Austria residence permit photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt) for the Austria residence permit, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Austria residence permit photo?
An Austrian residence title (Aufenthaltstitel) needs one colour photo of 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) that is no older than six months on the day the authority decides, not just on the day you apply. The head fills about two-thirds of the height, at most 36 mm, with the eyes at least 8 mm apart, against a plain light background. The card stores the photo and your fingerprints on a chip.
Residence titles for non-EU nationals, such as the Red-White-Red Card, the EU Blue Card or a permit for family reunification, are granted under Austria's Settlement and Residence Act. A Red-White-Red Card or Blue Card can be applied for in person at the competent Austrian embassy or consulate in your home country or country of residence, or, after lawful entry and during a lawful stay, in person at the competent residence authority in Austria. The title is issued as an electronic residence title: a plastic card like a credit card, with a chip holding your personal data, your photo and your fingerprints. You must collect it yourself, unless a legal representative does so for you.
Section 2a of the implementing regulation (NAG-DV) sets the photo rules. They mirror the passport rules, colour, portrait format, a plain light background, a head about two-thirds of the frame and eyes at least 8 mm apart, with one twist: the photo must not be older than six months at the time of the decision. The application forms published on migration.gv.at repeat the size in a box at the top of the first page: 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, maximum head height 36 mm, minimum eye distance 8 mm, ideally 10 mm.
One group follows a different rule. Relatives of EU or Swiss citizens who are themselves non-EU nationals apply for a residence card rather than a residence title, and oesterreich.gv.at lists a recent photo of 35 x 45 mm up to 40 x 50 mm for that card.
Austria residence permit photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt):[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), portrait; residence card for EU citizens' relatives: 35 x 45 to 40 x 50 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: hand in one printed photo with the paper application |
| Head height | About two-thirds of the photo, maximum 36 mm (roughly 30 to 36 mm, chin to crown) |
| Eye line | Eye distance at least 8 mm (ideally 10 mm); frontal view with uncovered eyes |
| Background | Single light colour without any pattern |
| Colour | Colour; black-and-white photos are not accepted for residence titles |
| Photo age | No older than 6 months at the time of the decision |
| Print quality | Smooth, glossy paper with no surface texture; no damage, dirt or unnatural colours |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Six months at decision time
The NAG-DV measures the photo's age on the day the authority decides, not the day you hand it in. Because residence procedures can take months, a photo that was new when you applied can be too old by the time the decision is made, so do not reuse an old print for a new application.
- Size printed on the form
The photo box on the application forms gives the measurements to check: 35 mm wide, 45 mm high, a head no taller than 36 mm and at least 8 mm between the eyes, ideally 10 mm. The forms call it an EU passport photo, the same format the BMI uses for Austrian passports.
- Only you, on a plain light background
The photo may show nobody but the applicant, and no objects. The background must be a single light colour without a pattern; the BMI, whose criteria also cover residence titles, names grey as the ideal.
- Frontal, uncovered eyes, natural skin
Face the camera straight on with your eyes uncovered and a neutral expression. A tilted or turned head is not allowed, and skin tones should look as natural as possible.
- Even light, sharp focus
The face must be evenly lit, sharp in every area, high in contrast and clear. Avoid shadows on the face and reflections, including reflections on glasses.
- Paper and condition
Use smooth, glossy paper without a surface structure. The print must not be damaged, dirty or show unnatural colours, and the BMI confirms that black-and-white photos cannot be used for residence titles.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Take a fresh photo for each new application or renewal.
- Measure the head: no more than 36 mm from chin to crown.
- Use a light background with no pattern, ideally grey.
- Check the photo box on your form for the size before printing.
- Plan to collect the card in person.
Don't
- Do not submit a photo that will be over six months old when your case is decided.
- Do not tilt or turn your head.
- Do not include another person, even with a small child.
- Do not use matt or textured photo paper.
- Do not hand in a black-and-white or discoloured print.
Sample photos
How a Austria residence permit 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 may stay on in a residence title photo. The NAG-DV says only that for people who wear glasses the eyes must be clearly and distinctly visible, and that reflections must be avoided. The BMI criteria, which also apply to residence titles, spell out what that means: no glare on the lenses, no tinted lenses or sunglasses, and no frame or lens edge across the eyes.
Headwear and religious dress
Head coverings are allowed only for medical or religious reasons, both in the NAG-DV and in the BMI criteria. A cap, hat or other headwear worn for any other reason must be removed.
If you wear a covering for religious or medical reasons, the BMI asks that your face stay recognisable from the lower edge of the chin to the forehead, without shadows on it.
Babies and children
Children are not exempt from the photo rules. The NAG-DV allows exceptions only to the head, eye and pose requirements, where a person's stage of development or physical condition calls for them. Unlike the passport regulation, it does not relax the rule that the photo shows only the applicant against a plain light background, so even a baby must be photographed alone.
The application forms leave space for the signature of a legal representative, and a legal representative may collect the finished card on a child's behalf instead of the child collecting it.
Printed and digital photos
Residence title applications are paper-based, and the photo is a print. The forms reserve a box on the first page for one EU passport photo, and the regulation requires smooth, glossy paper without surface structure. No electronic photo route for residence titles is described on migration.gv.at or in the BMI's forms, unlike the eBild codes some passport authorities accept.
If your photo was taken digitally, it can be printed at exactly 35 x 45 mm on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter. For the residence card issued to relatives of EU citizens, anything from 35 x 45 mm to 40 x 50 mm is listed, so the standard passport format fits both.
Where to submit the photo
For a Red-White-Red Card or an EU Blue Card, apply in person at the competent Austrian embassy or consulate in your home country or country of residence. After lawful entry, and while your stay is lawful, the application can also be made in person at the competent residence authority in Austria. The forms include a box for the embassy to note whether it took your fingerprints.
Relatives of EU or Swiss citizens apply in person for the residence card at the settlement authority for their main residence: the district authority, the Magistrat in a city with its own statute, the MA 35 department in Vienna or, in Graz, the Styrian provincial government. Collection of a residence title in person is required, with an exception for legal representatives.
How to get your Austria residence permit photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Austria residence permit: 35 × 45 mm print, single light colour without any pattern background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: six months at decision time; size printed on the form; only you, on a plain light background; frontal, uncovered eyes, natural skin.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Residence title applications are paper-based, and the photo is a print. The forms reserve a box on the first page for one EU passport photo, and the regulation requires smooth, glossy paper without surface structure.
- Submit the photo with your application. For a Red-White-Red Card or an EU Blue Card, apply in person at the competent Austrian embassy or consulate in your home country or country of residence.
Austria residence permit photo FAQ
One colour photo, 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Austrian official pages often write it as 45 x 35 mm, height first, which is the same size. The head may be no taller than 36 mm, and the eyes at least 8 mm apart.
It must not be older than six months on the date the authority decides your application. oesterreich.gv.at and migration.gv.at describe it as a photo no older than half a year, and the NAG-DV ties that limit to the decision date.
Slightly. For the residence card and permanent residence card issued to non-EU relatives of EU or Swiss citizens, oesterreich.gv.at lists a recent photo between 35 x 45 mm and 40 x 50 mm. A standard 35 x 45 mm photo fits both that card and the residence title.
Yes. The BMI says the electronic residence title has a chip on which personal data and biometric features, the photo and fingerprints, are stored. When you apply abroad, the embassy records on the form whether it took your fingerprints.
Yes, if you wear it for religious or medical reasons. Your face must still be visible from the bottom of the chin to the forehead, with your eyes uncovered and no shadows on the face.
Yes. The application forms state that the applicant must collect the residence title in person, with an exception for a legal representative, such as a parent collecting a child's card.
Often, since both use the 35 x 45 mm format. The residence title photo must still be under six months old when the decision is made and must meet the NAG-DV rules, including smooth glossy paper and a plain light background.
Related photo specifications
Other Austria documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Civil engineer ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- ÖBB card photo
- Weapons passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bicycle passport photo 25 × 30 mm
- E-card photo 35 × 45 mm
Residence and work permits nearby
- Belgium residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belarus residence permit photo 40 × 50 mm
- Bulgaria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Estonia aliens passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Finland residence permit photo 36 × 47 mm
- Ireland employment permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ireland irish Residence Permit (IRP) card photo
- Moldova work permit photo 50 × 60 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit 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
- All Austria photo specifications
- Residence and work permits: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt). General conditions for the issue of residence permits oesterreich.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
- oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt). Relatives of EU citizens and Swiss nationals who are third-country nationals oesterreich.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS). Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz-Durchführungsverordnung (NAG-DV), § 2a Lichtbild ris.bka.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
- migration.gv.at (Austrian Federal Government). Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels "Blaue Karte EU" (form) migration.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
- migration.gv.at (Austrian Federal Government). Unterlagen für die Antragstellung migration.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
- migration.gv.at (Austrian Federal Government). Fragen & Antworten migration.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI). Niederlassung und Aufenthalt bmi.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI). Passbild-Kriterien bmi.gv.at. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Austria residence permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/austria/residence-permit-photo