Switzerland Foreign Residence Permit Photo

In order to apply for any of the Switzerland residence permit, a biometric passport photo must be submitted. This will be used for facial recognition, and therefore must meet a number of requirements in order for it to be accepted by the Swiss Authorities. A traditional Swiss passport photo is sufficient, provided it meets the criteria including standards such as international requirements for pose and quality and will lead to an application rejection if the following requirements are not met. 

Switzerland Foreign Residence Permit Photo Size

The Swiss residence permit photo must be of the size 35 mm x 45 mm. The distance between the top of the hair and the top of the photo must be 3 mm, with the head height being 34.5 mm. The size of the head from the crown to the chin should be between 29 mm and 34 mm, and the head must be in the centre of the image. The resolution of the biometric residence permit photo should be 600 dpi.

Quality of the Foreign Residence Permit Photo

In order to meet the quality requirements of the Swiss Residence Permit, the photo must:

• be well-focused, sharp and clear
• be properly exposed, avoiding over exposition and under exposition
• show the natural skin tones accurately
• not have any unnatural effects such as red-eyes or glares

We recommend you use natural daylight when taking the Switzerland foreign residence permit photo so that the face is evenly illuminated and does not get rejected. 

Background for the Swiss Foreign Residence Permit Photo

The background of the biometric photo must be a plain, light grey colour free of patterns or shadows. 

Only the face should be visible in the Switzerland Residence Permit photo, with free space on the edges of either side of the face.

Accessories in the Swiss Foreign Residence Permit Photo

If you wear prescription glasses every day, they are permitted in your residence permit photo as long as they do not cast any shadows on your face. They must not obscure your eyes in any way or cause a glare. The lenses must be clear and transparent - sunglasses are not permitted in the biometric photo.

Headgear for religious reasons is acceptable in the Swiss residence permit photo, as long as it does not cause any shadows or obscure your face. The headgear must be for a confirmed religious reason, no fashion headgear such as caps are accepted. The headgear must also be a different colour to the background of the Switzerland foreign residence permit Photo.

Facial Expression in the Swiss Residence Permit Photo

As for the facial expression - it should be neutral, meaning no smiling or frowning. Your mouth must be closed and your head must be straight and not tilted. You should ensure your eyes are open and looking straight into the camera, in order to ensure your Switzerland Foreign Residence Permit Application will not be rejected.

The biometric photo can not be a selfie or have any filters or alterations from computer software, including unnatural cropping from a larger photo.

Most Common Mistakes on Foreign Residence Permit Photos

The Swiss Foreign residence permit application may take a longer amount of time if all of the requirements are not met. In order to avoid your application being rejected, ensure that you have followed all of the standard criteria in your biometric photo. Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid when taking your residence permit photo:

• selfies or the head not being centered
• smiling or non-neutral expressions
• tilted head
• red eyes or glares from glasses
• shadows on the face or background

How to take the Swiss Foreign Residence Permit Photo at home?

Thankfully, you do not need to travel to or pay for a professional photo booth in order to take your Switzerland Foreign Residence permit. With our app ‘Passport Photo Online’ you are able to simply take your photo at home! Simply upload it to our photo editing tool and let the software do the work for you. 

Take your biometric photo whenever and wherever you want. With our photo editing software, we will edit your photo until all of the requirements are met - ensuring that your application will be accepted. We even promise to reimburse you if it does get rejected! Use our photo editor app to get your accepted Switzerland Foreign Residence permit as fast as ever.

Residence Permit Photo Tool

With all of these requirements, it can make the Switzerland Foreign Residence Permit application seem like a big task. Luckily - we can help you with that. With our app ‘Passport Photo online’ we make the process easy for you. Simply take a photo of yourself and upload it to our photo editor, and it will check that all of the requirements are met and help you change what needs to be altered.

Using AI software the app has features that will alter your photo until it is guaranteed to be accepted by the Swiss authorities. With the background removing tool - the app will edit and remove any unsuitable patterns or shadows in the background of your photo, changing it to the plain, light grey background that is required for your Swiss residence permit photo. Also, the app can automatically resize and crop your image to fit the required dimensions. It will also recognize any unsuitable features of the biometric photo, and tell you what needs to be changed in order for it to be accepted by the Swiss authorities - saving you stress and time. 

Foreign Residence Permit Photo Mobile App

Find our photo tool app in both the Apple app store and google play store, and use any smartphone or device to take your biometric photo. Save time and money when completing your Swiss residence permit application by using Passport Photo Online, making the process easier than ever before! Take a photo in any place you want and you can ensure that it will be accepted when checked by our app. Simply download the photo editor app now and get your application completed stress-free!

Sources:
https://www.ch.ch/en/documents-and-register-extracts/permits-for-living-in-switzerland/
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/aufenthalt/nicht_eu_efta.html