Belgium photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 6 documents issued in Belgium, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Belgian passports, eID cards, Kids-IDs and residence cards share one photo standard: 35 x 45 mm, head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, light plain background, under six months old. Passports need colour; the others also accept black and white. Driving licences normally reuse the photo from your identity card. Visa centres photograph you live, and where a print is requested VFS Global asks for one 35 to 40 mm wide.
Overview
A Belgian passport photo is a 35 x 45 mm colour print, unretouched and no more than six months old, with the head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown against a light, plain background; there is no file upload, so you bring the print or the commune, embassy or consulate photographs you at the counter.
Three federal services are involved. The FPS Foreign Affairs is responsible for passports and, through embassies and consulates, for visas, with many posts using VFS Global or TLScontact to receive applications. The FPS Home Affairs sets the rules for the eID, the Kids-ID and, through its Immigration Office, residence cards for foreign nationals. Driving licences come under the FPS Mobility and Transport. In Belgium the commune is the counter for every one of these documents except visas.
The photo itself barely changes, because a single photo matrix covers passports, eIDs, Kids-IDs and residence documents. What differs is how it is captured: you bring a print or, in a growing number of communes, are photographed at the counter; driving licences reuse the photo already held in the National Register; and visa applicants have their photo and fingerprints taken at the centre or consulate. None of the official pages describes uploading your own photo file for any of these documents.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | 35 × 45 mm | — | Light-coloured, plain and even, without shadow… |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | 35 × 45 mm | — | White on most embassy checklists |
Identity cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID card | 35 × 45 mm | — | Light, plain and even, without shadow |
| Kids-ID | 35 × 45 mm | — | Light-coloured, plain and uniform, without… |
Driving licences
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving licence | 35 × 45 mm | — | White |
Residence and work permits
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residence permit | 35 × 45 mm | — | Light, plain and without shadow |
Frequently asked questions
For the passport, eID, Kids-ID and residence cards, yes: 35 x 45 mm with the head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown. Driving licences normally reuse your identity card photo. For visas the photo is taken live; where a print is also requested, VFS Global's Belgium pages ask for 35 to 40 mm wide.
The photo matrix accepts black and white for the eID, the Kids-ID and residence documents, but not for passports. Some application pages, such as the Flemish government's pages for the Kids-ID and residence cards, still ask for colour, so colour is the safe choice.
Usually not. The FPS Mobility circular to communes says the photo and signature are normally taken from the National Register and scanned only when they need adding or updating. Ghent, for example, uses your identity card photo and asks for a new one only if it no longer looks like you.
Some do. Communes with live enrolment photograph you at the counter for identity cards, residence cards and passports, while others still require a printed photo. Even where a camera is available, many communes accept your own prints and may ask for one for very young children.
Visa applicants usually have their photo and fingerprints taken at the application centre or consulate, for example at VFS Global centres in India and Australia or TLScontact in Lebanon. Many posts also list a printed photo; VFS Global's Belgium pages describe a colour photo 35 to 40 mm wide on a light background, face filling 70 to 80%.
No. The matrix asks for a light, plain and even background without a colour gradient and with enough contrast to your head. It names no particular colour, so a pale grey or a white wall both work as long as no shadow falls on it.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Western Europe:
Official sources
- FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium. Quality requirements for the photo (passport) diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium. Ordinary passport diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- FPS Foreign Affairs and FPS Home Affairs, Belgium. Exigences pour les photos (matrice photo, 2016) diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- FPS Home Affairs, National Register. Algemene onderrichtingen eID (30 april 2026) ibz.rrn.fgov.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- FPS Mobility and Transport, Belgium. Circulaire aux communes, chapitre 21 : la confection du permis de conduire mobilit.belgium.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- FPS Mobility and Transport, Belgium. Renouveler son permis de conduire mobilit.belgium.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Stad Gent. Rijbewijs aanvragen en afhalen stad.gent. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in India. Visa for Belgium if you live in India india.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Lebanon. Visa for Belgium or Luxembourg libanon.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 3 November 2026.
- VFS Global, for the Embassy of Belgium. Belgium visa information (Pakistan) vfsglobal.com. Checked 3 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Belgium photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/belgium