv.fr, checked on 4 November 2026.

La photo d'identité doit avoir été prise il y a moins de 6 mois et être ressemblante. Pour une demande de carte d'identité ou de passeport, il n'y a qu'une seule photo à fournir.
La photo doit être prise par un professionnel habilité ou dans une cabine utilisant un système agréé par le ministère de l'intérieur.
La photo doit être nette, sans pliure, ni traces.
Largeur : 3,5 cm
Hauteur : 4,5 cm
Taille du visage : entre 3,2 et 3,6 cm (soit 70 à 80% de la photo), du bas du menton au sommet du crâne (hors cheveux)
La photo ne doit présenter ni surexposition, ni sous-exposition.
Elle doit être correctement contrastée, sans ombre portée sur le visage ou en arrière-plan.
Une photo en couleurs est fortement recommandée.
Le fond doit être uni, de couleur claire (bleu clair ou gris clair par exemple).
Le fond blanc est interdit.
La tête doit être nue (pas de chapeau, foulard ou serre-tête par exemple).
La tête doit être droite et le visage dirigé face à l'objectif.
L'expression doit être neutre et la bouche doit être fermée.
Les yeux doivent être parfaitement visibles et ouverts.
Les cheveux ne doivent pas recouvrir le visage.
Les oreilles doivent être dégagées.
Si vous avez des lunettes, vous n'êtes pas obligé de les porter sur les photos.
La monture ne doit pas être épaisse et ne pas masquer les yeux
Les verres ne doivent être ni teintés, ni colorés et sans reflet.
Si la photo ne respecte pas les caractéristiques, elle sera rejetée et le titre d'identité ne sera pas délivré.

Official source: www.service-public.gouv.fr, checked on 4 November 2026.

Non, vous devez obligatoirement fournir la photo au moment du dépôt de la demande.
Oui, mais seulement s'il n'existe aucun photographe professionnel pouvant s'en charger.
Vous devez obligatoirement fournir la photo d’identité.

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

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

Questions

What size is the French passport photo?
Printed, 35 x 45 mm. The head takes 71% 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 French passport photo need?
Plain, light colour (light blue or light grey for example); white is forbidden.
Can I wear glasses in my French passport photo?
Yes, but only with no tint and no glare, and with your eyes clearly visible.
Can I smile in my French passport photo?
Neutral, mouth closed, eyes fully visible and open, looking at the lens; head straight, face towards the lens.
Can I wear a head covering in my French passport photo?
Not allowed: the head must be bare (no hat, scarf or headband, for example).
How recent must my French passport photo be?
Taken in the last 6 months. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
Can I take my French passport photo myself?
No: the official rules ask for a commercial photographer or photo studio. This page checks the photo they give you.
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. In France the photo for a passport or identity card must be taken by an authorised professional photographer or in a photo booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior. A photo made at home or edited here would not be accepted. So this page checks your photo as it is and never changes it: if it fails, have a new one taken at an authorised photographer or booth (white backgrounds are refused).
What does the Detail check add?
Detail check for your French 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.