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Afghanistan ID card photo requirements

The photo rules set by General Directorate of Passports, Ministry of Interior for the Afghanistan ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 7 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Afghanistan ID card photo requirements?

No official photo size for the Afghan e-Tazkira could be found. The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA), which issues the card, publishes none on any page that could be reached. Abroad, missions handle the absentee (paper) Tazkira: the Consulate General in Bonn asks for two recent passport-size photos on a plain white background, and the Embassy in Berlin for one. Children aged 7 and over must have a photo on their Tazkira.

The e-Tazkira is Afghanistan's electronic national identity card, issued by the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA). The passport department names the NSIA's population registration directorate in Kabul and its provincial statistics and information directorates as the offices that confirm paper Tazkiras. An e-Tazkira needs no such confirmation: the passport department accepts it as it is, and the missions in Bonn and Berlin accept it for passports too.

The NSIA's website refused connections while this guide was being researched, and no NSIA page setting a photo size, background or file format could be read. This page therefore gives no print size for the e-Tazkira, and it does not say whether NSIA photographs applicants at its centres, because no official page read here states either way. What official sources do publish is set out below: the Tazkira photo rules that matter when you later apply for a passport, and the photos that missions ask for when they register a Tazkira file from abroad.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists issuing Afghan national identity cards among the services of its embassies and consulates. In Germany the missions handle the absentee Tazkira, which Bonn describes as a paper Tazkira for people who cannot appear in person at the civil registration authority; relatives in Afghanistan follow up the file. In June 2024 the Consulate General in Dubai announced that e-Tazkira procedures would resume soon, without giving photo details.

Afghanistan ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by General Directorate of Passports, Ministry of Interior:[1]

Print sizee-Tazkira: no size published by NSIA; absentee Tazkira abroad: passport-size prints, no dimensions given
Digital sizeNone published for the e-Tazkira
BackgroundPlain white for absentee Tazkira prints (Bonn); no e-Tazkira rule published
Photo ageRecent photos (Bonn, Berlin); no age limit stated
Print qualityAbsentee Tazkira: two prints in Bonn, one in Berlin

Key requirements

  • NSIA issues the card

    The e-Tazkira is processed and issued in Afghanistan. The Embassy in Berlin says it only registers an absentee application and transfers the case file electronically to the NSIA; final processing is done by the authorities in Afghanistan.

  • Photo required from age 7

    The passport department says that children who have completed seven years of age must have a photo on their electronic and paper Tazkiras. A child of that age whose Tazkira has no photo cannot use it for a passport application as it stands.

  • Replace an outdated photo

    If the photo on your Tazkira cannot be recognised or does not match your face, the passport department requires a new photo to be fitted before it will issue a passport. Sort this out with the civil registration office first.

  • Absentee Tazkira in Bonn

    The Consulate General in Bonn asks for two recent passport-size photos with a plain white background of the person the Tazkira is for, with the application form, which is then sent physically to Afghanistan.

  • Absentee Tazkira in Berlin

    The Embassy in Berlin asks for one recent passport-size photograph and an in-person visit for all absentee Tazkira services, including updating the photograph on an existing Tazkira through a representative in Afghanistan.

  • Paper Tazkira needs attestation abroad

    For passports, Bonn accepts an e-Tazkira as it is, but a paper Tazkira only with the attestation stamp and hologram of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Dubai consulate's online portal also requires paper Tazkiras to be attested by the Ministry.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask the NSIA office or your mission which photo it wants before printing.
  • Bring two recent white-background prints to Bonn for an absentee Tazkira.
  • Appear in person at the mission for absentee Tazkira services.
  • Name a relative in Afghanistan who can follow up the file.
  • Have your Tazkira photo updated if it no longer looks like you.

Don't

  • Do not rely on a fixed size: NSIA has published none that could be checked.
  • Do not expect a mission in Germany to print the card; it only registers the file.
  • Do not apply for a passport with a Tazkira photo that no longer matches your face.
  • Do not send a paper Tazkira for a passport abroad without Ministry attestation.

Babies and children

The passport department's rule is the clearest one for children: from the age of seven, a child's e-Tazkira or paper Tazkira must carry a photo. Check this before you apply for the child's passport, because the Tazkira is the identity document the passport is issued from.

Abroad, the Consulate General in Bonn requires a Tazkira for passport applicants from age 10, even for children born outside Afghanistan; below that age a German birth certificate naming both parents is used instead. For absentee Tazkira files, the Embassy in Berlin needs an immediate relative in Afghanistan, such as a father, grandfather, brother or paternal uncle, to follow up the case.

No official page read for this guide describes a digital photo upload for the e-Tazkira, and none gives a pixel size or file format for it. The photos that missions publish rules for are prints for absentee Tazkira files: two in Bonn and one in Berlin, both described as passport-size without dimensions, and on a plain white background in Bonn.

Because no size is published, ask the office which size it accepts before you print. A digital photo can be cropped to the size it names and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

In Afghanistan, Tazkiras are handled by the NSIA: the population registration directorate in Kabul and the statistics and information directorates in the provinces. These offices also confirm paper Tazkiras that passport applicants present.

Abroad, the Consulate General in Bonn and the Embassy in Berlin take absentee Tazkira applications in person; Bonn's form is sent physically to Afghanistan, while Berlin forwards the case electronically to the NSIA and gives a tracking link. The Embassy in Ottawa says it no longer accepts Tazkira applications. The Dubai consulate announced in June 2024 that e-Tazkira procedures would resume; check its page for the current position before you go.

How to get your Afghanistan ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Afghanistan ID card: plain white for absentee Tazkira prints background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: nSIA issues the card; photo required from age 7; replace an outdated photo; absentee Tazkira in Bonn.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. No official page read for this guide describes a digital photo upload for the e-Tazkira, and none gives a pixel size or file format for it.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Afghanistan, Tazkiras are handled by the NSIA: the population registration directorate in Kabul and the statistics and information directorates in the provinces. These offices also confirm paper Tazkiras that passport applicants present.

Make this photo online

Afghanistan ID card photo FAQ

No official size could be found. The NSIA, which issues the e-Tazkira, publishes no photo size on any page that could be reached, and its website refused connections during research. The 30 x 40 mm size often quoted could not be confirmed from an official source.

No official page read for this guide says whether NSIA staff photograph applicants or whether you bring a photo. Ask the NSIA office where you apply what to bring before you go.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists issuing national identity cards among its missions' services, but it varies by mission. In Germany, Bonn and Berlin handle only the absentee (paper) Tazkira and pass the file to Afghanistan. Dubai announced in 2024 that e-Tazkira procedures would resume. Ask your mission.

Two recent passport-size photos with a plain white background at the Consulate General in Bonn, and one recent passport-size photograph at the Embassy in Berlin. Neither gives dimensions. The Embassy in Ottawa no longer accepts Tazkira applications.

Yes, from the age of seven. The passport department says children who have completed seven years must have a photo on their electronic and paper Tazkiras, so the child's Tazkira needs a photo before it can support a passport application.

Not until it is replaced if it no longer matches your face. The passport department requires applicants whose Tazkira photo cannot be recognised or does not resemble them to have a new photo fitted. From Germany, the Embassy in Berlin can register a request to update the photograph, which a representative follows up in Afghanistan.

Related photo specifications

Other Afghanistan documents

Identity cards nearby

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Official sources

  1. General Directorate of Passports, Ministry of Interior. Guideline for passport applicants (Dari) passport.moi.gov.af. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan. Embassy & Consulate Services mfa.gov.af. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Consulate General of Afghanistan, Bonn. Form e Ghayabi Tazkira afghanmissionbonn.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Consulate General of Afghanistan, Bonn. New Passport (accepted Tazkiras) afghanmissionbonn.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of Afghanistan, Berlin. Absentee Tazkira afghanembassy.berlin. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Consulate General of Afghanistan, Dubai. Afghan National ID Card Procedures to Resume Soon afghanconsulate.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of Afghanistan, Ottawa. Absentee Tazkira afghanembassy.ca. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with General Directorate of Passports, Ministry of Interior before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Afghanistan ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/afghanistan/id-card-photo

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