Get your photo from an approved professional photographer or a photo booth approved by the Ministry of the Interior (the ANTS website can help you find one). Bring the printed photo to your appointment: town halls (mairies) in mainland France and consulates abroad do not take it. Abroad, check your consulate's advice on local studios. Source: service-public.gouv.fr, checked 24 Oct 2026.
The France Passport & ID Card photo is 35 × 45 mm; get it from an approved photographer or photo booth and bring the print.
| Who makes the photo | Get it from an approved photographer or photo booth and bring the print. |
|---|---|
| Size (official rule) | Print only (35 × 45 mm, from approved photographer or booth) |
| In other units (a conversion) | 35 × 45 mm · 3.5 × 4.5 cm · 1.38 × 1.77 in · 413 × 531 px at 300 DPI · 827 × 1063 px at 600 DPI · ratio 7:9 |
| File size | No file for you to upload |
| Background | Plain light colour (light blue, light grey), not white |
| Head size | 71% to 80% of the photo height, chin to top of head |
| Source | service-public.gouv.fr |
| Checked | 24 Oct 2026 |
An adult's French passport or national identity card (CNI) is requested in person, because fingerprints are taken. Any town hall (mairie) fitted with a registration station will do, though many accept files by appointment only; abroad, you go to the French embassy or consulate. An online pre-application is optional. For either document, service-public.gouv.fr asks for one identity photo, under 6 months old and a good likeness, made by an authorised professional or in a booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior.
On the 3.5 × 4.5 cm print, the face measures 3.2 to 3.6 cm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair excluded. White backgrounds are banned; pick a plain light shade such as pale blue or pale grey. Your head must be bare (no hats, scarves or headbands), with no exception named. Ears must be uncovered; a fringe is accepted if it leaves the eyes clear. Earrings and piercings are fine if your features stay clear. A photo breaking these standards is rejected, and the document is not issued. No separate rules for babies are listed.
Sources, checked 24 Oct 2026: Quelle photo fournir pour un titre d'identité ? (service-public.gouv.fr, in French), Passeport d'un majeur : première demande (service-public.gouv.fr, in French), Carte d'identité d'un majeur : première demande (service-public.gouv.fr, in French) and Carte d'identité / Passeport : la photo peut-elle être prise au guichet ? (service-public.gouv.fr, in French).
No. Get your photo from an approved professional photographer or a photo booth approved by the Ministry of the Interior (the ANTS website can help you find one). Bring the printed photo to your appointment: town halls (mairies) in mainland France and consulates abroad do not take it. Abroad, check your consulate's advice on local studios.
The France Passport & ID Card photo is 35 × 45 mm; get it from an approved photographer or photo booth and bring the print. 35 × 45 mm is 3.5 × 4.5 cm or 1.38 × 1.77 inches, in a 7:9 shape. Printed at 300 DPI it is 413 × 531 pixels, and at 600 DPI 827 × 1063 pixels. These are conversions of the official size, not extra rules.
35 × 45 mm, background: plain light colour (light blue, light grey), not white, head 71% to 80% of the photo height. Face 32–36 mm from bottom of chin to top of head (not counting hair). Under 6 months old. Colour strongly recommended. Neutral expression, mouth closed, ears uncovered, bare head. No thick frames and no tinted or reflective glasses.
The official rules say: No thick frames and no tinted or reflective glasses.
Not in mainland France: service-public.gouv.fr says you must supply the photo when you lodge the application, and the same goes at consulates abroad. In French Guiana and Mayotte the counter may take it, but only where no professional photographer can, and the passport then costs €1.50 or €3 more.
Service-public.gouv.fr says the head must be bare, giving a hat, a scarf (foulard) and a headband as examples, and its photo page states no religious or medical exception. A photo that does not meet the standards is rejected, and the passport or card is not issued.
The service-public.gouv.fr pages for first passports and ID cards list one identity photo under 6 months old among the documents to bring, and none of them mentions a photo code. The photo must come from an authorised professional or an approved booth, and the ANTS offers a search tool to find them near you.
On service-public.gouv.fr. We checked them on 24 Oct 2026.
Source: service-public.gouv.fr, checked 24 Oct 2026. Rules can change, so confirm on the official page before you apply.