Since 1 May 2025, citizens' offices (Bürgeramt) in Germany no longer accept paper photos. Have your photo taken by a certified photo studio, which sends it to the office securely, or have it taken at the office. You cannot use a photo file you took or edited yourself. Source: gesetze-im-internet.de, checked 24 Oct 2026.
For the Germany Passport (in Germany) photo, a certified studio sends it to the office, or it is taken at the office.
| Who makes the photo | A certified studio sends it to the office, or it is taken at the office. |
|---|---|
| Size (official rule) | Not applicable (studio or office sends the photo; no pixel size is set) |
| File size | No file for you to upload |
| Background | Plain single colour, no shadows, contrasting with face and hair |
| Head size | 70% to 80% of the photo height, chin to top of head |
| Source | gesetze-im-internet.de |
| Checked | 24 Oct 2026 |
Under Germany's Passport Act, the picture is made electronically, either by a service provider, which sends it to the passport authority by a secure procedure, or by the authority itself, if it has photo equipment. Berlin's service portal dates this to 1 May 2025. Its citizens' offices charge €6.00 for a photo made on site, or fetch a certified studio's picture from the cloud, and recommend that parents of children under 6 use a studio beforehand. If the authority doubts who is pictured or suspects unauthorised editing, it can order the photo taken in front of an employee.
Annex 8 of the Passport Regulation sets the standard: the face, from chin tip to top of head, fills 70 to 80% of the height, or 50 to 80% for a child, with small deviations allowed until age 10. Under-6s get more leeway on head position, expression and eye visibility. A shadow-free background of one colour contrasts clearly with face and hair. Retouching, filters and soft focus fail, as do an open-mouthed laugh, squinting and grimaces. Religious head coverings are allowed if the face shows from the lower chin edge to the forehead.
Sources, checked 24 Oct 2026: Passgesetz, § 6 Ausstellung eines Passes (gesetze-im-internet.de, in German), Passverordnung, § 16 Lichtbild (gesetze-im-internet.de, in German), Passverordnung, Anlage 8: Anforderungen an das Lichtbild (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 260, gesetze-im-internet.de, in German) and Reisepass beantragen (Service-Portal Berlin, in German).
No. Since 1 May 2025, citizens' offices (Bürgeramt) in Germany no longer accept paper photos. Have your photo taken by a certified photo studio, which sends it to the office securely, or have it taken at the office. You cannot use a photo file you took or edited yourself.
None. For the Germany Passport (in Germany) photo, a certified studio sends it to the office, or it is taken at the office.
Background: plain single colour, no shadows, contrasting with face and hair, head 70% to 80% of the photo height. Face (chin to top of head) fills 70–80% of photo height; children 50–80% (small differences allowed up to age 10, more up to age 6). Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes clearly visible, no dark lenses or reflections. Colour, no retouching or filters. Head covering for religious reasons (the office may allow other exceptions, and waive rules for lasting medical reasons).
The official rules say: Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes clearly visible, no dark lenses or reflections.
The official rules say: Face (chin to top of head) fills 70–80% of photo height; children 50–80% (small differences allowed up to age 10, more up to age 6).
Not when you apply in Germany. The Passport Act lets you choose between a photo made electronically by a service provider, which sends it to the passport authority by a secure procedure, and one made by the authority on its own equipment. Berlin's service portal says that, since 1 May 2025, biometric photos for passports and ID documents may only be made digitally at citizens' offices or certified photo studios.
Berlin's service portal lists €6.00, on top of the passport fee, for having the digital photo made at a citizens' office. Alternatively, a certified photo studio makes it beforehand, and the office retrieves it from the cloud.
Sometimes. The Passport Regulation lets a passport authority abroad accept a current 45 × 35 mm portrait print without a border when it cannot make the photo electronically on its own equipment. The passport register then records the photo-taking body as "nicht verifizierbar" (not verifiable).
Yes. Under the Passport Regulation, the authority may allow a head covering, in particular for religious reasons, and may waive other photo requirements for medical reasons that are not merely temporary. Annex 8 also allows wider deviations in children's photos.
On gesetze-im-internet.de. We checked them on 24 Oct 2026.
Source: gesetze-im-internet.de, checked 24 Oct 2026. Rules can change, so confirm on the official page before you apply.