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Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo requirements

The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A) for the Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 9 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo?

São Paulo's Bilhete Único needs a digitised 3x4 photo uploaded when you register with SPTrans, not a print. SPTrans's guidance asks for a JPG or JPEG of up to 60 KB, taken from the front with the face in the foreground, on a neutral background like an ID photo. Profile shots, selfies, other people, sunglasses, caps, hats and low-quality images are rejected. Each photo is checked within 3 working days.

The Bilhete Único is the smart card for São Paulo's municipal buses, issued by SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A), the city's public transport company. Anyone over 6 with their own RG and CPF can have the standard card, and there are special versions for students, people aged 65 and over, people with disabilities and other groups. Each card is personal, and SPTrans prints the holder's details and photo on it.

You apply online. On SPTrans's Site de Atendimento you fill in the registration with your CPF, RG and a digitised photo, then choose home delivery for a shipping fee or collection at a SPTrans service post. If you have no computer or internet access, you can register at one of those posts instead. The photo is reviewed within 3 working days, and the registration is not completed until it is approved.

The photo matters after issue too. Bus validators have cameras that compare the person using the card with the photo on file, and SPTrans blocks cards when its facial biometrics shows that someone else is using them. Student and senior benefits can be suspended for months after a mismatch.

Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A):[1]

Print size3x4 photo for the card (the 3 x 4 cm ID format), sent as a digital file; no print
Digital sizeNo pixel size published: a 3x4 image of up to 60 KB
BackgroundNeutral, as in official ID photos, with no visible objects; senior card online: white
Photo ageNot stated for the standard card; the senior card page asks for a legible, up-to-date photo
File sizeUp to 60 KB (SPTrans photo guidance, 2025)
File formatJPG or JPEG
Print qualityNo print from you: SPTrans prints the approved photo on the card
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. Background: neutral.

Key requirements

  • Front-facing 3x4

    SPTrans asks for a 3x4 image with you facing the camera and your face in the foreground. The digitised photo you send is the one used on the card itself.

  • Small JPG file

    The upload must be a JPG or JPEG file no larger than 60 KB, according to SPTrans's photo tips as last published in 2025. A phone photo usually has to be cropped and compressed to get under that limit.

  • Neutral, empty background

    The background must be neutral, like those in RG, driving licence or passport photos, with no objects visible behind you. For the senior card's online request, SPTrans specifies a white background.

  • Photos that fail

    SPTrans will not approve a photo showing you in profile, taking a selfie, next to other people, wearing sunglasses, a cap or hat, or accessories that cover part of the face, or one with low resolution or quality.

  • Review in 3 working days

    SPTrans checks each photo within 3 working days and sends an email saying whether it was approved or rejected. After a rejection you upload a new file that follows the points given.

  • Facial checks on buses

    Validator cameras compare the face of the person tapping the card with the registered photo. A mismatch can block the card; for students, the free or half fare is suspended for 6 months, or 12 months if it happens again.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Face the camera with your face in the foreground.
  • Stand against a plain, neutral wall with nothing behind you.
  • Save the photo as a JPG of 60 KB or less.
  • Check your email for the result within 3 working days.
  • Use a white background for an online senior card request.
  • Bring an identity document when you collect the card at a post.

Don't

  • Do not send a selfie or a profile shot for the standard card.
  • Do not include other people in the picture.
  • Do not wear sunglasses, a cap or a hat.
  • Do not upload a blurred or low-resolution image.
  • Do not lend your card: validator cameras check the face.

Sample photos

How a Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único 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.

Glasses

SPTrans rejects photos with sunglasses. Its published rules do not mention clear prescription glasses, so there is no stated ban on them, but accessories that cover part of the face are a reason for rejection, so make sure the frames hide nothing.

Headwear and religious dress

Caps and hats lead to rejection, and so do accessories that cover part of the face. SPTrans publishes no exception for religious head coverings, so if you wear one, keep your whole face clear.

Babies and children

The standard Bilhete Único is for anyone over 6 who has their own RG and CPF, so a child's card needs the child's own documents and photo. Only for under-18s may a parent or guardian deal with the card at a SPTrans post, showing original official photo ID for both, issued no more than ten years earlier.

Students use the Bilhete Único de Estudante. The school first sends the enrolment data to SPTrans; the student then applies on the DNE portal, and payment is released only after the school data has arrived and the photo has been approved. A first card is posted to the chosen address within 15 days.

Everything on your side is digital. You upload a file during registration, SPTrans approves it, and the photo is printed on the card with details such as your name, CPF and card number. The card then reaches you by post or at a service post.

A phone photo can be cropped to a 3x4 shape and saved as a JPG below 60 KB. SPTrans publishes no pixel dimensions, so the file size and the 3x4 shape are the limits to meet.

Where to submit the photo

Register on SPTrans's Site de Atendimento, filling in every mandatory field and the photo. You can then choose delivery to your home for a shipping fee or collection at a SPTrans post, where you show an identity document, preferably issued less than 10 years ago. Terminal posts open daily from 6am to 10pm.

Senior cards for people aged 65 and over can be requested online or at service posts in the subprefectures, booked through Descomplica SP, and are posted free to the registered address within 30 days. Requests for the disability card start with a form printed from the Site de Atendimento or obtained at a post, together with medical documents.

How to get your Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único: 30 × 40 mm print, neutral background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: front-facing 3x4; small JPG file; neutral, empty background; photos that fail.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Everything on your side is digital. You upload a file during registration, SPTrans approves it, and the photo is printed on the card with details such as your name, CPF and card number. The card then reaches you by post or at a service post.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Register on SPTrans's Site de Atendimento, filling in every mandatory field and the photo.

Make this photo online

Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo FAQ

A 3x4 photo, the standard Brazilian ID format, sent as a digital file rather than a print. SPTrans's guidance asks for a JPG or JPEG of up to 60 KB, taken from the front with the face in the foreground and a neutral background.

SPTrans rejects photos taken in profile, selfies, pictures with other people, and images with sunglasses, a cap or hat, accessories that hide part of the face, or low resolution or quality. You get an email with the result and must send a new file.

Up to 3 working days. An email tells you whether the photo was approved or rejected. If it was rejected, your registration stays incomplete until a new photo passes the check.

For the online request of the Bilhete Único Especial da Pessoa Idosa, SPTrans asks for a 3x4 photo, which it calls a selfie, with a white background. For the standard card its rules say selfies are not approved, so frame the picture like an ID photo either way.

Sunglasses are not accepted. SPTrans does not mention ordinary clear glasses, but any accessory that covers part of your face is a reason for rejection.

Yes. SPTrans says you can go to one of its service posts to do the registration. Once it is complete, the card is collected at a post with an identity document or sent to your home for a shipping fee.

Bus validators have cameras that compare the user's face with the photo on the card. If SPTrans finds someone else using it, the card can be blocked or cancelled, and student or senior benefits suspended.

Related photo specifications

Other Brazil documents

Also 30 × 40 mm

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Official sources

  1. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Perguntas e respostas: Bilhete Único (Portuguese) sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Dicas para o envio da foto 3x4 (Portuguese, 2025 page) bilheteunico.sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Perguntas e respostas: Bilhete Único de Estudante (Portuguese) sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Perguntas e respostas: Bilhete Único Especial da Pessoa Idosa (Portuguese) sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Perguntas e respostas: Bilhete Único da Pessoa com Deficiência (Portuguese) sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Bilhete Único Comum (Portuguese) bilheteunico.sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Bilhete Único: gratuidade para pessoas a partir de 65 anos (Portuguese) bilheteunico.sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A). Estudante: pedidos do Bilhete Único Escolar 2026 (Portuguese) sptrans.com.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. City of São Paulo. Bilhete Único: saiba como solicitar o cartão personalizado (Portuguese) prefeitura.sp.gov.br. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with SPTrans (São Paulo Transporte S/A) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/brazil/sptrans-bilhete-unico-photo

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