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Belgium Kids-ID photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by FPS Home Affairs, National Register for the Belgium Kids-ID, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Belgium Kids-ID photo?

A Kids-ID photo follows the same 35 x 45 mm standard as the adult eID: head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, a light plain background, taken within the last six months. Babies and children under 6 are exempt from the rules on a straight pose, a neutral expression and a closed mouth, but the face and eyes must still be fully visible. A parent applies at the commune with the child present.

The Kids-ID is the electronic identity document for Belgian children under 12. It is optional and issued only on request: a person with parental authority, a foster parent or the head of a foster institution applies at the population service of the commune and must bring the child along. It is accepted as a travel document in every EU country, although some countries also expect the child to travel with a parent or carry a parental authorisation.

The FPS Home Affairs instructions for the Kids-ID, coordinated on 30 April 2026, say the photo provisions are the same as for the adult eID, so the same photo matrix, size and head height apply. What changes is how the matrix treats very young children, and the fact that parents, not the child, answer for keeping the photo current.

A Kids-ID is valid for three years from the application and remains valid even after the child turns 12. From age 6 it carries an electronic identity certificate by default, which parents may decline. It stops being valid once the photo no longer resembles the child, and the instructions make it the parents' task to ask for a new card before the expiry date when that happens.

Belgium Kids-ID photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by FPS Home Affairs, National Register:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), width x height
Digital sizeNo upload: bring a print, or have it taken at the counter where the commune uses live enrolment (some want a print for under-6s)
Head height31 to 36 mm from chin to crown (70 to 80% of the photo height), as for the eID
BackgroundLight-coloured, plain and uniform, without shadow or colour gradient
ColourColour photo asked for; the federal matrix also accepts black and white for the Kids-ID
Photo ageNo more than 6 months old
Print qualityUndamaged, not a copy, not retouched; smooth photo paper, at least 400 dpi
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm31–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 31–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: light-coloured.

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)

Exigences pour les photos (matrice photo, 2016)[3]

Key requirements

  • Relaxed pose rules under 6

    For a baby or a child under 6, the matrix drops the position criteria (eyes on a horizontal line, head straight, shoulders straight) and the expression criteria (neutral expression, looking straight into the lens, mouth closed). Every other acceptance criterion still applies, including size, lighting and background.

  • Hide the helping hand

    If a baby has to be held up, the support must not show in the photo. The matrix suggests putting the hand under the child's clothes or behind the head; a photo with a visible supporting hand is one of its rejected examples.

  • Face and eyes always visible

    The relaxations do not touch visibility. The head must be bare unless covered for a religious or medical reason, the whole face must show, and the eyes must be fully visible, with no hair falling over the eyes or eyelids.

  • From 6, adult rules apply

    Once a child is 6, the photo must meet the full matrix: face and shoulders square to the camera, eyes level, a neutral expression with the mouth closed and the teeth hidden, and the gaze straight into the lens.

  • The child must be present

    The official checks the identity and parental authority of the adult, and also checks that the photo handed in really is the child standing at the counter. The child does not sign the application.

  • Parents keep it a likeness

    Because children change quickly, the official sees the child's last card photo on screen at every request, activation and loss report. If the face has changed, ask for a new Kids-ID with a new photo rather than waiting for the three years to run out.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Bring the child to the commune when you apply.
  • Use a photo taken within the last six months.
  • Keep the child's face and eyes fully visible.
  • Hide any supporting hand under the child's clothes.
  • Bring a printed photo for a baby or toddler.
  • Apply for a new card if the child no longer looks like the photo.

Don't

  • Do not let hair fall over the child's eyes.
  • Do not show a parent's hand or arm in the frame.
  • Do not hand in a photocopy of a photo.
  • Do not expect a child aged 6 or over to be allowed to smile.
  • Do not use a patterned or dark background.

Sample photos

How a Belgium Kids-ID 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.

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

The age bands matter. Under 6, the pose and expression rules are relaxed, the Kids-ID cannot carry an electronic identity certificate, and abroad the application can be made without the child appearing at the consular post. From 6, the full photo matrix applies and the card is issued with the electronic identity function unless the parents opt out.

From 12, a child can switch to the adult eID, handing back the Kids-ID, but does not have to until it expires: a Kids-ID issued at 11 years and 6 months can be used until 14 years and 6 months. Carrying an eID becomes compulsory at 15.

There is no way to upload a photo for a Kids-ID. You hand in a print, which the commune scans, or the commune photographs the child at the counter if it uses live enrolment. Counter cameras are not always suitable for small children: Rijkevorsel asks for a paper photo for children under 6, and Welkenraedt sends young children who cannot sit properly on its stool to a professional photographer.

The Flemish government page asks for a recent colour passport photo of the child that meets ICAO standards, and says you must bring your own if your council does not take passport photos. A digital photo of your child 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

In Belgium, at least one parent with parental authority goes to the population service with the child. You then receive a letter with the PIN code by post; bring it when you collect the card. The child does not need to be present when the codes are activated at the town hall.

Abroad, the consular post where the child is registered handles the application. For a child under 6, you can send the form together with a photo of the child. For a child aged 6 to 11, you and the child must appear in person so the child's photograph can be registered, at the registering post, during one of its mobile kit missions or at another Belgian consular post (not an honorary consulate). You can also apply at a commune in Belgium, where the child and both parents must attend.

How to get your Belgium Kids-ID photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Belgium Kids-ID: 35 × 45 mm print, light-coloured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: relaxed pose rules under 6; hide the helping hand; face and eyes always visible; from 6, adult rules apply.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no way to upload a photo for a Kids-ID. You hand in a print, which the commune scans, or the commune photographs the child at the counter if it uses live enrolment.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Belgium, at least one parent with parental authority goes to the population service with the child. You then receive a letter with the PIN code by post; bring it when you collect the card.

Make this photo online

Belgium Kids-ID photo FAQ

It is 35 x 45 mm with the head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, the same as the adult eID. The background must be light and plain, and the photo no more than six months old.

No. For children under 6 the matrix does not require a straight gaze into the lens, a neutral expression, a closed mouth, level eyes or straight shoulders. The face and both eyes must still be fully visible.

Yes, but your hand must not appear in the picture. The photo matrix suggests supporting the baby with a hand hidden under the clothes or behind the head.

Yes. The child must come with the parent who applies, so the official can check that the photo shows that child. The child does not need to come back for the activation of the codes.

It depends on the commune. Some photograph children at the counter, but a commune may ask for a paper photo for children under 6 or refer very young children to a photographer. Check with your commune before the appointment.

Three years from the application, even if the child turns 12 in the meantime. It becomes invalid earlier if the photo no longer resembles the child, or if the child's name or nationality changes.

Only for a child under 6: send the form with a photo to the consular post where the child is registered. From 6 to 11 the child must appear in person to have the photograph registered.

Related photo specifications

Other Belgium documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. FPS Home Affairs, National Register. Algemene onderrichtingen Kids-ID (30 april 2026) ibz.rrn.fgov.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. FPS Home Affairs, National Register. Kids-ID (citoyen) ibz.rrn.fgov.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. FPS Foreign Affairs and FPS Home Affairs, Belgium. Exigences pour les photos (matrice photo, 2016) diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium. Identity card for children younger than 12 (Kids-ID) diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Flemish Government. Kids-ID: electronic identity document for children under twelve vlaanderen.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. FPS Policy and Support (BOSA). What is the eID? eid.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Gemeente Rijkevorsel. Pasfoto's nodig? rijkevorsel.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Commune de Welkenraedt. Nouveau Live Enrollment : photo prise au guichet welkenraedt.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 Kids-ID photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/belgium/kids-id-photo

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