Belgian passport photo size
A Belgian passport photo is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. Belgium also publishes a resolution, 400 dpi, but aims it at your photographer rather than at your file. At 400 dpi that box is 551 by 709 pixels, which is where this tool opens. The background must be light and one colour.
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What the authority specifies
- Photo size
- 45 mm by 35 mm
- Pixels at 400 DPI
- 551 x 709
- Background
- light coloured, even and one colour
- File size
- No limit published
- Source
- www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be
- Read at the source on
Each size on this page was read at the issuing authority's own website, not copied from another converter or from a search result.
The page it came from and the date it was read are printed above, so you can check the same source in one click.
Why this size?
Belgium sets its photo rules in one document, the Fotomatrix, signed jointly by the Foreign Affairs and Interior ministries. It covers the passport, the Kids-ID, the electronic identity card and residence documents in a single sheet of criteria.
That is why a rule you read about a Belgian identity card usually applies to the passport too, and why the handful of exceptions are worth knowing.
Where the pixel figure comes from
Passport offices publish millimetres, not pixels, because the photograph is printed. Turning millimetres into pixels needs a resolution, and most authorities do not name one.
This one does. The resolution above is the authority's own published minimum, so the pixel figure is its requirement converted at the rate it names rather than at one this site picked.
That matters if you are uploading rather than printing.
An online form usually states its own pixel size or file size limit, and where an authority publishes one this page uses that instead of converting anything.
Check before you submit
Requirements change, and the only version that counts is the one on the authority's own page on the day you apply.
Every size here links to the page it came from and shows the date it was read. If that date looks old, spend a minute at the source before you print anything.
What happens to your photo?
Your selected photo is processed in your browser, without an image upload to a server. The page may download code and codecs needed for editing.
Save your result before closing the tab; unsaved edits are kept in memory rather than in an online account.
Common questions
What size is a Belgian passport photo?
35 mm wide by 45 mm high.
The face has to measure 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, which the Fotomatrix also states as 70 to 80 percent of the height of the photo.
The photo must be no more than 6 months old.
Does Belgium publish a resolution for passport photos?
Yes, at least 400 dpi, and it is worth knowing who that number is for. The Fotomatrix says the 400 dpi requirement is addressed to the photographer, who judges whether the optical quality of the printed image matches it.
So it describes the print rather than a file you upload. At 400 dpi a 35 by 45 mm photo is 551 by 709 pixels, which is the size this page opens the tool at.
What background does a Belgian passport photo need?
Light coloured, even, one colour, with no gradient and enough contrast against the head. No specific colour is named.
That matters if you are applying in more than one country. Italy requires a white background and France forbids one, so a light grey or light blue photo made for France is acceptable in Belgium and a white one is too.
Can a Belgian passport photo be black and white?
No. The Fotomatrix asks for a photo in colour and carries a footnote saying a black and white photo is not allowed for passports.
That footnote is specific to the passport. The same document covers the Kids-ID, the electronic identity card and residence documents, and the restriction is written only against passports.
Can I wear glasses in a Belgian passport photo?
Yes, if your eyes stay fully visible. The lenses have to be completely clear, the frame must not cover your eyes, and there must be no disturbing reflection and no shadow from the glasses.
If you cannot avoid a reflection, take the glasses off for the photo.
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