Åland Islands passport photo requirements
The 36 × 47 mm photo rules set by Polisen Åland for the Åland Islands passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Åland Islands passport photo?
People on Åland use a Finnish passport issued by the Åland police, and the photo is 36 x 47 mm. A photographer normally sends it to the police electronically and you receive a photo code to enter in the application. The head measures 32 to 36 mm from crown to chin, a digital file is exactly 500 x 653 pixels (JPEG, up to 250 KB), the background is plain, light and neutral, and the photo is at most 6 months old.
Residents of the Åland Islands apply for a passport from the Åland police (Polisen Åland). It issues the same passports as the Finnish police and also grants Åland passports: if you hold Åland regional citizenship (hembygdsrätt), the cover carries the added text Åland, and in every other respect it is an ordinary Finnish passport. An online application from someone living on Åland, or who last held an Åland passport, is routed to Åland automatically. At a police station elsewhere in Finland you should mention your regional citizenship so that the officer notes it.
The photo rules are the national Finnish ones. The Åland police page for photo delivery points to the police instructions for passport photographs, and the measurements in them follow a Ministry of the Interior decree (1168/2016) on photographs attached to passports and identity cards. The Åland police do not run a passport photo service of their own; the only exception named is the police service point at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, on the mainland.
In practice the picture is made by someone else. A photographer takes it and sends it electronically to the police, and you receive a photo code (bildkod) by text message or e-mail. You enter the code in the online application, or give it to the officer if you apply at the station. The Åland police page also links a list of the photographers who send photos straight to the police system.
Åland Islands passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Polisen Åland:[1]
| Print size | 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 in), width x height |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Exactly 500 x 653 pixels for the police photograph server; even one pixel off is refused |
| Head height | 32 to 36 mm (445 to 500 px) from crown to chin, not counting hair or beard |
| Background | Plain light background in one flat, neutral colour, no shadows; light grey is best |
| Colour | Colour or black and white |
| Photo age | Taken no more than 6 months before the application is submitted |
| File size | Up to 250 KB, with no visible compression artefacts |
| File format | JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg), not JPEG2000 |
| Print quality | Paper photo: high-quality photographic paper, clean, with no scratches, stains or creases |
| Pixels when printed | 425 × 555 px at 300 dpi · 850 × 1110 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Crown to chin 32 to 36 mm
The head is measured from the crown to the chin, leaving out hair and beard: 32 to 36 mm on paper, or 445 to 500 pixels in a file. Allow 4 to 6 mm of space above the crown and 7 to 9 mm below the chin, and keep the centre line of the face within 1.5 mm of the centre line of the picture. The instructions set no width for the face.
- Photo code from the photographer
The usual route is that the photographer sends the photo and you get a photo code by text message or e-mail. The Åland page says almost all photographers send the picture electronically. The code is the only way to reach the photo on the server, and the photo cannot be downloaded from it afterwards.
- No manipulation
The decree forbids editing that changes even small details of how you look, or that could raise doubt about whether the photo is genuine. The police instructions add that digital make-up is not allowed. The whole face must be sharp, with the depth of field running from the ears to the tip of the nose.
- Flat, light, neutral backdrop
The background is one flat, neutral and light colour with no shadows. The police name light grey as the best choice, because the portrait laser-engraved in the passport is always greyscale and a shirt or skin tone close to the backdrop blurs into it. Face, hair and clothes must stand out, and no other person or object may appear.
- Mind the camera distance
The instructions warn that phones and tablets have a wide-angle lens and are used at short range, which makes the nose and other features look too big. Pictures by non-professionals are often rejected for poor lighting or this distortion, and nobody checks them in advance: the officer judges the photo while handling the application.
- Straight, neutral, eyes open
Hold the head straight, with face and gaze towards the camera and shoulders in line with the face. The expression is neutral and the mouth closed, and the eyes are open without squinting. A portrait looking over the shoulder is not accepted. Posture rules can be relaxed for a medical condition.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Have the photo taken by a photographer who sends it to the police.
- Keep the photo code and enter it in the application.
- Check that the photo is no more than 6 months old.
- Choose a light grey or other light, neutral backdrop.
- Sit far enough from the camera to avoid a wide-angle look.
- Bring the code or a paper photo if you apply at the station.
Don't
- Do not retouch the photo or apply digital make-up.
- Do not photograph yourself at arm's length with a phone.
- Do not wear tinted glasses without a medical reason.
- Do not let hair or frames cover your eyes.
- Do not include a toy, a pillow or a supporting hand in a child's photo.
- Do not count on downloading the photo from the police server later.
Sample photos
How a Åland Islands passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 36 × 47 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are allowed if your eyes can be seen clearly. The decree says the frames must not cross the eyes at any point or be so thick that they hide the features of the face, and that frames and lenses must show no reflections. Frames must not cast shadows on the face. The police suggest keeping every part of the frame well away from the eyes, and remind you that you can always take your glasses off.
Tinted glasses or an eye patch are accepted only for medical reasons.
Headwear and religious dress
A scarf or other head covering is allowed only when religion or an established custom requires it, or when it is necessary for health or medical reasons. It must not hide too much of the face or put shadows on it. Hair must not cover the face either, and the eyes must stand out clearly.
A wig worn every day, for medical reasons for example, is treated like hair. Both ears do not have to be visible.
Babies and children
There is no separate child size or smaller head allowance: the police say the same requirements apply to subjects of all ages. Very young babies are the one softer case. The decree lets a small child's mouth be slightly open, but even small children must keep their eyes open.
You may support a small child as long as no part of you shows in the picture, and no toy or pillow may be visible behind or beside the child. For a medical condition the posture rules can be relaxed.
Printed and digital photos
The digital route is the normal one. The photographer uploads the picture to the police photograph server as a 500 x 653 pixel JPEG of at most 250 KB, and the photo is attached to your application with the code. A studio may upload only a photo it took itself, and the age of the photo counts from the moment of upload, so it has to be sent straight after the shoot.
A paper photo, 36 x 47 mm on high-quality photographic paper, can be used only if the application is made at the police station. Staff then scan it, which takes time and lowers the image quality, and an online application is not possible with a paper photo. A digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter, but the police recommend neither paper photos nor uploading your own file, because many such photos are rejected.
Where to submit the photo
You can apply for a passport online or at a police station. The online service is the cheaper and quicker way, and it tells you whether you also need to visit a station, for example to be identified or to give fingerprints. If the application is made entirely at the station, bring the photo code or a paper photo. Book a time in the online service or through the police advice line, or queue without a booking.
You can use any police station, wherever you live, apart from the airport service point in mainland Finland. When the passport is ready you collect it after you receive the arrival notice. If a photo is rejected, the officer asks you to add a new one that meets the rules, and you do not pay the application fee again.
How to get your Åland Islands passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Åland Islands passport: 36 × 47 mm print, 500 × 653 px digital file, plain light background in one flat background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: crown to chin 32 to 36 mm; photo code from the photographer; no manipulation; flat, light, neutral backdrop.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The digital route is the normal one. The photographer uploads the picture to the police photograph server as a 500 x 653 pixel JPEG of at most 250 KB, and the photo is attached to your application with the code.
- Submit the photo with your application. You can apply for a passport online or at a police station. The online service is the cheaper and quicker way, and it tells you whether you also need to visit a station, for example to be identified or to give fingerprints.
Åland Islands passport photo FAQ
A paper photo is 36 mm wide and 47 mm high. A photo sent through the police photograph server must be exactly 500 x 653 pixels, saved as a JPEG of up to 250 KB. In both cases the head measures 32 to 36 mm (445 to 500 pixels) from crown to chin.
It is the code you receive by text message or e-mail once the photographer has sent your photo to the police. You enter it in the online application, or give it to the officer at the station, and the photo is then attached from the server.
No. The police say they offer no passport photo service. The only exception named is the police service point at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in mainland Finland, which can take a photo for an extra fee but mainly handles urgent applications from air passengers.
You may upload your own photo to the police photograph server, but the police advise against it because many are rejected. Nothing is checked in advance, and a photographer may not upload a picture that someone else took.
Yes, but only at a police station. You cannot apply online with a paper photo. Staff scan it, which the police say takes time and lowers the quality, so they do not recommend it.
No more than 6 months when you submit the application. If you recently received a passport or identity card whose photo is under six months old, that photo can be attached to the new application automatically.
No. The Åland police apply the national police instructions and the Finnish Ministry of the Interior decree, so the size, head position and background are the same. Only the cover differs, carrying the added text Åland for holders of regional citizenship.
The officer asks you to complete the application with a new photo that meets the requirements, and you do not pay a new application fee. Photos are not pre-checked, so the rejection can come while your application is being handled.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Denmark passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Estonia passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Faroe Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Finland passport photo 36 × 47 mm
- Guernsey passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Iceland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ireland irish Passport Card photo
- Ireland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Isle of Man passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Jersey passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 36 × 47 mm
- Albania eVisa photo 36 × 47 mm
- Albania visa photo 36 × 47 mm
- Finland passport photo 36 × 47 mm
- Finland visa photo 36 × 47 mm
- Finland ID card photo 36 × 47 mm
- Finland driving licence photo 36 × 47 mm
- Finland residence permit photo 36 × 47 mm
- Finland firearms permit photo 36 × 47 mm
- All Åland Islands photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 36 × 47 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Polisen Åland. Så ansöker du om pass polisen.ax. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polisen Åland. Leverans av passfoto polisen.ax. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Police of Finland. Passport photographs poliisi.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Police of Finland. Passport photograph instructions by the police (PDF) poliisi.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior, published in Finlex. Decree 1168/2016 on photographs attached to passports and identity cards (Finnish, PDF) finlex.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Polisen Åland before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Åland Islands passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/aland-islands/passport-photo