Italian passport photo size
An Italian passport photo is 35 by 45 mm on a white background, with chin to forehead filling 70 to 80 percent of the frame.
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An Italian passport photo is 35 by 45 mm, on a white background under even light, with the face filling 70 to 80 percent of the frame from the base of the chin to the forehead. You need one photo, not two. The numbers come from the Polizia di Stato.
What the authority specifies
- Photo size
- 45 mm by 35 mm
- Pixels at 300 DPI
- 413 x 531
- Background
- white, under even lighting
- File size
- No limit published
- Source
- www.poliziadistato.it
- 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?
The size is the same 35 by 45 mm used across most of Europe, so the thing that actually varies between countries is the background. Italy requires white.
France forbids white outright and asks for light blue or light grey instead. A photo that passes in Rome is rejected in Paris, and the millimetres give you no warning at all.
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 not, so the pixel figure above is 300 DPI, the resolution print shops work to. The millimetre measurement is the requirement; the pixel figure is our arithmetic on top of it.
The file you download records that resolution in its header, so a print dialog set to actual size uses it instead of guessing at 72 or 96 DPI and printing the photo several times too large.
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 an Italian passport photo?
The Polizia di Stato gives 35 by 45 mm.
The photo must be in colour, taken within the last six months, and the face must cover 70 to 80 percent of it, measured from the base of the chin to the forehead rather than to the top of the head.
How many photos do I need for an Italian passport?
One. The list of documents to bring to the counter says a single recent frontal photograph on a white background, conforming to ICAO.
Two is a common assumption, and photo shops often print a strip on that basis, but the issuing authority asks for one.
What background does an Italian passport photo need?
White, with even lighting and no flash reflections or red eye.
This is worth checking against wherever else you are applying: France asks for a light blue or grey background and forbids white, at exactly the same 35 by 45 mm size.
What size is an Italian passport photo in pixels?
The Polizia di Stato does not publish one, because the photo is handed in as a print. 413 by 531 is this tool's conversion of 35 by 45 mm at 300 DPI.
The same page asks for the print to be on high quality, high definition paper.
Can I wear glasses in an Italian passport photo?
Yes, with conditions. The eyes must be clearly visible with no flash reflection on the lenses, and the advice given is to tilt your head slightly to avoid it.
Tinted lenses are not allowed, nor are heavy frames, and the frame must not cover any part of the eyes.
Can I smile in an Italian passport photo?
No. The Polizia di Stato asks for a neutral expression with your lips closed, and your eyes open and clearly visible.
Does an Italian visa photo follow the same rules?
No. The Italian missions' visa checklists we read ask for 35 by 40 mm on a plain light background, and some ask for two photos.
This page's rule is the passport's: 35 by 45 mm, white, one photo. A passport print is 5 mm too tall for those checklists.
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