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Algeria ID card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of the Interior (Algeria) for the Algeria ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 9 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Algeria ID card photo?

The Algerian biometric national identity card (CNIBE) follows the same photo norm as the passport: 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), in colour, on a plain white background without a border, with a face of 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown. A first application needs two recent identical photos and a renewal one. Biometric passport holders can request the card online with no paper file.

The national identity card has been a biometric electronic card since Presidential Decree 17-143 of 18 April 2017. It carries two chips, one holding administrative data and the holder's details and one for authenticating the holder in online services. In Algeria it is issued by the wali, and abroad by the head of the diplomatic or consular post. It is valid for 10 years from age 19 and for 5 years below that age.

You file the application at any commune in your wilaya of residence or at the consular post where you are registered. The file holds the signed form, a nationality certificate if you have no biometric document yet, a residence certificate in Algeria or a consular registration card abroad, and two recent, identical colour photos with a plain white background and no border. Your presence is compulsory for the collection of biometric data.

If you already hold a biometric passport, the decree spares you a second biometric collection. The ministry's portal then lets you request the card online with your national identification number and passport number; the card is printed with the details from your passport, and an SMS tells you where and when to collect it.

Algeria ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of the Interior (Algeria):[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), the Interior Ministry norm for passport and ID card photos
Digital sizeNo digital file on the paper route; the online request for biometric passport holders lists no photo upload
Head height32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the crown, hair excluded (70 to 80% of the height)
BackgroundPlain white, without a border (uni, sans contour, de couleur blanche)
ColourColour, required by Decree 17-143
Photo ageRecent, and resembling you on the day the application is filed
Print qualityIn focus, unfolded and unmarked, correctly exposed, with no shadow on the face or behind it
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm32–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 32–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain white.

Key requirements

  • Two identical photos, one for a renewal

    Articles 11 and 12 of Decree 17-143 require two recent, identical colour photos with a plain white background and no border, in Algeria and abroad alike. For a renewal, the ministry's list asks for one recent colour photo on the same white background.

  • One norm for both biometric documents

    The ministry's photo standard is titled for the biometric passport and the national identity card together. It sets 35 mm of width, 45 mm of height and a face of 32 to 36 mm, about 70 to 80% of the frame.

  • Uncovered head, nothing on the face

    The standard calls for an uncovered head with no hat, niqab or ornament. Keep your head upright, your face clear and your eyes open and fixed on the lens.

  • Neutral and in focus

    Adopt a neutral expression with lips together. The print must be sharp, free of creases and stains, and neither overexposed nor underexposed.

  • Biometric data collected in person

    Article 13 makes the applicant's presence compulsory for biometric data collection, and children under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting. Article 15 exempts holders of a biometric passport from a new collection, though they may ask to repeat it if needed.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Hand in two identical colour photos for a first card
  • Use a white background with no frame or border
  • Keep your head uncovered and upright
  • Look at the lens with your lips together
  • Request the card online if you hold a biometric passport
  • Renew within the three months before the card expires

Don't

  • Do not wear a hat, niqab or ornament in the photo
  • Do not choose thick frames or tinted lenses
  • Do not submit a creased or stained print
  • Do not let shadows fall on your face
  • Do not reuse a photo that no longer resembles you

Sample photos

How a Algeria ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

You may keep your glasses on or take them off; the standard covering ID card photos leaves the choice to you. Worn glasses need a slim frame that leaves the eyes uncovered, clear lenses without any tint or colour, and no glare on the glass.

Headwear and religious dress

The ministry's standard for identity card and passport photos requires an uncovered head, with no hat, niqab or decorative item, and an upright head with the face towards the camera. For an identity card renewal at the embassy in Amman, the photos must also show a clear forehead, a neutral face without a smile and a white background.

Babies and children

There is no minimum age: Decree 17-143 makes the card available to every Algerian citizen regardless of age, and a legal guardian signs the form for a minor. A minor's card is valid for 5 years and can be renewed when the holder turns 19.

Children under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting during biometric collection, but their photos follow the same standard: white background, head uncovered, eyes open.

The paper file uses printed photos: two for a first card and one for a renewal in Algeria. Consulates can ask for more; the embassies in Washington and Ottawa ask for three similar, recent passport-sized photographs to renew a card.

The online route for biometric passport holders asks for no new photo. According to the ministry's portal, the details printed on the card are those printed on your biometric passport, and you give your current address and a mobile number, which receives an SMS with the date and place of collection.

Where to submit the photo

In Algeria, any commune of your wilaya of residence accepts the file, and the card is handed over by the authority where you filed. An uncollected card is cancelled and destroyed six months after the collection notice.

Abroad, apply at the consular post where you are registered. The Consulate General in Paris points registered passport holders to the online request, with no administrative file and no visit, and hands over the new card at its offices on presentation of an identity document and in exchange for the old card.

How to get your Algeria ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Algeria ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, plain white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two identical photos, one for a renewal; one norm for both biometric documents; uncovered head, nothing on the face; neutral and in focus.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The paper file uses printed photos: two for a first card and one for a renewal in Algeria. Consulates can ask for more; the embassies in Washington and Ottawa ask for three similar, recent passport-sized photographs to renew a card.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Algeria, any commune of your wilaya of residence accepts the file, and the card is handed over by the authority where you filed. An uncollected card is cancelled and destroyed six months after the collection notice.

Make this photo online

Algeria ID card photo FAQ

35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in). The Interior Ministry applies one photo standard to the biometric national identity card and the passport: a plain white background without a border, and a face of 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, not counting hair.

Two recent, identical colour photos for a first card, both in Algeria and at a consulate, under Decree 17-143. The ministry's renewal list asks for one recent colour photo. Some embassies ask for more: Washington and Ottawa list three similar passport-sized photographs for a renewal.

Not if you use the online request. Holders of a biometric passport can apply on the Interior Ministry's portal with their national identification number and passport number. The card is printed with the details already on the passport, and no photo upload is listed.

The ministry's photo standard for the identity card asks for an uncovered head, without a hat, niqab or decorative item. The embassy in Amman also asks for a clear forehead. If you want to wear a headscarf, ask the commune or consulate handling your file whether it will be accepted.

In the three months before it expires, when your civil status details change, when a minor holder turns 19, or when the card is lost, damaged or stolen. A loss or theft must first be reported to the nearest security service or, abroad, to the consulate. The renewal file needs one recent colour photo.

No, not under 12. Decree 17-143 exempts children under 12 from fingerprinting during biometric collection. Their photos still follow the standard: white background without a border, uncovered head, eyes open and mouth closed.

Related photo specifications

Other Algeria documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Carte nationale d'identité (démarches administratives) interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement (Journal officiel). Journal officiel n° 25 of 2017: Décret présidentiel n° 17-143 du 18 avril 2017 joradp.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Norme relative à l'apposition des photographies d'identité sur le passeport et la carte nationale d'identité biométriques (PDF) passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Les normes des photographies fournies dans le dossier passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Demande de la carte nationale d'identité biométrique en ligne passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Consulate General of Algeria in Paris. La carte nationale d'identité cgparis.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of Algeria in Washington. Biometric documents embwashington.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Embassy of Algeria in Ottawa. Biometric documents embottawa.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. Embassy of Algeria in Amman. Biometric documents embamman.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of the Interior (Algeria) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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