Austria weapons passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt) for the Austria weapons passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Austria weapons passport photo?
The federal portal lists just one photo (Lichtbild) for an Austrian weapons passport and gives no size. Upper Austrian district authorities ask for a biometric photo no older than six months, and the Austrian biometric passport standard is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) in colour on a plain light background. You apply in person at the weapons authority for your main residence, usually by appointment.
The weapons passport (Waffenpass) is the Austrian document that allows its holder to carry firearms, not just acquire and keep them. A category B weapons passport covers category B firearms and also category C; a separate category C weapons passport exists, and hunters may carry their category C hunting weapons without one. A newly issued weapons passport is limited to five years, after which an unlimited one can be issued on application.
The conditions are strict. You must be a reliable EEA citizen, generally at least 25 for category B or 21 for category C, show a need to carry the weapon, pass a psychological assessment unless you hold a valid hunting card, and prove that you can handle firearms safely, usually with a training certificate from a gun dealer. The documents to bring include official photo ID, your birth certificate, proof of citizenship and one photo.
The same single line, "Ein Lichtbild" (one photo), appears for the weapons ownership card (Waffenbesitzkarte), which allows acquiring and keeping but not carrying, and for the European firearms pass. Neither the federal portal nor the weapons regulation that sets out the document models states a photo size, so the instructions of regional authorities are the best guide.
Austria weapons passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt):[1]
| Print size | No size published; Upper Austrian offices ask for a biometric photo (Austrian passport standard: 35 x 45 mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: hand in a printed photo when you apply in person |
| Background | Not stated for weapons documents; the biometric passport criteria ask for a plain light colour, ideally grey |
| Colour | Not stated; the biometric passport criteria require colour |
| Photo age | No older than 6 months (Upper Austrian district authorities); Tyrol asks for a current photo |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- One photo, no size given
The federal portal lists "Ein Lichtbild", one photo, among the documents for the weapons passport, the weapons ownership card and the European firearms pass. It gives no measurements, and the regulation that sets out the document models gives none either.
- Biometric and recent in Upper Austria
District authorities in Upper Austria, such as Steyr-Land and Perg, list a biometric photo no older than six months (translated from German) for weapons documents. For the European firearms pass they simply ask for a passport photo.
- Apply in person
Steyr-Land and Perg state that a personal application is essential, and Steyr-Land asks you to book an appointment by phone. The Schwaz district authority in Tyrol likewise requires a personal visit to the authority for your main residence and asks for a current photo.
- The passport standard is the safe choice
With no size set, a photo that meets the Austrian passport criteria, 35 x 45 mm in colour with the head about two-thirds of the height and a plain light background, matches both the biometric wording used in Upper Austria and the passport photo asked for with the European firearms pass.
- Old weapons licences
Weapons licences (Waffenscheine) under the 1986 Weapons Act are no longer issued. One issued before 1 July 1997 now counts as a weapons passport.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring one recent photo that meets the Austrian passport criteria.
- Have the photo taken within six months of applying.
- Book an appointment with your weapons authority before you go.
- Apply in person at the authority for your main residence.
- Bring official photo ID, birth certificate and proof of citizenship.
Don't
- Do not post the application where the authority requires a personal visit.
- Do not reuse an old photo that no longer looks like you.
- Do not choose a patterned or dark background.
- Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses in the photo.
Sample photos
How a Austria weapons passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
No weapons authority publishes its own rules on glasses. Where an office asks for a biometric photo, the Austrian passport criteria are the reference: wearing glasses must not stop your eyes being seen clearly, so avoid reflections, tinted lenses and frames that cut across the eyes.
Headwear and religious dress
The passport criteria allow head coverings worn for religious reasons, with the face shown frontally and the eyes uncovered. No weapons authority says anything different, so a photo that follows those criteria is the one to bring if you cover your head.
Printed and digital photos
Weapons documents are applied for in person, and no authority describes a digital photo upload. Bring a printed photo with your other documents. If you have a digital passport-standard photo, it can be printed at 35 x 45 mm at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Apply at the weapons authority for your main residence, or for your residence if you have no main residence. Outside the cities this is the district authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft); in statutory cities it is the Magistrat, and where the state police department is the local security authority, the state police department. In Vienna the LPD Wien is the competent authority, but you apply at one of the city police district offices (Polizeikommissariate).
An online appointment is recommended at the state police departments and police district offices. Because the psychological assessment and the safe-handling certificate take time to arrange, get those first and have the photo taken nearer the appointment, so that it is still within six months when you apply.
How to get your Austria weapons passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Austria weapons passport: 35 × 45 mm print, not stated for weapons documents background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one photo, no size given; biometric and recent in Upper Austria; apply in person; the passport standard is the safe choice.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Weapons documents are applied for in person, and no authority describes a digital photo upload. Bring a printed photo with your other documents. If you have a digital passport-standard photo, it can be printed at 35 x 45 mm at a photo counter.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply at the weapons authority for your main residence, or for your residence if you have no main residence.
Austria weapons passport photo FAQ
No official size is published. The federal portal asks only for one photo, and Upper Austrian district authorities ask for a biometric photo no older than six months. A 35 x 45 mm photo meeting the Austrian passport criteria is the safe choice.
Yes. The federal portal lists one photo for the weapons ownership card, just as for the weapons passport. The card lets you acquire and keep firearms but not carry them, and Upper Austrian offices ask for the same biometric photo.
Yes. The federal portal lists one photo, Upper Austrian district authorities ask for a passport photo, and Tyrol asks for a current photo. The pass lets residents of the EU, Switzerland and Liechtenstein take the firearms entered in it to another of those states.
Generally not. Upper Austrian district authorities state that a personal application is essential, and the Schwaz district authority in Tyrol requires a personal visit to the authority for your main residence. Book an appointment before you go.
Upper Austrian district authorities accept a biometric photo no older than six months, and other offices ask for a current photo. The Austrian passport criteria use the same six-month limit, so a recent passport photo meets both wordings.
At one of the Vienna police district offices. The LPD Wien is the competent weapons authority for the city, but the federal portal says the application must be made at a police district office, and an online appointment is recommended.
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
- Residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- ÖBB card photo
- Bicycle passport photo 25 × 30 mm
- E-card photo 35 × 45 mm
Licences and permit cards nearby
- Czech Republic firearms licence photo
- Estonia weapons permit photo 30 × 40 mm
- Finland firearms permit photo 36 × 47 mm
- Ireland SPSV taxi licence photo 70 × 100 mm
- Spain gun licence photo 26 × 32 mm
- United Kingdom firearms licence photo 35 × 45 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
- Licences and permit cards: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt). Waffenpass – Antrag oesterreich.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt). Waffenbesitzkarte – Antrag oesterreich.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- oesterreich.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt). Europäischer Feuerwaffenpass – Antrag oesterreich.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Land Oberösterreich (Bezirkshauptmannschaft Steyr-Land). Steyr-Land – Waffen land-oberoesterreich.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Land Oberösterreich (Bezirkshauptmannschaft Perg). Perg – Waffen land-oberoesterreich.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Land Tirol (Bezirkshauptmannschaft Schwaz). Waffengesetz tirol.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Landespolizeidirektion Wien (BMI). Waffen/Kriegsmaterial polizei.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS). Änderung der 2. Waffengesetz-Durchführungsverordnung (BGBl. II Nr. 95/2026) ris.bka.gv.at. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI). Passbild-Kriterien bmi.gv.at. Checked 2 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 weapons passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/austria/weapons-passport-photo