Colombia photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 6 documents issued in Colombia, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Colombia takes most ID photos itself. Passport offices and consulates photograph you (online renewal: JPG up to 495 KB), the Registraduría captures cédula photos (4 x 5 cm prints only at some consulates), and Migración Colombia photographs cédula de extranjería holders. Visas, including M and R, take an uploaded 3 x 4 cm JPG on white, up to 300 KB. Naturalisation takes a 4 x 5 cm JPG on white. In Bogotá, licence photos are taken at the transit office.
Overview
Four bodies handle Colombian document photos. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) issues passports and visas and decides naturalisation (carta de naturaleza). The Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil issues the cédula de ciudadanía. Migración Colombia issues the cédula de extranjería to foreign residents. Local transit authorities issue driving licences, which are recorded in the national RUNT register.
The main split is between photos you supply and photos taken for you. You supply a digital file for visa applications and naturalisation, both filed on Cancillería's SITAC platform, and for online passport renewal. For in-person passports, the cédula de ciudadanía, the cédula de extranjería and, in Bogotá, the driving licence, the office captures your photo along with fingerprints and signature. Of the national procedures checked, only the cédula still takes printed photos, and only at consulates without digital enrolment equipment or when enrolment has to be done on paper.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | — | — | Online renewal: plain and light-coloured |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | 30 × 40 mm | — | White |
Identity cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID card | 40 × 50 mm | — | Uniform, a single colour, ideally white and… |
Driving licences
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving licence | — | — | Not published: staff photograph you at the… |
Residence and work permits
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residence visa | 30 × 40 mm | — | Visa upload: white |
Citizenship and naturalisation
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | 40 × 50 mm | — | White |
Frequently asked questions
Usually not for documents issued in person. Cancillería passport offices and consulates, the Registraduría for the cédula, Migración Colombia for the cédula de extranjería, and Bogotá's transit offices all take the photo themselves. You prepare a photo for visas, naturalisation and online passport renewal, which are uploaded as files.
No. Visa applications use a 3 x 4 cm scale photo uploaded as a JPG of up to 300 KB. Cédula prints, where a consulate still needs them, are 4 x 5 cm, and the naturalisation application also asks for a 4 x 5 cm photo, uploaded in JPG format.
Visa and naturalisation uploads use white; for visas, blue is allowed only for white or no hair or a light religious habit. Cédula prints need a uniform background, ideally white. The online passport renewal asks for a plain, light-coloured background.
In Bogotá, applicants give fingerprints, signature and photograph in person at one of the 19 Ventanilla Única de Servicios offices, and the city warns that anyone who asks you for photos to do the procedure on your behalf is running a scam. Other transit authorities run their own offices.
For the uploads, yes: the visa, naturalisation and online passport rules set no requirement to use a studio. The file must still meet each set of rules, such as the white background and 300 KB limit for visas. Photos for in-person documents are taken by the office, so you only need to prepare your clothing and hair.
Nearby countries
Other countries in South America:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Falkland Islands
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Peru
- Suriname
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Official sources
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). Pasaportes – Requisitos cancilleria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). ABC de Visa cancilleria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). Naturalización cancilleria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil. Cédula de ciudadanía amarilla con hologramas – preguntas frecuentes registraduria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Migración Colombia. Cédula de Extranjería migracioncolombia.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Alcaldía de Bogotá. Guía para expedir tu licencia de conducción en Bogotá bogota.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Colombia photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/colombia