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The photo requirements for the new international passport have changed in 2017. Most Russian branches of the Federal Migration Service, which issue new-style international passports, are equipped with special photography equipment. The FMS inspector takes the picture himself and corrects it with special graphic editors.
- What you need to know
What you need to know
An example of a passport photo is shown in the image on the right.
The issuance of old paper passports is still ongoing, although in limited quantities. These documents are more of an emergency nature, since they are quite simple to make: you just need to enter information about the owner on the form and paste a regular photo on the passport. Accordingly, the photograph must be paper, made according to old standards.
Therefore, speaking about modern requirements for a photograph for a foreign passport, we will consider both paper and digital versions of the photograph, its parameters when sending the photo via online service. In addition, inspectors ask to bring photographs, even if a biometric passport is issued - they are needed when working with personal questionnaires.
What should paper photographs look like?
The photo parameters are as follows:
- photo size 35*45 mm;
- color does not matter, both b/w and color options are acceptable, but it is better to take a passport photo in color;
- the paper must have a matte base;
- the biometric version is made without placing the face in an oval;
- the image is taken from the front;
- The background of the photo is light.
For an old document you need to take four photographs, for a new document - only two. The size of photographs of the first and second options is the same. If four photographs are submitted, then two are needed to paste into the application form, and two more are given to the inspector.
Photo parameters for a biometric passport
A new type of foreign biometric document is made using special equipment where the necessary characteristics are configured. If the FMS office at the place of residence or registration does not have the technical capabilities for photography, the applicant will be sent to where such capabilities exist. The remaining papers will need to be submitted there.
Paper versions of photos for a biometric passport are made to the same standards as for old forms. For children, two separate photographs are also needed.
General requirements for the style of the photo
The requirements for a passport photo include not only the parameters of the photo, but also its general style.
Clothes are plain, but white is prohibited. Uniforms and head coverings are not allowed, except for the hijab, which is prohibited from being removed due to religious requirements. The oval of the face should be clearly visible. The passport photo must not have any shadows, creases or other defects.
If the applicant always wears glasses, he must wear them when filming. The glass is transparent, glare is not allowed. Neutral facial expression and gaze into the lens.
Electronic photograph for the portal
The state online service gosuslugi.ru is becoming increasingly popular. When submitting an application online through the State Services portal, the applicant must attach a file with an electronic photograph. In order for the system to accept the file, the digital passport photograph must meet the following requirements:
- file extension – JPEG only;
- resolution no more than 450 dpi;
- size no more than 300 KB and no less than 200 KB;
- for a color image – 24 bits, for b/w – 8 bits;
- The size of the photo corresponds to the paper version: 35*45 mm.
An applicant for an online version of a photo for a new passport can easily take the photo himself and process it in any graphic editor. If this is difficult, then you can take a photo in the studio, copy it to any medium, and then upload it online through the State Services website.
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If you want to change your international passport, you should know that it is possible to get two different ones: valid for 5 and 10 years. Their main difference is the difference in processing time. A new passport takes longer to process, it has a chip with biometric data and an order of magnitude more pages. At the moment, the requirements for the type of photograph for an old-style international passport remain the same. In this article, we looked at the basic requirements for a passport photo.
What you should know
When it is not possible to wait for the document with biometrics to be produced, it is done. However, the number of such passports is limited.
To apply for a foreign passport, you will need to fill out an application (it is recommended to do this on a computer) and paste a paper photo into it, made according to previously accepted standards. Unfortunately, digital photos will not be accepted.
Different passport applications require different photographs. Options not to provide an image (for example, when applying remotely for new passport via the Internet) no - a photo is required.
Uniform requirements for obtaining a photo for a foreign passport
- You must not wear a headdress (except for hats worn for religious reasons);
- If you wear glasses on a regular basis, you should take a photo wearing them too (but not sunglasses or glare-resistant ones);
- No three-quarter photographs or anything else, only full-face, so that the whole face can be clearly seen;
- It is prohibited to be photographed in uniform, white or plain clothes;
- If you want to smile, don’t – such a photo will not be suitable for a document. Try to be as serious as possible, concentrate, the eye line should be at the same level;
- The last requirement is a plain background, preferably white or light colors.
If you are photographed using an old-style international passport
As mentioned earlier, a paper photograph will be included in the application form. In addition, it will definitely be pasted into the foreign passport. Quite strict requirements apply to it, since it is by it that the employees checking your documents will identify you.
When you fill out the form, you will need to submit 4 photos along with it, which should preferably be printed on matte photo paper.
What is required for photographs for an old-style international passport:
- The size needs to be 35 mm x 45 mm;
- The distance from the edge must be at least 2 mm, and the face must occupy at least 29 mm x 34 mm of space;
- The bottom of the photo is in a blurry semi-oval.
- The image can be either b/w or color.
What is required for photographs for a new international passport?
When submitting documents yourself, you do not need to attach a paper photo. FMS employees will take photographs and fulfill all image requirements themselves - they already have all the necessary equipment for this.
If you submit your application remotely via the Internet, you will need to attach a digital photo. The requirements for it are not very demanding and are described in detail before the stage of uploading the image to the application form. This image will be kept in your personal file and will not be used on your passport.
For those who wish to travel and take children with them, there are also requirements: everyone must have proof of identity. There is no point in getting a passport with biometrics for a child: it is valid for 10 years, during which time the child will have time to grow up and his appearance will change.
As a result, you will need to go through the procedure for obtaining a passport much earlier than its expiration date. The procedure for photographing a baby at the Federal Migration Service seems to be a problem. There is a solution - give your child a paper passport. As another plus - its cost will be much lower.
You can take a photo of the child yourself. The photo requirements were listed above; they apply to images of children under 14 years of age. Try to make sure that only the child is visible in the photo. The image will not be accepted if you get into the frame.
Place for photography
The only disadvantage of taking photographs for a new type of international passport is that the black and white image in the document may not always be successful (FMS employees do it themselves).
To take a photo for an old-style international passport, it is better to contact a professional photo studio - its specialists are well aware of the requirements for the image. You can familiarize yourself with them on the official website of the Federal Migration Service.
To apply for an old-style international passport, you will need to provide 4 photographs. Carefully ensure that all the requirements for the photo are met - in this case, you will not have to redo them and waste time.
If you want to take the photo yourself
These days, most people have a good digital camera and a personal computer at home, allowing them to do the photography and editing themselves. If you make this decision, we recommend that you follow these guidelines:
- Adjust your lighting to avoid shadows that may obscure or distort your face;
- The higher the resolution, the better;
- Try not to retouch too much - it will be noticeable, and the photo may not be accepted;
- Use a photo printer for printing.
Photo requirements for the State Services portal
If the government services portal does not accept a photo for a foreign passport, it means that it does not meet the stated requirements:
- You only need to upload photos in one extension - JPEG;
- Photos with high resolution are also not suitable; it must be no more than 450 dpi;
- The size is also not easy - it should be no more than 300 KB and no less than 200 KB;
- There are differences between color and b/w images: in the first case, 24 bits, in the second, 8 bits.
- Same size as paper photo- 35 mm x 45 mm.
Examples of bad photos
For a new type of international passport, you can take a photo yourself and retouch the picture in any available editor. If you can’t take a photo yourself, you can contact a photo studio and ask to provide the image on digital media or scan ready-made ones.
Tightening visa controls in EU countries was adopted in 2015. In this regard, foreigners needed to obtain a Schengen visa - permission to enter the country. You must provide a biometric photo in your passport for registration.
Biometrics is recognized as a new technology of the future for personal identification. Requirements for this scientific system of knowledge appeared in the Schengen countries to create a single sample of a person’s photograph on all documents.
Examples of good photos
A regular digital photograph will not be suitable for a Schengen visa. A special snapshot of certain standards is needed. The main features of a biometric photo include:
- A photograph of a person is taken on a passport, against a light or white background.
- The size of the new sample photo must be: 3.5 × 4.5 cm. If the conditions are not met, the visa will be refused.
- You cannot smile or show your teeth in the photo.
- Full body biometric photography is prohibited.
You can have your passport photograph taken in any photo studio in Russian cities. A professional photographer, using special programs, can remove or add the missing number of millimeters of hair on the head, bring the face closer or further away, adjust the hairstyle, slightly change the skin tone and, if necessary, use the “retouching” function. The photo must be in color. The type of paper does not matter.
Among the features of a foreign passport are a photograph taken recently (about 6 months ago). However, it is not recommended to change the shape of your nose, change eye color, remove a double chin or wrinkles - you may not be recognized at the passport control point.
Additional photo requirements
The built-in microchip in a biometric passport has a validity period of 10 years. The photo for a new biometric passport must be fresh. Its characteristics are compliance with the following requirements:
Examples of bad photos
- For a biometric passport, two photographs are enough to attach them to documents.
- Additional photographs are taken at the Federal Migration Service office at the place of registration or registration.
- It is better to take photos with a biometric passport in dark-colored clothes of the same type.
- The person being photographed must not wear a headdress. The exception is the religious beliefs of citizens from countries of the Muslim world.
- The lighting of the face should be uniform, without facial expressions.
- If you wear glasses all the time, the pupils must be clearly visible in the photograph; the lenses of the glasses should not be tinted (sun-protective).
- A photo of a new type passport is allowed only in a high-quality image, without any defects.
Compliance with restrictions
Foreign citizens must comply with the above requirements when obtaining a foreign passport. Otherwise, the biometric photo will not be accepted by the country's embassy. The following prohibited conditions will help you avoid this problem:
- Headbands, hats, and dark glasses are not allowed in the photo. Exception: blindfolds under condition of medical intervention.
- The photo of children on a biometric passport must reflect the child’s face. The baby's gaze should look into the lens. Frontal position of the head.
- It is prohibited to take photographs in uniform.
- The background and clothing of the person being photographed should not have red, yellow, orange, or pink shades. Red eye is not acceptable.
- It is not recommended to use old photographs taken last year. Photo updates must be done every six months.
- Photos that are too dark or overexposed will not be accepted.
- Head tilt is unacceptable.
- No shading.
Electronic version of the photo
Once you take a photo on a biometric passport in a photo studio or salon, you can ask the photographer to transfer it to your flash card. Afterwards, you can upload the photo on the official website of State Services. In this case, the following conditions must be met:
- Minimum photo file size: 200 KB, maximum size: 300 KB.
- File type: standard JPEG or JPEG 2000.
- Photo size: 3.5 by 4.5 mm.
- The resolution of the attached photo should not be less than 450 dpi.
Professional passport photographer
The right decision would be to take your own photo in the biometric booth. Its incomparable advantage is the special equipment located in the department of the Federal Migration Service. How is information read from a person? The specifics of the biometric cabin include:
- laser engraving method on the main page of a foreign passport;
- biometric parameter - calculation of the distance between the pupils.
Sample of a new international passport
A correct biometric passport photo is required in many EU countries. The forced measure was associated with the increased number of frauds in forging foreign passports.
For security purposes from the terrorist threat and the huge flow of migrants, a new passport control procedure has been developed, which has a long issuance process.
The old passport requires the submission of four photos. In this case, two photos are pasted into the form (not independently when filling it out, the inspector will do this) on the international passport, and the remaining two are transferred separately.
The requirements (parameters) in the Russian Federation and some rules with criteria for a photo for an old-style international passport are as follows:
- the size of the photograph must be strictly 3.5x4.5 centimeters;
- paper - only matte;
- the photograph is taken strictly from the front;
- the background must be light.
The color of the photograph does not matter: you can submit color or black and white photographs for your passport. But in order to To make your passport look better, it is advisable to use color photographs. For a new passport, which is biometric, two photographs will be enough.
The requirements for them are not so strict, since it identifies a person not entirely by his appearance, but by his biometric data. Despite the introduction of these passports, old samples still continue to be used, albeit in much smaller quantities.
Reference! Making an old-style passport is much easier and faster than a biometric one, and therefore it is done most often in emergency cases when documents are urgently needed.
Electronic submission
A new type of Russian foreign passport can be obtained by sending all Required documents directly from your own computer, through the state website. services gosuslugi.ru. The same goes for photographs. Next, we will figure out which photo to upload into the application form when applying for a passport and how to do it.
- the photo size should not exceed 300 KB;
- the sent file must be with the JPEG extension, and only that;
- The photo resolution must be within 450 pixels per inch;
- The size of the photograph itself (when printed) must correspond to a standard photograph - 3.5x4.5 centimeters.
Almost every PC user can take a photo and process it to meet these requirements. Those who find this task difficult can contact a photo studio. Then download the result to an electronic medium from your home computer and send it along with the rest of the documents. Upload a photo to the state portal. services will not be difficult:
Attention! If the photo for a foreign passport is rejected for some reason (in the case when it was taken manually), then you can retake the photo at any time and upload a new version, possibly in a different format.
Criteria for biometrics
To obtain a biometric passport, which is valid for ten years, you need to submit two photographs, this relates to the question of how many photographs are needed for a new passport.
The photo requirements for the new passport are the same as the photo requirements for the old passport, but they are more democratic. The size of the photo remains the same - 3.5x4.5 centimeters. Facial features should be very clearly visible, and it should be depicted specifically from the front.
The photo clearly illustrates the size requirements: 
You can submit both color and black and white photos, but they must be printed on matte paper. A biometric passport can only be made using special equipment. Therefore, to obtain it, you will definitely have to visit the office of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to carry out the necessary procedure.
At the same time, you can submit the remaining documents if it is not possible to send them electronically. Since there will always be many people who want to get an international passport, it is advisable to sign up for photography in advance, and the registration takes place using the government services website.
Various features and nuances
If a person has not been photographed for a long time (or never at all) with a document such as a passport, then quite a lot of questions arise in his head. For example, what is the best way to dress, should you get a haircut or shave? This is especially true for those who take their own photographs, because these issues may well be supplemented by incomprehensible issues regarding the technical side of photography.
It’s interesting, but questions arise even about the angle. How can you guess for yourself? The angle for the photo should be such that the face looks directly into the camera lens- this way you can see the maximum amount of its details, and the facial expression should be made serious. The oval face in the passport should be in the center of the photo.
The photo shows a successful and unsuccessful angle:
As described earlier, the photo can be black and white (mainly for old passports, valid for five years), or color (better for new passports). If the photo is printed at home, then you only need to use matte photo paper.
Clothing, hairstyle and other details
The choice of clothing when photographing is not particularly important for ordinary citizens. You can dress at your own discretion, but you should remember that this photograph will represent a person for many years, so you should think carefully about what you need to be photographed in and what clothes are best in. But there are, of course, limitations.
For those who serve in government agencies, it is prohibited to be photographed in uniform. When submitting documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs You must be photographed in a businesslike manner only.
An example of suitable and unsuitable images for a foreign passport: 
There are also a few points worth mentioning regarding glasses and hats. Hats and sunglasses are not allowed when taking photographs. An exception is for persons who always wear a headdress based on religious beliefs.
The same applies to people with poor eyesight, who often wonder whether it is possible to be photographed wearing glasses - in the passport photo you can wear ordinary lens (corrective) glasses, but provided that you can clearly see your eyes behind them without glare from the flash, and the frame does not cover the pupils.
Men often ask whether it is possible to be photographed on a Russian passport with a beard, and the answer to this question will not be easy. Yes, although hair on the lower part of the face is not considered a limitation, it can still change a person beyond recognition. This often happens when a man is photographed with a beard, and after a certain period of time shaved clean.
When checking documents, law enforcement officers may not recognize the person in the photo and subject him to a more thorough check. To prevent such funny incidents from happening, before taking photographs, it is advisable to be sure exactly what image you plan to maintain for the next 5-10 years. This is the shelf life of a photograph - a new photo will only be used for a new passport.
Important! A foreign passport can also be issued for official purposes, and the restrictions for photos are exactly the same as for a regular passport - no official uniform, hats or glasses.
How to do it yourself?
To do this you will need:
- A camera with a fairly high resolution.
- White background with good lighting.
- You also need to be able to minimally process photographs electronically.
- You can use white fabric or large paper as a background.
- Light sources (all) must be located in front or behind, otherwise extra and unnecessary shadows will appear on the background.
- The camera should be placed at face height, at a distance of 2-3 meters from it.
The best option would be to have a tripod, as well as an assistant - who will correct the position of the face and facial expressions, and directly take the photo, focusing the camera on the face. Of course, you can get by using a timer, but the number of rejected photos will increase noticeably.
After selection best photo All you have to do is edit it in a photo editor. You can use regular Photoshop, but if you don’t have enough skills for this, you can find many simpler editors that are tailored for this situation on the Internet.
Among the tasks, you should highlight adjusting the photo to the required dimensions, and making the background as light as possible.
You can print a photo on a home printer (if the print quality is good), or you can print it in a specialized studio. Of course, you don’t have to worry about all these issues and immediately take a photo in the studio, avoiding many possible mistakes and paying the required amount.
But if you need to frequently take photographs for documents, by learning this simple art, you can save a lot of money in the future.
In this video, a specialist demonstrates how you can take a photo for a foreign passport at home, with a camera and Photoshop:
Conclusion
A photograph for a foreign passport is an important moment in its registration. Without a high-quality photograph that meets all the requirements, the passport will not be issued. The easiest way to take photos is in special studios that know exactly how to do it correctly.
But if you have a good camera and a photo printer at home, then you can take a photo on your own. The main thing for this is to have the necessary knowledge and dexterity, which will allow you to avoid mistakes and achieve quality.
