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Argentina DNI (national identity card) photo requirements

The 40 × 40 mm photo rules set by Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER) for the Argentina DNI (national identity card), with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Argentina DNI (national identity card) photo?

For the Argentine DNI you normally supply no photo: RENAPER captures your photo, fingerprints and signature at the Registro Civil, Documentation Centre or consulate where you apply. Printed photos are needed only at a consulate without RENAPER's digital intake system: two 4 x 4 cm (40 x 40 mm) photos, front view, head and upper torso, white background, without glasses or hat. The DNI in the Mi Argentina app is a digital copy, not a renewal.

The Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) is Argentina's identity card, issued by RENAPER to citizens and to foreign residents. Parents apply for the first one after a baby is born, and the card must be updated between 5 and 8 years of age and again from 14. A new copy is needed after a change of address, loss, theft, damage or expiry. From age 14 a DNI is valid for 15 years, and a valid card lets you enter the countries of the extended MERCOSUR.

In Argentina you apply at the Registro Civil nearest your home or at a RENAPER Documentation Centre booked through the Mi Argentina app; mobile units also take applications. Abroad, the DNI is handled by the document-intake offices of Argentine consulates. RENAPER treats the photo as biometric data collected during the visit, and a new card shows your address, photo and signature as they were on the day of the application.

The exception is a consulate that does not have RENAPER's digital intake system. There, applicants bring two printed 4 x 4 cm photos with the rest of their documents. RENAPER has also begun issuing an electronic DNI in polycarbonate with a contactless chip (Disposición 55/2026); changing to it is optional.

Argentina DNI (national identity card) photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER):[1]

Print sizeIn Argentina none; consulates without RENAPER's digital system: two 4 x 4 cm (40 x 40 mm) prints
Digital sizeNo digital file: no DNI channel accepts an uploaded photo
BackgroundWhite, for consular prints; otherwise the office captures the photo
Pixels when printed472 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm40 mm
40 × 40 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: white.

Key requirements

  • Biometrics are captured at the office

    RENAPER collects the photo at the appointment together with fingerprints and signature. If an impairment or other condition prevents any of them from being taken, it asks for a medical certificate.

  • Printed photos only at some consulates

    Where a consulate lacks RENAPER's digital intake system, you add two 4 x 4 cm photos to your documents. They must face the front, show the head and upper torso, and have a white background.

  • No glasses or hat on those prints

    Cancillería's rule for the consular prints excludes glasses and hats. It sets no rule on colour, paper type or how recently the photo was taken.

  • Updates refresh the photo

    The update between 5 and 8 years keeps a child's biometric information, meaning signature, photo and fingerprints, up to date. The update from 14 refreshes the data again and adds the holder to the electoral roll.

  • Mi Argentina holds a digital copy

    The app books appointments at RENAPER Documentation Centres and carries the DNI en tu celular. That digital card mirrors your existing DNI after biometric validation of your account, does not replace the plastic card and lasts until you process your next DNI.

  • The electronic card is optional

    In the new electronic DNI the information and photo are fused into the polycarbonate instead of being printed on top. Current DNIs remain valid, so you only receive the new format when you next apply for a copy.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Bring your current DNI, or a police report if it was stolen.
  • Book a Documentation Centre in Mi Argentina, or go to your local Registro Civil.
  • Take children under 14 with a parent or legal representative and that adult's DNI.
  • Ask your consulate whether it has RENAPER's digital intake before printing photos.
  • Use a white background and frame the head and upper torso for consular prints.
  • Bring a medical certificate if a condition prevents photo, fingerprints or signature.

Don't

  • Do not wear glasses in printed photos for a consulate.
  • Do not wear a hat in printed photos for a consulate.
  • Do not treat the DNI en tu celular as a renewal: it copies your current card.
  • Do not skip the 5 to 8 and 14 updates; they keep the photo current.
  • Do not apply at a consulate outside the district where you live.

Sample photos

How a Argentina DNI (national identity card) photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 40 mm 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

The only published glasses rule for the DNI covers printed photos handed in at a consulate without RENAPER's digital intake: those photos must be taken without glasses. For pictures captured at a Registro Civil or Documentation Centre, RENAPER publishes no separate rule, so follow the instructions of the staff taking the photo.

Headwear and religious dress

Printed photos for a consulate must also be taken without a hat. RENAPER publishes no rule on religious head coverings for the DNI capture. If you wear one, ask the office or consulate before the appointment how the photo will be taken.

Babies and children

A baby's first DNI is applied for from birth up to six months of age by a parent or legal representative, at a Registro Civil or Documentation Centre. It is free and valid for 5 years. If a newborn cannot provide biometric data such as a photo, fingerprint or signature, a medical certificate explains why.

Between 5 and 8 years the DNI is updated so that the child's signature, photo and fingerprints are current, and the card then lasts until the update at 14. Children under 14 come with the father, mother or legal representative and that adult's DNI; from 14 a young person can attend without an adult. Abroad, minors also present their birth certificate.

There is no upload route for the DNI photo. In Argentina the image is captured on site, and on the electronic card it is fused into the polycarbonate. The DNI en tu celular in Mi Argentina shows the card you already hold and is valid until you process your next DNI; it has the same uses as the card except voting and travel abroad.

Printed photos come into play only abroad, at a consulate without RENAPER's digital system. A digital photo cropped to 4 x 4 cm on a white background can be printed on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter, which gives you more than the two copies needed.

Where to submit the photo

In Argentina: go to the Registro Civil in your area, or book a RENAPER Documentation Centre through Mi Argentina and bring the booking confirmation and, if already paid, the payment receipt. Keep the application receipt to follow the card online; it is posted to your address or collected at the office with that receipt.

Abroad: apply in person at the consulate for the district where you live, with your previous DNI (a copy is accepted if it was lost) or a police or consular report if it was stolen. If you have no DNI, bring another identity document showing your photo and fingerprints. You collect the new card at the same consulate on the date it gives you.

How to get your Argentina DNI (national identity card) photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Argentina DNI (national identity card): 40 × 40 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: biometrics are captured at the office; printed photos only at some consulates; no glasses or hat on those prints; updates refresh the photo.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no upload route for the DNI photo. In Argentina the image is captured on site, and on the electronic card it is fused into the polycarbonate.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Argentina: go to the Registro Civil in your area, or book a RENAPER Documentation Centre through Mi Argentina and bring the booking confirmation and, if already paid, the payment receipt.

Make this photo online

Argentina DNI (national identity card) photo FAQ

No. At a Registro Civil or RENAPER Documentation Centre your photo, fingerprints and signature are captured during the appointment, and the new card shows them as they were on that day. You bring your DNI, or a police report if it was stolen.

Only consulates without RENAPER's digital intake system ask for photos. They want two prints of 4 x 4 cm (40 x 40 mm), taken from the front, showing the head and upper torso against a white background, without glasses or a hat. Ask your consulate which case applies before you print.

No. Mi Argentina books appointments and stores the DNI en tu celular, a digital version of the card you already have. That digital copy works like the card except for voting and travel abroad, and it lapses when you process your next DNI. A new card still requires an in-person visit.

Not in printed photos for a consulate: Cancillería requires them without glasses. For photos captured at a RENAPER office no separate glasses rule is published, so follow the instructions of the staff taking the picture.

RENAPER says the 5 to 8 update keeps the child's biometric information current: signature, photo and fingerprints. A parent or legal representative goes with the child and shows their own DNI, and the new card lasts until the update at 14.

No. RENAPER states that the change is not compulsory and current documents remain valid. The electronic DNI, set out in Disposición 55/2026, is made of polycarbonate with a contactless chip, and its photo is fused into the material.

Bring a medical certificate. RENAPER's requirements ask for one when an impairment, alteration or exception affects the taking of biometric data, which it lists as photo, fingerprint or signature.

Related photo specifications

Other Argentina documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 40 × 40 mm

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Official sources

  1. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). Tramitar un nuevo ejemplar de DNI argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). Tramitar un nuevo ejemplar de DNI para argentinos en el exterior argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). Tramitar el DNI de recién nacido argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). Actualizar el DNI entre los 5 y los 8 años argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). Actualizar el DNI de 14 años argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). Preguntas frecuentes | DNI argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). DNI en tu celular argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). Nuevo DNI electrónico argentina.gob.ar. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Argentina DNI (national identity card) photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/argentina/dni-photo

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