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Azerbaijan ID card photo requirements

The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (ASAN) for the Azerbaijan ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Azerbaijan ID card photo?

You do not bring a photo for the Azerbaijani ID card. The Ministry of Internal Affairs issuing office, including through ASAN service centres, takes your photo and fingerprints when you apply, free of charge and to ICAO requirements. No photo size is published for the current card. An older ministry notice listed three 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) colour photos, and citizenship forms at embassies use the same 3 x 4 cm size.

The Azerbaijani identity card (şəxsiyyət vəsiqəsi) is issued by the relevant bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which the official procedure calls "the issuing authority". Applications are also taken through the ASAN service centres, run by the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations, where a ministry employee compiles the application form electronically. The card is valid for 10 years, and for an unlimited period once the holder is 55.

Unlike most documents on this site, the photo is not something you prepare. The ASAN service page states that fingerprinting and taking a photograph "in accordance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)" are made free of charge in the issuing institution. Its document lists for a first card and for a replacement name no photograph that the applicant brings, and for a replacement it adds that the photo and fingerprints are taken along with the application.

No photo size is published for the current card. An older Interior Ministry information page, which no longer matches the current fees and procedure, lists "Three 3x4 colored photos" among the documents. The 3 x 4 cm size (30 x 40 mm) is still the one Azerbaijani authorities use for other applications, so people expect it, but nothing the ministry or ASAN publishes today makes it a rule for this card.

Azerbaijan ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (ASAN):[1]

Print sizeNo size to bring: the photo is taken at the issuing office (older MIA notice: 3 x 4 cm; no current size published)
Digital sizeNo file to supply: the office captures the photo electronically
BackgroundNot published; the photo is taken at the issuing office to ICAO requirements
Photo ageNot applicable: the photo is taken when you apply
Print qualityNo print to supply: the photo is taken free of charge at the issuing institution
Pixels when printed354 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
30 mm40 mm
30 × 40 mm photo drawn to scale.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Fingerprinting of citizens, as well as taking a photo in accordance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) shall be made free of charge in the issuing institution.

Issuance and renewal of identity cards[1]

Key requirements

  • The issuing office takes the photo

    The ASAN service page for identity cards says: "Fingerprinting of citizens, as well as taking a photo in accordance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) shall be made free of charge in the issuing institution." The lists of documents for a first card and for a replacement include an application form, a birth certificate or the old card, and proof of the state fee, but no photograph.

  • The same applies when you renew

    When the card is changed because it has expired, because the surname, first name or patronymic changed, or because the card or its chip is unusable, the page lists "taking a photo and fingerprinting of a citizen" together with the renewal application form, the old card and the fee document. You hand over the old card when you receive the new one.

  • No current size is published

    Neither the ASAN page nor the Ministry of Internal Affairs gives a size, background colour or head height for this card, so none can be stated as an official requirement. The office captures the image to the ICAO standard that the ASAN page names.

  • An older notice listed 3 x 4 cm photos

    An older Interior Ministry page describing the card lists "Three 3x4 colored photos" and a state tax that differs from today's fees. It is the only official mention of a size for this card, and it describes the previous procedure, so treat it as history rather than a rule.

  • Time limits for changing the card

    A citizen must apply to the issuing authority for a new card within one month when the card expires, when the last name, first name or patronymic changes, or when the card, including its chip, becomes useless or its information is found to be incorrect. The applicant hands in the old card at that point.

  • Young applicants

    An application from someone under 18 may be submitted by the young person or by a legal representative. In both cases the application must carry the signature of a citizen aged between 15 and 18. A guardian, custodian or adoptive parent must show a document that certifies their rights.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Go to the ID card issuing office or an ASAN service centre with your documents, not with a photo
  • Bring the birth certificate or your existing card, and the document showing the state fee has been paid
  • Hand over the old card when you collect the new one
  • Apply within one month of expiry or of a change of name
  • Let the office capture your photo and fingerprints, which are free of charge

Don't

  • Do not pay a photographer for an ID card photo: the office takes it
  • Do not assume a 30 x 40 mm photo is required: no current size is published
  • Do not reuse a visa or citizenship-form photo for this card
  • Do not wait longer than one month after the card expires or your name changes
  • Do not rely on the older notice that lists three 3 x 4 cm photos

Sample photos

How a Azerbaijan ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 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.

Babies and children

A child can hold an identity card, and an application for someone under 18 may be lodged by the young person or by a legal representative, such as a parent, guardian, custodian or adoptive parent. Anyone between 15 and 18 must sign the application. The fee tables on the ASAN page list separate rates for applicants under 15 and for those aged 15 and over, with a lower fee for the younger group.

A child born abroad starts with a different step. The embassy in London explains that, once the birth is registered and Azerbaijani citizenship is confirmed, an application can be made at the embassy for the child's first passport or for an identity card and passport "in Azerbaijan". Two coloured photographs of 3 x 4 cm are needed there, but only for the citizenship application form.

Neither a print nor a digital file is requested for the identity card: the office captures the photograph electronically while you are there. Photo prints in 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) are asked for in other procedures, for example citizenship applications at embassies and visa applications, but these are separate applications with their own lists.

If you only need a 3 x 4 cm photo for one of those other procedures, a digital photo can be cropped and resized to the size required and printed at a photo counter. That photo will not be used for the ID card itself.

Where to submit the photo

Apply at an identity card issuing office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or at an ASAN service centre, where the ministry's staff compile the application form on screen. A first application needs a birth certificate or a personal identification card, proof of the place of residence if it is not registered, medical certificates for blood group, eye colour and height, and proof of payment of the state fee.

Citizens abroad should know that the list of consular services the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes for embassies and consulates includes ordinary passports but not identity cards. The Bishkek embassy's passport page says ICAO photographs and fingerprints for a passport are taken at the passport issuing authority, and that the identity card is one of the documents you present. For a lost card, you must notify the issuing authority in writing of where, when and how it was lost.

How to get your Azerbaijan ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Azerbaijan ID card: 30 × 40 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the issuing office takes the photo; the same applies when you renew; no current size is published; an older notice listed 3 x 4 cm photos.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Neither a print nor a digital file is requested for the identity card: the office captures the photograph electronically while you are there.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply at an identity card issuing office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or at an ASAN service centre, where the ministry's staff compile the application form on screen.

Make this photo online

Azerbaijan ID card photo FAQ

No. The ASAN service page says the photo is taken, together with the fingerprints, in the issuing institution and free of charge. The document lists name no photograph that you bring.

No size is published for the current card. An older Interior Ministry page listed three 3 x 4 cm colour photos, but it no longer matches the current procedure, and the office now captures the image itself.

The relevant bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, called the issuing authority. You can apply through them directly or at an ASAN service centre, where a ministry employee compiles the application electronically.

The ASAN page says the photograph and the fingerprinting are made free of charge in the issuing institution. The state fee for the card itself is a separate payment that depends on how quickly you want it.

It is issued for 10 years. For people who have reached the age of 55 it is issued for an unlimited period. You must apply for a new card within one month if it expires or if your name changes.

The services the foreign ministry lists for missions abroad cover passports, not identity cards. The London embassy says that, for a child born abroad, an identity card and passport are issued in Azerbaijan after citizenship is confirmed.

The ASAN page does not say. It only states that the photo follows ICAO requirements and is taken by the office, so ask the staff at the issuing office on the day.

Related photo specifications

Other Azerbaijan documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 30 × 40 mm

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Official sources

  1. State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (ASAN). Issuance and renewal of identity cards asan.gov.az. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan. Identity Card (older information page) mia.gov.az. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of Azerbaijan in the United Kingdom. Registration of the birth of children with foreign birth certificates london.mfa.gov.az. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. Ordinary passport (services of missions abroad) mfa.gov.az. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of Azerbaijan in Kyrgyzstan. Passport bishkek.mfa.gov.az. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (ASAN) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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