Bulgaria passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Identity Documents Directorate for the Bulgaria passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Bulgaria passport photo?
You do not bring a photo for a Bulgarian passport. When you apply in person at a Bulgarian Identity Documents counter of the Ministry of Interior, or at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate, the official photographs your face, takes two fingerprints from age 12 and records your signature from age 14. The law still defines a 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) photo with a 31.5 to 36 mm head, but passports use the live capture instead.
Bulgarian passports are issued by the Ministry of Interior (MVR). In Bulgaria you apply at the Bulgarian Identity Documents (BDS) unit of the regional Directorate of the Interior for your permanent address, or at any police station in that region. The counter prints the application form with your civil-status data already filled in, and you check and sign it. Abroad, Bulgarian embassies and consulates accept passport applications and send them electronically to the Bulgarian Identity Documents Directorate in Sofia, which returns the finished passport through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The photo is part of the appointment, not something you bring. The official photographs the applicant's face with a digital device and takes the fingerprints and signature in the same sitting. The Bulgarian Identity Documents Act still sets a 35 x 45 mm print standard, detailed in Annex 5 to the issuing regulation, but it also says that the face is captured digitally wherever the application point has the equipment. The annex's rules on hats, glasses, beards and wigs apply to that counter image as well.
Bulgaria passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Identity Documents Directorate:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) in law, but no print is needed: the passport photo is taken at the counter |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file or upload: the official photographs you with a digital device when you apply |
| Head height | 31.5 to 36 mm, bottom of chin to top of head including hair; 25 to 35 mm for children under 14 |
| Background | Counter capture: not specified; the regulation's print standard is neutral light grey, 20% grey (15 to 25%) |
| Photo age | Captured on the day you lodge the application |
| 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 official accepts the application with the documents attached to it. He or she photographs the applicant's face and takes two fingerprints (left and right index finger) and the applicant's signature. (translated from Bulgarian)
Key requirements
- Nothing to bring but documents
The Ministry of Interior's passport page lists the state fee receipt, the previous passport and, for some minors, a birth certificate. A photo is not on the list, because the official captures your face when the application is accepted.
- Fingerprints from 12, signature from 14
Two fingerprints, from the left and right index fingers, are taken from applicants aged 12 and over. From 14 the applicant also gives a signature, captured together with the photo.
- Head covering only with ears and hair showing
Annex 5 to the issuing regulation asks for the face without a hat or headscarf, but accepts one when both ears and at least 1 cm of hair stay visible. Article 9 applies this point to the counter capture.
- Glasses only if worn all the time
Glasses can stay on for the passport image if you wear them permanently, the lenses are not darkened and they show no reflections that spoil the image of the eyes.
- Beards, moustaches and wigs
A beard, moustache or wig worn permanently is accepted. If you later remove the beard or moustache, the regulation calls for a new photo and a replacement identity document.
- Online and proxy applications reuse biometrics
An adult can apply online, or through someone holding a notarised power of attorney, only if biometric data were taken in person within the last 59 months and the name, personal number, sex, citizenship and appearance have not changed substantially.
- Short passport when fingerprints are impossible
Where fingerprints cannot be taken because of a temporary physical inability, the Ministry issues a passport valid for up to 12 months.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a slot at a Bulgarian Identity Documents counter or a consulate
- Bring your previous passport and the state fee receipt
- Keep your glasses on only if you wear them all the time
- Leave both ears and some hair visible under a head covering
- Bring the child and the parents together for a minor's passport
- Apply in person after a substantial change in your appearance
Don't
- Do not pay for printed photos for a Bulgarian passport
- Do not wear tinted lenses at the counter
- Do not apply online if your name or appearance has changed
- Do not apply online if your last in-person application is over 59 months old
- Do not expect to keep your passport after shaving off a permanent beard
Sample photos
How a Bulgaria passport 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
Because the officer photographs you as you are, what matters is what the regulation allows in that image. Point 13 of Annex 5 says the face is shown without glasses, and permits glasses when you wear them permanently, the lenses are not darkened and there are no reflections in them that lower the quality of the image of the eyes.
If you wear glasses only for reading or driving, take them off for the capture. Sunglasses and other darkened lenses do not meet the rule.
Headwear and religious dress
The regulation's starting point is a face without a hat or headscarf. It allows a hat or headscarf if both ears and at least 1 cm of the hair can be seen, and it publishes no separate religious exemption. Because Article 9 makes the counter capture follow points 12 to 16 of Annex 5, arrange any head covering so that your ears and hairline stay visible when the officer takes the picture.
Babies and children
A Bulgarian child's passport is applied for with the child present, together with the parents, guardians or custodians. For a child under 14 the parents or guardians lodge the application; from 14 the young person applies and the parents sign their consent on the form. If a parent cannot attend, a notarised power of attorney, one of the listed court decisions or a parent's death certificate takes the place of that signature.
The officer photographs the child in every case. Fingerprints start at 12 and the signature at 14. At a consulate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds that both parents sign in front of the consular officer and that the child's birth certificate is attached. For any print made to the legal standard, the regulation sets a smaller head for children under 14: 25 to 35 mm.
Printed and digital photos
Neither a print nor an upload is used. At home and abroad the officer captures your face, signature and fingerprints digitally and enters them in the information system with the application. The online routes, the Ministry of Interior e-services portal for residents and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-services system for citizens abroad, take no photo at all: they rely on biometric data you gave in person within the previous 59 months.
A printed photo appears in only one passport-related situation. If you lose your passport outside the EU in a country with no Bulgarian embassy or consulate, the mission of another EU country can issue an EU Emergency Travel Document, and the application for it is made with a photo. That single-journey document is issued by the other country under its own procedure.
Where to submit the photo
In Bulgaria, apply at the Bulgarian Identity Documents unit of the Sofia or regional Directorate of the Interior for your permanent address, or at a police station within that regional directorate. A Bulgarian citizen living abroad can apply at a Bulgarian diplomatic or consular mission, in person, during its opening hours and by appointment where the mission requires one. Missions such as The Hague take bookings through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs online booking platform.
Temporary passports are issued only by embassies and consulates, for example to a citizen abroad who has no valid passport. For these too the consular officer records the face, signature and fingerprints digitally, and a temporary passport for a child requires both parents and the child in person.
How to get your Bulgaria passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Bulgaria passport: 35 × 45 mm print, counter capture: not specified background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: nothing to bring but documents; fingerprints from 12, signature from 14; head covering only with ears and hair showing; glasses only if worn all the time.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Neither a print nor an upload is used. At home and abroad the officer captures your face, signature and fingerprints digitally and enters them in the information system with the application.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Bulgaria, apply at the Bulgarian Identity Documents unit of the Sofia or regional Directorate of the Interior for your permanent address, or at a police station within that regional directorate.
Bulgaria passport photo FAQ
No. The Ministry of Interior lists no photo among the documents. The official at the Bulgarian Identity Documents counter, or at an embassy or consulate, photographs your face with a digital device when you lodge the application and takes your fingerprints and signature at the same time.
The Bulgarian Identity Documents Act defines a 35 x 45 mm photo with a frontal face 31.5 to 36 mm tall from chin to the top of the head. Passports do not use a print to this standard, because the image is captured at the counter.
Only if you wear them permanently. The regulation accepts glasses whose lenses are not darkened and show no reflections that spoil the image of the eyes. If you wear glasses only now and then, take them off for the capture.
No new photo can be sent. Online applications through the Ministry of Interior portal, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs system for citizens abroad, are open to adults whose biometric data were taken in person within the last 59 months, and they reuse that data. After a substantial change in appearance you apply in person.
Yes. The child is present with the parents or guardians when the application is lodged, and the official photographs the child. Children under 12 give no fingerprints and children under 14 do not sign.
Yes, as long as both ears and at least 1 cm of hair remain visible. Otherwise the regulation asks for the face without a hat or headscarf, and it applies the same rule to the image taken at the counter.
No. Embassies and consulates issue temporary passports, and the consular officer captures the face and signature digitally and takes fingerprints. A photo is needed only for an EU Emergency Travel Document from another EU country where Bulgaria has no mission.
Related photo specifications
Other Bulgaria documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
Passports nearby
- Belarus passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Czech Republic passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Hungary passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Poland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Romania passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Russia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ukraine passport photo 100 × 150 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 Bulgaria photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Identity Documents Directorate. Издаване на паспорт (issuing a passport: general information) mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Identity Documents Directorate. Паспорт по НАО (passport service description) mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria. Правилник за издаване на българските лични документи (regulation on issuing Bulgarian identity documents, with Annex 5) mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria. Закон за българските лични документи (Bulgarian Identity Documents Act) mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. Издаване на временен паспорт (issuing a temporary passport) mfa.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. Издаване на български лични документи и временни документи за пътуване (identity documents for citizens abroad) mfa.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. Временен документ за пътуване на ЕС (EU Emergency Travel Document) mfa.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Consular Relations Directorate. Издаване на паспорт (passport applications at consulates) consulatebg.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Bulgaria in The Hague. Издаване на временен паспорт (embassy in The Hague) mfa.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- European Commission. Consular protection: EU Emergency Travel Document commission.europa.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Identity Documents Directorate before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Bulgaria passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/bulgaria/passport-photo