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Bulgaria residence permit photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria for the Bulgaria residence permit, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 7 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Bulgaria residence permit photo?

Bulgarian residence permits, and residence cards for non-EU family members of EU citizens, are issued by the Ministry of Interior's Migration Directorate, whose official captures your face, signature and fingerprints digitally when you lodge the application. Its checklists ask for passport copies, not photos. Where a print is still attached, the regulation sets 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), a 31.5 to 36 mm face (25 to 35 mm under 14) and a light grey background.

Third-country nationals allowed to stay in Bulgaria for more than three months receive a residence permit (razreshenie za prebivavane) in the EU card format: for continuous, long-term or permanent residence, or as an EU Blue Card, a single permit for residence and work, a seasonal worker permit or an intra-corporate transfer permit. Non-EU family members of EU citizens who have used free movement receive a residence card. Both are issued by the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior and the Migration units of the regional directorates, and personalised by the Bulgarian Identity Documents Directorate.

Most applicants first enter on a type D visa and then appear in person at the Migration office; a single-permit holder, for example, reports within 14 days of entering with the visa. When the application is lodged, the regulation tells the official to capture the signature and biometric data with digital devices. That is why the Migration checklists ask for copies of the passport pages rather than photos. A colour print meeting Annex 5 to the regulation is attached only where digital capture is not available.

Bulgaria residence permit photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), only where a print is attached; Migration normally captures the face on site
Digital sizeNo upload or digital file: the face is captured on site when you lodge the application
Head height31.5 to 36 mm chin to crown, hair included; 25 to 35 mm for children under 14
BackgroundPrints: neutral light grey of 20% grey density (permitted range 15 to 25%)
Photo agePrints: taken within two years before the application date
File sizeNot applicable: residence permit photos are not uploaded
Print qualityMatte, smooth photo material 0.12 to 0.20 mm thick; glossy or raster paper not allowed
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm31.5–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 31.5–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: prints: neutral light grey of 20% grey….

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

The photos must be in colour and of visibly good quality. Photos copied with scanners or copying machines, and retouched photos, are not permitted. (translated from Bulgarian)

Правилник за издаване на българските лични документи (regulation, Articles 40-42 and Annex 5)[1]

Photos copied with scanners or copying machines, and retouched photos, are not permitted. The photos are made on material with a smooth matte surface, 0.12 to 0.20 mm thick. Photos made on glossy or raster paper are not permitted. (translated from Bulgarian)

Правилник за издаване на българските лични документи (regulation, Articles 40-42 and Annex 5)[1]

Key requirements

  • Biometrics taken at the Migration office

    Article 40 of the regulation on Bulgarian identity documents says that when a residence permit application is lodged, the official captures the applicant's signature and biometric data with digital devices. Continuous, long-term and permanent residents, and EU family members, all appear in person.

  • Checklists ask for passport copies, not photos

    The Migration Directorate's lists for prolonged and permanent residence ask for a copy of the passport pages with the photograph and personal data, with the original shown for checking. No print of your own appears on them.

  • Print fallback under Annex 5

    Article 42 lists a colour photo meeting Annex 5 among the attachments, but adds that it is not attached where the face can be captured digitally.

  • Grey, not white, for prints

    Annex 5 asks for a neutral light grey background of 20% grey density, varying between 15% and 25%. A pure white backdrop is outside that range.

  • No retouching or copies

    Retouched photos and photos copied with scanners or copying machines are refused, and prints must be on smooth matte material, not glossy or raster paper.

  • Fingerprints from age 6

    For residence documents, fingerprints are not taken from children under 6 or from people physically unable to give them. A parent or guardian lodges and signs the application for a child under 14.

  • EU card formats

    Single permits, EU Blue Cards, seasonal worker and intra-corporate transfer permits follow Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002, and residence cards for family members of EU citizens follow Regulation (EU) 2019/1157. Their chips hold the facial image and fingerprints taken with the application.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Bring the original passport and copies of its photo and visa pages
  • Report in person at the Migration office that covers your address
  • Bring each child, who needs an application of their own
  • Use a light grey background if an office asks for a print
  • Keep both ears and some hair visible under a head covering

Don't

  • Do not attach a print unless the office asks for one
  • Do not use a white, glossy or retouched photo as a print
  • Do not send a scan or photocopy instead of a photo
  • Do not miss the deadline to appear after entering on a D visa
  • Do not wear tinted glasses for the capture

Sample photos

How a Bulgaria residence permit 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.

Glasses

Point 13 of Annex 5 asks for no glasses in the image. Glasses worn all the time are accepted when the lenses are clear and free of reflections that worsen the eye area. Because Article 9 applies points 12 to 16 of the annex to digital capture as well, the same rule holds when the Migration official takes your picture.

Headwear and religious dress

Hats and headscarves are not part of the standard image, but a hat or headscarf is accepted when both ears and at least 1 cm of hair can be seen. Wigs, beards and moustaches are fine if you wear them permanently. The regulation publishes no other religious or medical exception for residence documents.

Babies and children

A parent or guardian lodges the application for a child under 14 and signs it. Young people aged 14 to 17 lodge their own application in person. Fingerprints for residence documents start at age 6, but the officer captures the child's face whatever the age.

If a print is used for a child under 14, the face may be 25 to 35 mm tall instead of the adult 31.5 to 36 mm. The other Annex 5 rules, from the grey background to the matte paper, are the same as for adults.

No Bulgarian residence permit photo is uploaded online. The image is taken on site and, for the card-format permits and residence cards, written to the chip together with the fingerprints.

If an office does ask for a print, it must follow Annex 5: 35 x 45 mm, or 37 x 47 mm with a 2 mm tolerance after trimming, which is 1.38 x 1.77 inches at the base size. It must be in colour, on light grey, on matte paper and no more than two years old, and the regulation expects it to be made by a registered photographer. A digital photo cropped to this size would still need the grey background and no retouching.

Where to submit the photo

Applications are lodged at the Migration Directorate in Sofia or at the Migration unit of the regional Directorate of the Interior: for continuous residence, the one for your current address; for long-term or permanent residence, the one for your permanent address; for family members of EU citizens, the one for your address of residence. A single-permit application is filed by the employer, or by the foreigner if already holding continuous residence, and the foreigner then reports in person within 14 days of entry.

The European Commission's EU Immigration Portal adds, for researchers in Bulgaria, that the residence permit is obtained from the Migration Directorate after arrival and that you have five days to notify your address of residence.

How to get your Bulgaria residence permit photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Bulgaria residence permit: 35 × 45 mm print, prints: neutral light grey of 20% grey… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: biometrics taken at the Migration office; checklists ask for passport copies, not photos; print fallback under Annex 5; grey, not white, for prints.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. No Bulgarian residence permit photo is uploaded online. The image is taken on site and, for the card-format permits and residence cards, written to the chip together with the fingerprints.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Applications are lodged at the Migration Directorate in Sofia or at the Migration unit of the regional Directorate of the Interior: for continuous residence, the one for your current address; for long-term or permanent residence, the one for your permanent…

Make this photo online

Bulgaria residence permit photo FAQ

Normally no. The Migration official captures your face, signature and fingerprints digitally when you lodge the application, and the Migration checklists ask only for copies of your passport pages. A print is attached only where an office cannot capture the face.

Where a print is needed, 35 x 45 mm with the face 31.5 to 36 mm from chin to top of head, or 25 to 35 mm for children under 14. These figures come from the Bulgarian Identity Documents Act and Annex 5 of its regulation.

Not under the regulation. Annex 5 asks for neutral light grey of 20% grey density, within 15% to 25%. When the Migration official captures your face on site, you do not supply the background.

Only from age 6. The Bulgarian Identity Documents Act exempts children under 6, and anyone physically unable, from fingerprints for residence documents. A parent or guardian lodges and signs the application for a child under 14.

In person at the Migration Directorate or at the Migration unit of the regional Directorate of the Interior for your address of residence. The card is issued in the format set by Regulation (EU) 2019/1157.

Yes, provided both ears and at least 1 cm of hair are visible. The regulation applies this head-covering rule to prints and to the image captured at the Migration counter.

No. The D visa is applied for at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate with a 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour print on a light background. The residence permit image is captured later by the Migration official in Bulgaria.

Related photo specifications

Other Bulgaria documents

Residence and work permits nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria. Правилник за издаване на българските лични документи (regulation, Articles 40-42 and Annex 5) mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria. Закон за българските лични документи (Bulgarian Identity Documents Act, Articles 17, 20a, 22 and 59) mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Migration Directorate. Issue of Residence Permits to Third Country Nationals mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Migration Directorate. Prolonged residence: documents required mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Migration Directorate. Foreign citizens granted permanent residence: identity document application mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, Migration Directorate. Процедура: единно разрешение за пребиваване и работа (single permit procedure) mvr.bg. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. EU Immigration Portal: researcher in Bulgaria home-affairs.ec.europa.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

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"Bulgaria residence permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/bulgaria/residence-permit-photo

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