Algeria passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of the Interior (Algeria) for the Algeria passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Algeria passport photo?
An Algerian passport photo measures 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), in colour, on a plain white background with no border. The face, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull without hair, must measure 32 to 36 mm, or 70 to 80% of the picture. The Interior Ministry's norm asks for a bare head held straight, eyes on the lens, a neutral expression with the mouth closed, and a recent photo that still looks like you.
Algeria's biometric electronic passport is issued by the Ministry of the Interior, Local Authorities and Transport. Residents of Algeria file the application at a commune in their wilaya of residence; Algerians living abroad apply through the consular post where they are registered. The passport is valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors.
The photo rules come from the ministry's photo norm for biometric passports and identity cards, which is published on its passport portal and reproduced on the application form: 35 x 45 mm, a white background, and a face of 32 to 36 mm. The paper file contains printed photos. The ministry's current checklist asks for two identical colour photos, while consulates can ask for more, such as four for a first passport at the Consulate General in Paris.
Digital photos are also used. The ministry's online pre-application lets you fill in and print the form, upload a digital photo, choose an enrolment site and book an appointment there. If the photo in a filed application is later judged non-compliant, you are told by SMS or on the tracking page and can upload a replacement without travelling.
Algeria passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of the Interior (Algeria):[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in); the Washington embassy's current passport page asks for 2 x 2 in |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Online pre-application and replacement uploads take a digital photo; no pixel size or file limit is published |
| Head height | 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair excluded (70 to 80% of the photo) |
| Background | Plain white, uniform, with no border and no shadow |
| Colour | Colour; the checklists ask for colour photos and the norm strongly recommends colour |
| Photo age | Recent and a true likeness on the day you apply; no older than six months at the Washington embassy |
| Print quality | Sharp, with no folds or marks; neither over- nor under-exposed; no shadow on the face or background |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Face 32 to 36 mm
Measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, not counting hair, the face must fill 32 to 36 mm of the 45 mm height. The norm puts this at 70 to 80% of the picture, and the application form shows it on a diagram with a marked eye zone.
- White background without a border
The background must be plain, uniform and white, with no frame or border around the photo. Contrast must be correct, and no shadow may fall on the face or on the background behind it.
- Bare head, straight to the lens
The ministry's norm wants the head uncovered, with no headwear, niqab or decorative object, held straight with the face turned to the camera. The 2011 order on the application file adds that the photo must not hide any feature of the face.
- Neutral expression, eyes open
Look straight into the lens with a neutral expression and your mouth closed. Your face must be clear of obstructions and both eyes fully visible and open.
- Sharp and correctly exposed
A blurred print, or one that is folded or marked, does not meet the norm. The picture must be neither too light nor too dark.
- Rejected photos can be replaced online
If your photo is found non-compliant after filing, the ministry's replacement service lets you enter your application number, wilaya and filing date and upload a new photo. The file must come from a professional photographer, in electronic form on removable media.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Use a plain white background with no border
- Keep the face between 32 and 36 mm from chin to the top of the skull
- Look straight into the lens with your mouth closed
- Bring identical colour photos from the same sitting
- Check how many photos your consulate wants before you print
- Upload a professional photographer's file if your photo is rejected
Don't
- Do not wear a hat, niqab or decorative item on your head
- Do not smile or open your mouth
- Do not wear tinted or coloured lenses or thick frames
- Do not hand in a folded, marked or blurred print
- Do not use a photo with shadows on the face or background
- Do not use an old photo that no longer looks like you
Sample photos
How a Algeria passport 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are optional. The Interior Ministry's norm says you are not obliged to wear them in the photo; if you do, the frame must not be thick, it must not hide the eyes, the lenses must be neither tinted nor coloured, and there must be no reflection on them.
Consulates word it differently. The embassy in Washington accepts no glasses of any kind except prescription eyewear, and the Consulate General in London advises applicants to take their glasses off, since flash glare and frames can spoil the photo, and refuses dark, tinted or mirrored lenses.
Headwear and religious dress
The Interior Ministry's photo norm for passports and identity cards asks for a bare head: no hat or other headwear, no niqab and no decorative object. The head must be straight and the face turned towards the lens, and the 2011 order on the application file says the photo is taken so that no feature of the face is hidden.
Some consulates describe their own practice. The Consulate General in London refuses hats and head coverings but makes an exception for a woman's veil, provided every facial feature stays clearly visible. The embassy in Amman asks for a clear forehead. If you intend to wear a headscarf, confirm with the office handling your file before you print.
Babies and children
Every child needs a passport of their own: minors can no longer be added to a parent's passport, and a minor's passport is valid for 5 years. The legal guardian signs the form for the child, and the Washington embassy also asks for written authorisation from the father or legal guardian for applicants under 19.
Fingerprints are taken only from age 12. Abroad, children under 12 need not attend the filing; under the 2015 order for Algerians abroad, the consulate certifies that their documents comply, and the Paris consulate lets them stay away only if the photos in their file are compliant. The norm makes no exception for children, so a child's photo needs the same white background, open eyes and closed mouth.
Printed and digital photos
Printed photos are part of every paper file. For applications in Algeria the ministry's current list asks for two identical, recent colour photos on a plain white background without a border. The 2015 order for Algerians abroad asks for four colour photos meeting the biometric norm, one of them to be scanned; the Paris consulate wants four for a first passport and two for a renewal, and the embassy in Riyadh four.
Digital photos come in at two points: the online pre-application, where you upload a digital photo before your appointment, and the replacement service for rejected photos. No pixel size or file limit is published for either. Since 24 June 2026, nationals registered with the Consulate General in Paris can also renew remotely on a new ministry platform by uploading the required documents; the ministry's announcement gives no separate photo specification.
A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
In Algeria, take the file to any commune in your wilaya of residence. You must attend in person: the 2011 order requires your presence for the filing and for the digital capture of your fingerprints, identity photo and signature. You can follow the application on the passport portal and must collect the passport yourself after an SMS tells you it is ready.
Abroad, apply at the consular post where you are registered; Washington books the biometric enrolment by telephone. Passports are produced in Algeria. Anyone aged 12 or over must attend both filing and collection, and a passport left uncollected is destroyed six months after the collection notice.
How to get your Algeria passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Algeria passport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: face 32 to 36 mm; white background without a border; bare head, straight to the lens; neutral expression, eyes open.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Printed photos are part of every paper file. For applications in Algeria the ministry's current list asks for two identical, recent colour photos on a plain white background without a border.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Algeria, take the file to any commune in your wilaya of residence. You must attend in person: the 2011 order requires your presence for the filing and for the digital capture of your fingerprints, identity photo and signature.
Algeria passport photo FAQ
35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), with the face measuring 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, excluding hair. That is the Interior Ministry's norm, also printed on the application form. One exception: the embassy in Washington's current passport page asks for 2 x 2 inch photos, so follow your consulate if it states a different size.
The Interior Ministry's norm asks for a bare head with no headwear or niqab, and the photo must not hide any feature of the face. The Consulate General in London accepts a woman's veil as long as all facial features are clearly visible. Because practice varies, ask the office that will take your file before you have photos made.
Yes, but you do not have to. If you keep them on, the frame must be thin and must not cover the eyes, the lenses must be clear rather than tinted or coloured, and there must be no glare on them. The Washington embassy accepts prescription glasses only.
In Algeria the Interior Ministry's current checklist asks for two identical colour photos. Abroad, the 2015 order asks for four, one of which is scanned, and consulates set their own counts: Paris asks for four for a first passport and two for a renewal, Riyadh four, and Washington two.
No. The norm asks you to look into the lens with a neutral expression and your mouth closed. Your eyes must be open and fully visible, and your head straight rather than tilted.
You are notified by SMS, by the enrolment site or on the application tracking page. You can then upload a new compliant digital photo on the ministry's passport portal, giving your application number, wilaya, filing office and filing date, without travelling. The ministry asks for the file to come from a professional photographer on removable media.
Children under 12 give no fingerprints. Abroad, under-12s need not attend the filing, and the consulate checks their documents; the Paris consulate allows this only if the photos in the child's file are compliant. From age 12, the child must attend both filing and collection.
Related photo specifications
Other Algeria documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
Passports nearby
- Egypt passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Libya passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Morocco passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Sudan passport photo
- Tunisia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia return certificate photo 35 × 45 mm
- Aruba passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Australia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Australia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Australia NSW driver licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Algeria photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Les normes des photographies fournies dans le dossier passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- 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.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Passeport biométrique algérien: online services passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Chargement de la nouvelle photo biométrique passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Passeport (démarches administratives) interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Formulaire de demande du passeport et de la carte nationale d'identité (PDF) interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Arrêté du 25 mai 2011 relatif au dossier de demande de la carte nationale d'identité et du passeport (PDF) passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement (Journal officiel). Journal officiel n° 24 of 2015: arrêté interministériel du 23 avril 2015 (passport file for Algerians abroad) joradp.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Launch of the remote biometric passport renewal service interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Algeria in London. Passport photo requirements cglondon.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Algeria in Washington. Biometric passport embwashington.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Algeria in Paris. Première délivrance de passeport cgparis.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Algeria in Riyadh. Biometric documents embriyadh.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- 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 passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/algeria/passport-photo