Albania visa photo requirements
The 36 × 47 mm photo rules set by Albanian State Police for the Albania visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Albania visa photo?
An Albanian visa photo is 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 in), stated in Albanian law as 47 mm x 36 mm. It must have a white background, be sharply focused and be no more than 6 months old, with the applicant facing forward, expression neutral and eyes open. The same rule covers sticker visas collected at an embassy and residence permits applied for through e-Albania.
Foreigners who need a visa for Albania apply under Council of Ministers Decision No. 858 of 29 December 2021, which implements the law on foreigners. The decision allows three routes: the electronic visa system, a personal application at an Albanian consulate, or, where Albania has an agreement with another country, that country's representation. You may also apply from a country where you have lived for more than 12 months, adding a copy of a residence permit valid at least 3 months beyond the visa.
A visa can be issued in two forms. An electronic visa arrives by e-mail once approved. For a sticker visa (vizë pullë), the applicant goes in person to the diplomatic mission after approval, and the passport needs at least 2 blank pages for the sticker and at least 3 months of validity beyond the visa. Long-stay type D visas are the step before a residence permit for those who need one.
The photo rule in the decision is the same for every category: a recent picture, 47 mm by 36 mm, against white, in clear focus, showing the person from the front with a neutral expression and eyes open and visible. Residence permits use the same wording, and the employment section repeats the 47 mm x 36 mm passport photo size.
Albania visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Albanian State Police:[1]
| Print size | 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 in), written as 47 mm x 36 mm in Decision 858/2021 |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Applications on e-visa.al: 425 x 555 pixels at 300 DPI |
| Background | White (sfond të bardhë) |
| Photo age | Taken no more than 6 (six) months before the application date |
| Print quality | Visibly and clearly focused; no paper or print finish is specified |
| Pixels when printed | 425 × 555 px at 300 dpi · 850 × 1110 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- One rule for every visa category
Decision 858 lists the applicant's photograph among the basic documents for all visa types, short-stay C and long-stay D alike, so tourist, business, family and work visas all use the same picture.
- White background, sharp focus
Take the photo against a white background. It has to be visibly and clearly in focus.
- Front view, neutral expression
The person must face the camera with a neutral expression and with eyes open and visible.
- Six-month limit
Take the picture no earlier than six months before the application date. The same limit applies to the photos for a residence permit.
- Collect a sticker visa in person
After a sticker visa is approved, the applicant presents himself or herself at the diplomatic mission. Your passport must be valid at least 3 months beyond the visa and have at least 2 blank pages for the sticker.
- Residence permits use the same photo
Residence permit applications are filed online through e-Albania by the foreigner or the employer, with photos to the same 47 mm x 36 mm, white-background rule. For a unique permit renewal, e-Albania asks you to post two recent photographs and the signed form with a photo attached once the application is accepted.
- Biometric card in person
A foreigner granted a residence permit receives a biometric card and must attend in person both to apply for it and to collect it, at the IdentiTek offices of the 8 local border and migration directorates.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Check that the print measures 36 mm wide and 47 mm high
- Use a plain white background
- Keep the photo recent: no more than 6 months old
- Go to the mission with your passport to collect a sticker visa
- Keep two spare prints if you will renew a unique permit, since they are posted after acceptance
- Take a parental consent declaration for a child travelling alone or with one parent
Don't
- Do not read 47 x 36 mm as a landscape photo; the 47 mm is the height
- Do not use a coloured or patterned background
- Do not hand in a blurred or out-of-focus picture
- Do not reuse a photo older than six months
- Do not apply with a passport that lacks 2 blank pages for the sticker
Sample photos
How a Albania visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 36 × 47 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
Decision 858 asks for the applicant's own photograph, so a child applying for a visa needs a picture that meets the same rule. A minor also needs a declaration of the parents' or legal guardian's consent to the trip, written in Albanian or English; for a child travelling unaccompanied or with one parent, it must come with the birth certificate or with copies of both parents' passports.
For residence permits, IdentiTek takes the application for the biometric card of a child under 16 only in the presence of a parent, legal guardian or person authorised by a power of attorney.
Printed and digital photos
Which form you need depends on the route. On e-visa.al the photo is uploaded, and the portal expects 425 x 555 pixels, the 36 x 47 mm shape at 300 DPI. Decision 858 also allows a personal application at a consulate; ask that consulate how it wants the photo handed in.
Residence permits mix both. You upload the photo with the e-Albania application, and for a unique permit renewal you later post two photographs taken in the last six months together with the printed, signed application form that carries your photo. A digital photo cropped to 36 x 47 mm can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter for these steps.
Where to submit the photo
Visas: apply online at e-visa.al, in person at the Albanian embassy or consulate nearest to your country of origin or residence, or, where an agreement allows, at a partner country's representation. Sticker visas are collected at the mission.
Residence permits: the foreigner or the employer files online through e-Albania, and the border and migration authority decides. Where employment approval is required, the National Agency for Employment and Skills (AKPA) reviews the case online first, and where a visa is needed the foreign ministry approves it. The biometric card is then applied for and collected in person at the IdentiTek office of the local border and migration directorate, and only the applicant may collect it.
How to get your Albania visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Albania visa: 36 × 47 mm print, 425 × 555 px digital file, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one rule for every visa category; white background, sharp focus; front view, neutral expression; six-month limit.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Which form you need depends on the route. On e-visa.al the photo is uploaded, and the portal expects 425 x 555 pixels, the 36 x 47 mm shape at 300 DPI.
- Submit the photo with your application. Visas: apply online at e-visa.al, in person at the Albanian embassy or consulate nearest to your country of origin or residence, or, where an agreement allows, at a partner country's representation. Sticker visas are collected at the mission.
Albania visa photo FAQ
36 mm wide by 47 mm high (1.42 x 1.85 inches). Decision 858/2021 writes it as 47 mm x 36 mm, giving the height first, and asks for a white background, clear focus and a picture no more than six months old.
No. Both come from the same list of basic documents in Decision 858, so size, background and the six-month limit are identical. The difference comes after approval: an electronic visa is e-mailed, while a sticker visa must be collected in person at the mission.
Only in some cases. You can apply online, but if you choose a sticker visa you present yourself at the diplomatic mission after approval. The decision also allows a personal application at the consulate instead of the online system.
The same as for a visa: 47 mm x 36 mm, white background, clearly focused, taken within six months, showing you from the front with a neutral expression and eyes open. It goes with the application form that you or your employer file online through e-Albania.
According to the e-Albania guide for unique permit renewal, once the application is accepted you post two photographs taken in the last six months, together with the uploaded documents, the fee payment slip, a copy of the travel document and the printed, signed form with your photo applied to it.
Yes, if you have lived there for more than 12 months. Add a copy of your residence permit, valid for at least 3 months beyond the visa you are asking for. Online applications can be made from any country outside Albania.
At the IdentiTek office of the border and migration directorate where you applied. You attend in person to apply for the biometric card and to collect it, and nobody else may collect it for you. IdentiTek's checklist for the card asks for the coupon and an identity document.
Related photo specifications
Other Albania documents
- Passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- eVisa photo 36 × 47 mm
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Albania eVisa photo 36 × 47 mm
- Bosnia and Herzegovina visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Croatia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cyprus visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Italy visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Portugal visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Serbia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Spain visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 36 × 47 mm
- Åland Islands passport 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 Albania photo specifications
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 36 × 47 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Albanian State Police. Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 858 of 29.12.2021 (consolidated text) asp.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania. Visa regime for foreign citizens punetejashtme.gov.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Online Consular Services. e-Visa portal e-visa.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- e-Albania / State Police. Request for Unique Permit renewal (service guide) e-albania.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
- IdentiTek sh.a.. Procedura e Aplikimit: Leje Qëndrimi identitek.al. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Albanian State Police before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Albania visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/albania/visa-photo