Upon receipt of any identity card, a prerequisite is the presence of a photograph. You can take a photo in any photo studio that has the appropriate license. The situation is somewhat different with a foreign passport. It is necessary to take a picture for a passport in compliance with all necessary conditions, because this document will certify your identity outside your native country. In 2019, there are two types of foreign passports, new and old generation. The requirements for photographs for their design are somewhat different, the number of submitted pictures is also different.

The general requirements for a photograph on our international passport are similar to those for any identity card:

• A citizen must be without a headdress (with the exception of a hijab for a Muslim woman or a cap for an Orthodox Jew).
• If a person constantly wears glasses, the photo must be wearing glasses. Transparent glasses without glare, dimming is not allowed.
• The image should be strictly "full face", the shoulders are also directed straight. The oval of the face should be completely open.
• Clothing is plain, light colors, but not white, uniforms are not allowed.
• The face is calm, without emotion. The eyes must be clearly visible in any case. The line connecting the eyes must be strictly horizontal.
• The background for the picture is light gray or light blue (other colors are not allowed).

You can take a photo for a passport in any photo salon. Now an experienced amateur photographer, with a strong desire, can take a photograph for a passport and independently. The only obstacle in this case is that the photo for the passport must be on good quality matte photo paper.

For a passport according to the old template, the picture is submitted exactly on paper. The new passport is made with a digital photograph.

Requirements for photography according to the old template

The photo is attached to the application form and pasted into the passport. The requirements for the quality of the image and the quality of performance are quite high, because identification is carried out precisely by the owner's photograph, which reflects all the individual features of the face.

Four photographs printed on matte photo paper are attached to the completed application form. Photos must have the following parameters:

1. Photo size 35 mm x 45 mm.
2. The face must occupy at least 29 mm x 34 mm in the total area, indented from the edge of at least 2 mm.
3. The bottom of the photo is placed in a blurry semi-oval.

All regulatory documents indicate that the picture can be either black and white or color, but color is preferable.

Photo requirements for a biometric passport

A photo for a new passport is taken using special equipment of the Federal Migration Service. Specialists of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will fulfill all the required parameters, so the applicant need not worry about this. If the documents are submitted in person, then there is no need to attach a photo to the application form.

With the development of the online service of the State Services, an increasing number of citizens submit documents through a single portal. In this case, attaching a photo file to the document package is necessary.

The requirements for a photo for a document according to the new template are not as high as the requirements for a photo for an old-style passport. This is explained by the fact that for the production of the document it will be made in the FMS, the 10-year period of validity of the passport will make its own changes in the appearance of the owner, and biometric data can also be used for identification.

Along with the general requirements for appearance, the following requirements apply for the photo that will be attached to the application form:

1. The size of the photo should be in proportions of 35 x 45.
2. File size no more than 300 KB and with a resolution of at least 450 pixels per inch.
3. 24-bit color, 8-bit monochrome, JPEG.
4. The position of the head is full face, the line of the eyes should be strictly along the horizontal line.

When submitting online, the image file is attached to the documents at the very end of filling out all forms. When submitting documents in person, two photographs are attached to the application form, which most often may not be necessary. The requirements for a photo for a new passport are not very strict and serve more for storage in a personal file with a questionnaire, and not for the document itself.

Children's photo in the passport

A photograph of a child on an old-style international passport is no different from an adult. The baby, so as not to upset the unfamiliar environment, you can photograph at home. Older children love to be photographed in public.

The parameter requirements remain the same. Photos of children pasted into the parent's passport are identifiers when crossing the border and must be clear enough. They can be either color or monochrome.

It is somewhat more difficult with photographing a child on a new biometric passport. You can try to submit a digital version online, but more often children have to come to the migration service department.

As experts advise, for young children it is more convenient to make a document according to the old template. A 14-year-old citizen already needs his own passport unambiguously, so it is already possible to make a passport for more than 5 years - a biometric one. Unless, of course, frequent trips abroad are planned.