Italian Passport Photo

You can’t just submit any photo for an Italian Passport. The photo you use for your Italian Passport must be a professional photo that presents your face in such a way that it can be easily recognized as a biometric photo suitable for identification. By biometric photo we mean a photo that comprises only your head and upper shoulders from the front, without any alterations such as objects, shadows or reflections that would make it difficult to identify your face. This type of photos are used for the Italian passport as well, the requirements of which will be listed below:

Size & General Requirements for the Italian Passport Photo

A really important part of any official document is the photograph, whether in Italy or in the rest of the world. We will help you generate the photo for your Italian Passport by offering you some tips and guidelines. Below we will give you information on the size of a Italian Passport photo, and a list of requirements to consider when taking a biometric photo. The photographs must be:

• No more than 6 months old
• 35–40mm in width
• In sharp focus and clear
• Of high quality with no ink marks or creases

The photographs also must:

• Show you looking directly at the camera
• Show your skin tones naturally
• Have appropriate brightness and contrast
• Be printed on high quality paper, and at high resolution

Technical Requirements for the Italian Passport Photo

• Colour: Italian Passport photo must be in colour .
• Position and Size of the Head: a close-up of your head and top of your shoulders so that your face takes up 70 – 80% of the photograph
• Resolution (in pixels): your Passport photo needs to have a 1200dpi resolution or better
• Size: Italian Passport photos size should have the generic biometric photo size of 35 x 40mm

Colours and shadows on the photo

The Passport photo should not be overexposed or underexposed, because it would not reflect your natural hair and skin color. If you use daylight you will get the best results to eliminate any possible shadows. 

These are our tips:

• To take the picture, stand in front of a window.
• Position yourself 2 meters away from the camera.
• Make sure the light is evenly distributed on your face.
• Turn off the camera flash, as it could create a "red-eye" effect that could cause your image to be rejected.

Wearing makeup, jewelry or headgear on a Italian Passport Photo

Make-up, and even headgears are allowed (in some particular cases) for your official biometric photo for the Italian Passport.

However, you have to pay attention, as excessive make-up may cause your Passport photo to be rejected. In the case of headgear, headgear is only approved for religious purposes. Wearing a cap or other form of headgear that covers your face, other than religious headgear, is prohibited according to the biometric photo specifications.

Your ears must be fully visible. If you wear an excessive amount of jewelry, your application for the passport may be rejected.

Glasses or sunglasses on a Italian Passport Photo, are they allowed?

It is forbidden to wear sunglasses in Passport photos. While regular glasses are permitted, you must ensure that they do not obscure your eyes or facial features. Although Italian biometric photo regulations do not totally prohibit glasses in photos, we advise you to remove your everyday glasses when having your photo taken, to be 100% sure that your Passport photos will not be rejected by the Italian authorities. 

Hair and beard on a Italian Passport photo

You should pay attention and make sure that your hair does not go beyond the margins of the photo if you have a voluminous hairstyle. Another hairstyle to be careful with when having your Passport photo taken is your bangs, you should make sure that no hair covers your face as this could be grounds for rejection of the photograph.

There are no specific mentions of beards in the biometric photo requirements. Therefore, if you wear a beard on a daily basis, you would not need to shave it off to have your Italian Passport photo taken. 

Clothing on your Italian Passport photo

You can dress as you want, but always taking some things into consideration. As it may cause your application to be rejected, we recommend that you do not wear light-colored or uniform clothing.

As this is an official photo, which will identify you for 10 years, we advise you not to wear a tank top, as you will look naked, and this is not the smartest choice for a photo that you will show over and over again.

Recent changes in appearance and the validity of the Italian Passport photo 

The required photos for the Italian Passport must portray your current appearance. In the event that you already have a photo template and wish to use it for your application, you may of course do so, but you should note that the image selected cannot be more than six month old. 

However, if your appearance has changed drastically in this period of time, you will need to use a new photo. Neither cutting or coloring your hair nor growing a beard requires a new photo from you. In the case of children and adolescents under the age of 16, it is not necessary to take a new biometric photo image, even if they change quite a bit as they grow older during the validity period of the document. However, a new photo is required in certain situations:

• You have experienced a permanent facial deformation.
• You got or removed tattoos / facial piercings.
• You have lost / gained a considerable amount of weight.
• You have undergone gender change.
• You have had a facial plastic surgery performed.

Most frequent reasons Italian Passport Photos could get rejected

It takes a lot of time to plan a Passport application, and finding out that you have to go through the whole process again because your photos have been rejected is not a pleasant thing. Having your Passport application rejected just because your photo is not correct is very frustrating, so here we offer you a list of the most frequent reasons why Italian Passport photos are rejected:

• The "red-eye" effect: if you take the photo with flash, your eyes will appear red, which will cause your photo to be rejected. Make sure your pupils are clearly visible, that the light is normal and that your eyes and face shape are well defined to avoid this circumstance.
• Having your head tilted or not looking directly at the camera. Your photo will be rejected if you take a profile shot or any other photo in which your head is tilted and your eyes are not looking directly into the camera lens.
• Uneven lighting: shadows should be avoided to accurately see your facial features in the biometric photo. The light should be evenly distributed on your face, otherwise this situation will cause your photo to be rejected.
• Smile or make a funny face: Unfortunately, your Passport photo will be rejected if you smile. You should look like the people in a mugshot - neutral/serious: it is desirable to look as knowledgeable and respectable as possible.
• Digital retouching to change or enhance your facial features is prohibited. Therefore, it is forbidden to use image editing programs such as Photoshop to adjust your appearance or use a filter on the official photo - it must show your true appearance and your true colors :) 
• Passport photos that have staple holes, are wrinkled or have any other markings will also not be accepted.

Online photo tool for Italian Passport photo

Official authorities will refuse your Italian Passport photo if it does not meet all the official requirements: no objects should appear in the background, your face has to be in good focus and the light has to be on both sides of your face. These are just some of the specifications that, before being submitted, your Passport photo must follow. You don't need to be a photo editing applications expert, with our Passport Photo Online photo editing application, you will see that it is very easy to get your Italian Passport photo. We will crop the image to the size according to the official requirements, remove the background and prepare a printable Italian Passport photo template for you!

Generator App for your Italian Passport Photo

Congratulations! You're almost ready to take your Passport photo, and now you're probably dreaming of getting the perfect picture for your Passport at home. Or outside, maybe even in your office. All you have to do is download our application and you will see that it is very easy to make your ideal Passport picture, you will have it in seconds! Your job is just to look decent and meet the requirements mentioned above, we will crop, resize and take care of the rest of your image!

Italian Passport photo crop and resize tool

The correct size for a biometric photo for the Italian Passport is 35 x 40 mm. The best thing, however, is that you don't even need to remember it. Once you have chosen the document you want, the artificial intelligence that powers our online photo editor will take care of getting the right dimensions, cropping and resolution. You just have to focus on taking the best photo of yourself. You only pay for the one you choose. All other photos are tested for free.

Tool for background removal

It doesn't matter if the background of your photo is a wall with shadows or shapes, or if other people or objects are visible in your frame. Whatever background color you need, our smart photo tool is capable of producing it. The online photo generator takes care of all challenges. In a matter of seconds you will see that the background will be clear, white and valid in your Passport photo.

Validating Software for the Italian Passport Photo

There is no need to ask a licensed photographer for a separate tool, nor do you need to search the Internet to be absolutely sure that the photo accompanying your Passport card is correct and that the authorities will approve it. Our Passport photo generator is a complete tool that will give you 100% satisfaction. All photos are checked by an AI system, and you can be sure that it is accurate if it appears as correct. If your photo certified by our authentication tool is not accepted in any way (which never happens, but we want you to know), just let us know and we will refund your money. But even that may not happen. We give you a 100% approval guarantee.

Photo Template for your Official Photos

Once your photo is produced and accepted, you can order the digital version to be sent to your email address. This way you have the possibility to print it at copy shops or even nearby pharmacies. Your photo will be ready to attach to the application form if you submit it online. You can use one photo as many times as you want.

Passport Photo Online - App for Android and iPhone

Our Passport Photo Online app can be used on any operating system. As the app is available for both iOS and Android, you can download it from the Google Play Store of Samsung, LG, Huawei, HTC, Lenovo and Sony or from the AppStore of your iPhone.

Why use an Online Photo Editor for your Biometric Photo?

It may happen that you do not want any help with taking your own Passport photo. Nevertheless, resizing and cropping the frame, as well as getting the background right, takes time and, in certain cases, is overwhelming. And likewise you're still not sure if it's all right in the end. So we would like to offer you our help. With our photo app, the picture will be:

• created with the required background for a biometric photo
• perfectly sized and also cropped (if required)
• accepted by both embassies or consulates, as well as Italian authorities
• 100% satisfying as you have the opportunity to take one milion shots if you need them and choose your favourite one!

Sure, you can check for a photo booth or book a visit to a professional photography studio, but do you really want to spend your time and resources on something you can afford for a fraction of the cost and in just a minute? Also, we are going through challenging times, we need to maintain social distance, which suggests that going to the mall or city center to sit in a line and wait is not the best option.

Looking for a photo booth or booking a visit to a professional photo studio is always a popular option, but given the current situation, we need to keep our social distance, which suggests that going to the mall or downtown to sit in a queue and wait is not the best option. Besides, do you really want to spend your time and resources on something you can pay for at a fraction of the cost and in just a minute? 

Take the right Italian Passport photo from home via the internet and feel safe.... No matter how many photos you take, in the end you only pay for the one you order. You can try different outfits, make-up and hairstyles, take lots of photos and play with lights. And you will always have the guarantee of the biometric photo acceptance.