Belgium ID card photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by FPS Home Affairs, National Register for the Belgium ID card, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Belgium ID card photo?
The Belgian eID needs a 35 x 45 mm photo with no white border, the head measuring 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown. Colour and black-and-white prints are both accepted, on a light, even background that is not noticeably blue or red. It must be under six months old, undamaged and a close likeness. Bring it to your commune with your call letter, unless the commune photographs you at the counter.
The Belgian electronic identity card (eID) is issued by the commune where you have your main residence, to every Belgian aged 12 or over, and holding one is compulsory from 15. When your card is due for renewal you receive a call letter and go in person to the population service. The rules for the card come from the FPS Home Affairs, whose general instructions to communes were last coordinated on 30 April 2026.
Your photo is digitised, stored in the chip and reproduced on the card by laser, and border officers compare it with you, sometimes with software. The instructions therefore make the commune official who co-signs your application responsible for it: they check the print by eye against the photo matrix, then scan and assess it with a photo scanner. An operator at the card producer looks at the image again and may reject it, after which the commune decides whether to go ahead or start a new application.
Some communes photograph you at the counter instead, using a camera linked to the Belpic application, a method called live enrolment. Communes that use it must tell residents that the photo will be taken on the spot and will meet the matrix. Everywhere else you hand in a print. The instructions make no provision for a photo uploaded by you or sent directly by a photographer.
Belgium ID card photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by FPS Home Affairs, National Register:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), width x height, without a white border |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: the commune scans your print, or photographs you at the counter if it uses live enrolment |
| Head height | 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown; head complete, centred and facing the camera |
| Background | Light, plain and even, without shadow; no pronounced blue or red |
| Colour | Colour or black and white |
| Photo age | No more than 6 months old |
| Print quality | Undamaged, not a copy, not retouched; smooth high-quality photo paper, at least 400 dpi |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
The quality is good if: photo at most 6 months old; in colour; natural rendering; sharp, sufficient contrast, details of the features clearly visible; photo in good condition; no copy; photo not retouched (translated from French)
Key requirements
- Criteria printed on your call letter
The back of the call letter lists the main criteria: at most six months old; the face filling 70 to 80% of the photo; a neutral expression with no frown, mouth closed, teeth hidden and no broad smile; the face fully visible without accessories except for medical or religious reasons, with eyes, chin and outline always showing; and a light, plain background without shadow.
- Black and white is accepted
Unlike the passport, the eID takes colour or black-and-white photos. Either way, the background must be light and even, and the instructions specifically exclude a pronounced blue or red background.
- No white border
The print must be a 35 x 45 mm rectangle with no white border. The head must be between 31 and 36 mm high, shown in full, centred, and photographed from the front.
- Accepted and rejected examples
The photo matrix shows one correct photo beside up to five rejected ones for each criterion: distortion, unnatural rendering, weak contrast or blur; under- or overexposure, shadows and glare; shadowed, non-plain or graded backgrounds, or too little contrast; a head off-centre, too high or too low; a tilted pose or visible supporting hand; eyes off the lens or an open mouth; a covered head or hidden eyes; and tinted or reflecting glasses.
- A close likeness, checked on screen
Photos that do not resemble the applicant must be refused systematically, and a card stops being valid once its photo no longer looks like the holder. At each request the official sees the photo from your last card next to the newly scanned one and compares them to detect fraud.
- Counter photos are cropped by software
In communes with live enrolment, the official lines your face up with on-screen guides and ICAO processing crops the image to the standard format. The official may keep the original or the corrected image, and the instructions recommend the corrected one when the ICAO check succeeds.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring your call letter and your photo to the population service.
- Ask whether your commune takes the photo at the counter.
- Keep your forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose and chin uncovered.
- Use a print of exactly 35 x 45 mm with no white border.
- Bring a medical certificate if you need dark glasses for a visual impairment.
- Check that the photo still looks like you today.
Don't
- Do not use a strongly blue or red background.
- Do not wear dark glasses without a medical reason.
- Do not bring a damaged or creased print.
- Do not frown or show your teeth.
- Do not reuse an old photo that no longer resembles you.
Sample photos
How a Belgium ID card 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
Both eyes must be visible. Dark glasses are refused, except for people with a visual impairment who present a medical certificate. Ordinary glasses are fine when the eyes show fully through completely transparent lenses, the frame hides no part of the eyes, and the glasses cause neither disturbing reflections nor shadows.
Among the rejected examples in the photo matrix are eyes partly hidden by the frame, tinted lenses, glare on the lenses and a shadow cast by the frame. If you cannot get rid of the reflections, take your glasses off for the photo.
Headwear and religious dress
The eID photo is taken without a head covering unless it is worn for religious or medical reasons. For a reason the instructions describe as indisputable, a covered head is allowed provided the face is completely free: forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose and chin uncovered. Showing the hair and ears is desirable but not required, and the applicant must give a serious justification.
The instructions address veils directly: the photo must allow the person to be identified, so the face may not be partly hidden. A photo with a veil is accepted only for justified medical or religious reasons and only if the essential parts of the face listed above are visible.
Babies and children
The eID is issued from age 12; younger Belgian children have the Kids-ID instead. A card issued between 12 and 18 is valid for six years, after which it is renewed every ten years. Fingerprints may be registered for a minor only for an eID from the age of 12. A child applying for a first card is advised to come with a legal representative and the parents' marriage booklet or a birth certificate extract.
A 12-year-old follows exactly the same photo rules as an adult. The relaxed pose and expression criteria in the photo matrix are reserved for children under 6, so they never apply to an eID.
Printed and digital photos
The eID has no upload route. A printed photo is scanned at the counter and sent electronically to the card producer together with your signature and fingerprints, or a commune with the equipment photographs you live. The instructions also allow the photo, signature and fingerprints to be captured on another computer and held in a temporary database until the request is made.
For people who cannot travel, communes have been offered a mobile biometric station since 2024, which staff take to care homes or private homes. Where a commune has none, a family member brings the call letter, a medical certificate and a photo, which a care home's management can help to obtain. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Go in person to the population service of the commune of your main residence by the date on the call letter. Take the letter, your current card or another proof of identity, the fee and the photo. If you plan to move within a month, the official will ask you to wait and apply in your new commune.
Belgians registered abroad can apply at their consular post, at another Belgian consular post (not an honorary consulate), during a mobile kit mission, or at a commune in Belgium. Abroad, the photograph, fingerprints and signature are recorded in person.
How to get your Belgium ID card photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Belgium ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: criteria printed on your call letter; black and white is accepted; no white border; accepted and rejected examples.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The eID has no upload route. A printed photo is scanned at the counter and sent electronically to the card producer together with your signature and fingerprints, or a commune with the equipment photographs you live.
- Submit the photo with your application. Go in person to the population service of the commune of your main residence by the date on the call letter. Take the letter, your current card or another proof of identity, the fee and the photo.
Belgium ID card photo FAQ
Yes. The federal instructions accept colour or black-and-white photos for the eID, as long as the background is light and even. Black and white is not accepted for a Belgian passport, so use colour if you need both documents.
Some do. Communes using live enrolment photograph you at the counter and must tell you so in advance; elsewhere you must bring a printed photo. Ask your commune when you book or check your call letter.
No. The instructions of 30 April 2026 describe only a print scanned at the counter or a photo taken by the commune's own camera. There is no upload and no route for a photographer to send the image directly.
Yes, for religious or medical reasons, if your forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose and chin stay fully uncovered. Hair and ears need not show. A veil that hides part of the face is not accepted.
It shows a correct example beside rejected ones for each criterion: photo quality, lighting, background, head position, posture, expression, face visibility and glasses, plus the exceptions for religion, medical reasons and children under 6. Communes use it to check your print by eye before scanning it.
Ten years for adults. A card issued between ages 12 and 18 is valid for six years. If fingerprints cannot be taken for a temporary physical reason, the card is issued for twelve months.
An operator at the card producer checks the quality of the photo and signature and reports rejections to the commune with a reason. The commune can still start production or cancel the request and make a new one, which may need a new photo.
Related photo specifications
Other Belgium documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Kids-ID photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
Identity cards nearby
- Austria civil engineer ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Austria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belgium Kids-ID photo 35 × 45 mm
- France ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Germany ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Netherlands ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Switzerland ID card 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 Belgium photo specifications
- Identity cards: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- FPS Home Affairs, National Register. Algemene onderrichtingen betreffende de elektronische identiteitskaarten (30 april 2026) ibz.rrn.fgov.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- FPS Home Affairs, National Register. Fotomatrix ibz.rrn.fgov.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- FPS Foreign Affairs and FPS Home Affairs, Belgium. Exigences pour les photos (matrice photo, 2016) diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- FPS Home Affairs, National Register. Oproepingsmodel bijlage 1bis (aanvaardingscriteria voor de foto) ibz.rrn.fgov.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- FPS Home Affairs, National Register. eID (citizens) ibz.rrn.fgov.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- FPS Policy and Support (BOSA). What is the eID? eid.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium. Identity card for adults and children older than 12 (eID) diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with FPS Home Affairs, National Register before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Belgium ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/belgium/id-card-photo