Albania passport photo requirements
The 40 × 50 mm photo rules set by IdentiTek sh.a. for the Albania passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Albania passport photo?
Most Albanian passport applicants need no photo: the picture in the biometric passport is captured at the appointment, where your fingerprints are also taken. The printed photo the rules mention is 40 x 50 mm (1.57 x 1.97 in). IdentiTek asks for one with a first application at an Albanian embassy or consulate, and for two from applicants abroad whose last biometric passport was issued before 31 December 2011.
Albanian passports are biometric documents issued under the authority of the State Police, whose district directorates hand over the passports applied for in Albania. Applications are taken by IdentiTek, a company with 100% state capital that reports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and registers, produces and distributes Albania's biometric documents. Before you go, buy an application coupon through IdentiTek's e-Kupon service or at an Albanian Post office. A first application in Albania also needs the State Police self-declaration form, completed online on e-Albania, and is made at the IdentiTek office of the municipality or administrative unit that holds your civil status record.
Abroad, IdentiTek and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs offer passport applications at 15 Albanian embassies and consulates. You book the appointment through e-Albania, attend in person and collect the passport at the same mission. The London consulate tells applicants to come on the chosen date to pay and give fingerprints, and the Berlin embassy says there is no need to bring photos, because its own system takes the picture digitally on the spot.
Prints come in only with the paperwork. For a first passport applied for at a mission, IdentiTek lists a photograph 40 mm wide and 50 mm high next to the self-declaration form, which the mission completes and forwards to the Albanian police. Passports are valid for 10 years from the age of 16 and for 5 years below that age.
Albania passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by IdentiTek sh.a.:[1]
| Print size | 40 x 50 mm (1.57 x 1.97 in), for applications at a mission that need a printed photo |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload size published: the passport image is captured digitally at the application counter |
| Background | No colour published for the 40 x 50 mm print; London asks for white on its emergency travel document photo |
| Pixels when printed | 472 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Image captured at the appointment
The Berlin embassy states that you do not need to bring photos with you, because the photo is taken directly and digitally by the embassy's system. On the same visit you give your fingerprints and sign in the digital system.
- One 40 x 50 mm print for a first application abroad
IdentiTek's checklist for a first passport at an embassy or consulate includes a photograph 40 mm wide and 50 mm high, alongside the coupon, the appointment booked on e-Albania and the State Police self-declaration form, which is filled in at the mission.
- Two prints for pre-2012 passports abroad
If your last biometric passport was issued before 31 December 2011, you must complete the self-declaration form again even though it is a renewal. Abroad, the form is completed at the mission, where 2 photographs must be handed in.
- No print listed for applications in Albania
In Albania the self-declaration is filed online on e-Albania. IdentiTek's checklists for first and repeat applications there ask for the coupon, the form where required, the old passport for a renewal and a valid electronic ID card, with no printed photo.
- Attend in person
Fingerprints are taken at the appointment, so the applicant has to be there. London asks you to come on the date and time you selected in e-Albania; Berlin says you must present yourself at the embassy on the appointment day.
- Children apply with a parent
Applicants under 16 apply, and collect the passport, in the presence of a parent, a legal guardian or a person holding a power of attorney that states this authority. Their passports are valid for 5 years.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Buy the application coupon through e-Kupon or at an Albanian Post office
- Complete the State Police self-declaration form on e-Albania before a first application in Albania
- Book a consulate appointment through e-Albania if you live abroad
- Take a 40 x 50 mm photo to a first application at an embassy or consulate
- Bring your current passport and ID card to the appointment
- Register a child born abroad with the Albanian civil status office before applying
Don't
- Do not buy prints for a renewal in Albania; IdentiTek's checklist asks for none
- Do not send someone in your place; fingerprints are taken from the applicant
- Do not wait for an appointment at an IdentiTek office in Albania; none is needed
- Do not count on paying cash in London or Berlin; London takes bank cards and Berlin bank transfers
- Do not leave your old passport at home; Berlin will not have the new one produced without it
Sample photos
How a Albania passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 50 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Babies and children
Applicants under 16 must apply, and later collect the passport, in the presence of a parent, legal guardian or person authorised by a power of attorney that states this authority. IdentiTek's FAQ lists a valid identity document of the parent, the electronic coupon and the family certificate. A passport issued before the 16th birthday is valid for 5 years.
For a first child passport at a mission, IdentiTek lists the same 40 x 50 mm photograph as for adults. The Berlin embassy asks the child to be present on the appointment day with at least one parent, a legal guardian or a representative with a special power of attorney, and a child born abroad must first be registered with the civil status office in Albania. The London consulate points out that passports cannot be issued for children who have not been registered.
Printed and digital photos
There is no photo upload for an Albanian passport. The image in the passport is recorded at the counter, so a print matters only where the paperwork asks for one: a first application at a mission (one photo, 40 x 50 mm) or a renewal abroad by someone whose last biometric passport predates 2012 (two photos).
The checklists give the size of these prints but no background, head size or age limit. The nearest published Albanian consular rule is London's photo for an emergency travel document: 40 x 50 mm, white background, clear face. If in doubt, ask your mission. A digital photo cropped to 40 x 50 mm can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
In Albania, first applications go to the IdentiTek office at the municipality or administrative unit where you have civil status. Repeat applications for an expired or damaged passport can be made at any IdentiTek application office, except for people last issued a biometric passport before 31 December 2011, who must use the office for their civil status. No appointment is needed. The finished passport is collected from the State Police directorate in the district where you applied, with the collection slip handed over at the counter.
Abroad, book through e-Albania at one of the 15 embassies or consulates that take passport applications, buy the coupon online or at the mission, and collect the passport at the same mission. Some embassies also send mobile teams: Athens, for example, runs consular days on Greek islands, for which you apply on e-Albania and then e-mail the consulate.
How to get your Albania passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Albania passport: 40 × 50 mm print, no colour published for the 40 x 50 mm print background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: image captured at the appointment; one 40 x 50 mm print for a first application abroad; two prints for pre-2012 passports abroad; no print listed for applications in Albania.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no photo upload for an Albanian passport.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Albania, first applications go to the IdentiTek office at the municipality or administrative unit where you have civil status.
Albania passport photo FAQ
Usually not. The facial image is recorded at the appointment, and the Berlin embassy tells applicants plainly that photos are unnecessary. Bring one 40 x 50 mm print only for a first passport applied for at an embassy or consulate, and two if you apply abroad and your last biometric passport was issued before 31 December 2011.
Where a print is required, IdentiTek gives the size as 40 mm wide and 50 mm high (1.57 x 1.97 inches). It publishes no head size or background colour for that print. The picture in the passport itself is taken digitally at the counter, so you do not supply it.
IdentiTek's checklists for applying in Albania list no printed photo, and Albania's People's Advocate describes having the photographs taken as one of the passport steps an applicant must attend in person. Arrive ready to be photographed.
It is the form completed by first-time applicants and by people whose last biometric passport was issued before 31 December 2011. In Albania it is filled in online on e-Albania under the service for electronic ID cards and passports. At a mission it is completed on site and sent to the Albanian police, and the mission checklist adds a printed photo.
Yes. IdentiTek and the foreign ministry offer passport applications at 15 Albanian embassies and consulates. Book through e-Albania, attend in person to give fingerprints, and collect the passport from the same mission. Since October 2024 citizens abroad can apply for a passport without also applying for an ID card.
Ten years if you are 16 or older when you apply, and five years for children under 16. IdentiTek suggests renewing 3 to 6 months before the expiry date, depending on the country you plan to visit.
Not in Albania. IdentiTek says no advance booking is needed and you can come with your documents during working hours. Embassies and consulates abroad work by appointment, booked through e-Albania.
Related photo specifications
Other Albania documents
- eVisa photo 36 × 47 mm
- Visa photo 36 × 47 mm
Passports nearby
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Croatia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cyprus passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Gibraltar passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Greece passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Italy passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Malta passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Portugal passport photo
- San Marino passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Slovenia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 40 × 50 mm
- Afghanistan passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Belarus passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Belarus driving licence photo 40 × 50 mm
- Belarus residence permit photo 40 × 50 mm
- Colombia ID card photo 40 × 50 mm
- Colombia nationality photo 40 × 50 mm
- Cyprus passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Dominican Republic visa photo 40 × 50 mm
- Estonia passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Estonia ID card photo 40 × 50 mm
- All Albania photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 40 × 50 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- IdentiTek sh.a.. Procedura e Aplikimit (passport, ID card and residence permit checklists) identitek.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- IdentiTek sh.a.. Pyetjet më të shpeshta (FAQ) identitek.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- IdentiTek sh.a.. Rreth Nesh (company status) identitek.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Germany. Pasaportat dhe Kartat ID ambasadat.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Albania in the United Kingdom. Frequently asked questions ambasadat.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Albania in the United Kingdom. Consular services ambasadat.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Greece. Project Islands 2026: consular services in the Greek islands ambasadat.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Media and Information Agency, Albania. Albanians abroad can apply for electronic ID or passport separately mia.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Media and Information Agency, Albania. IdentiTek: ID issuance time reduced from 14 days to 3 days mia.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Italy. Biometric documents can be applied for separately (25 October 2024) ambasadat.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- People's Advocate (Avokati i Popullit). Elderly unable to apply on e-Albania after biometric passport expiry (Instruction No. 289/2020) avokatipopullit.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with IdentiTek sh.a. before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Albania passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/albania/passport-photo