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Colombia driving licence photo requirements

The photo rules set by Alcaldía de Bogotá for the Colombia driving licence, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Colombia driving licence photo requirements?

In Bogotá you bring no photo for a Colombian driving licence (licencia de conducción). Staff at the 19 Ventanilla Única de Servicios offices capture your photograph, fingerprints and signature during the appointment, and the city warns that anyone asking you for photos to process it for you is a fraud. No national photo size is published for applicants. Other transit authorities issue licences through their own offices, so check your office's requirement list before you go.

A Colombian driving licence is a personal, non-transferable document issued by the local transit authority (organismo de tránsito) of a city, district or department, under rules set by the Ministry of Transport. Every licence is recorded in the national transit register, RUNT, and you must be registered there as a natural person before you can apply.

For a first licence, the transit authority checks that you hold a fitness certificate (physical, mental and motor coordination) from a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores, a driving certificate from a Centro de Enseñanza Automovilística, a pass in the theory and practical tests, and a clean record with no unpaid traffic fines. You then pay the fee and attend in person. Bogotá's 2025 guide lists the identity documents: cédula de ciudadanía or contraseña for adults, tarjeta de identidad or contraseña for minors, and for foreign adults a cédula de extranjería, a valid passport or a Permiso por Protección Temporal.

The photograph is part of that visit. Bogotá says nobody can do the procedure for you, because your fingerprints, signature and photo have to be taken for it. The Nariño departmental transit service lists taking the photograph among its own steps.

Colombia driving licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Alcaldía de Bogotá:[1]

Print sizeNo print: the transit office takes the photo during your appointment
Digital sizeNo digital file: the image is captured by the transit office
BackgroundNot published: staff photograph you at the office

Key requirements

  • Photographed at the appointment

    In Bogotá the photo for your licence is taken at the Ventanilla Única de Servicios office when you attend, and the fee is paid there too. You do not hand in printed photos or upload a file.

  • Only at an official office

    Bogotá tells applicants never to give their biometric data (fingerprints, signature or photographs) anywhere other than its 19 offices. If someone offers to handle the procedure for you and asks for photos, the city says the offer is false.

  • RUNT enrolment records your biometrics

    The Nariño procedure shows how the national register works: if you are not yet enrolled, staff enter your details in the RUNT system from your original cédula and generate the enrolment with your signature, fingerprint and photo.

  • Certificates come first

    Before the photo appointment, the fitness certificate, the driving school certificate and the test results must already be recorded in RUNT. Bogotá's 2025 guide adds that the theory and practical tests are certified by a Centro de Apoyo Logístico de Evaluación (CALE).

  • Bring your original identity document

    Present your original document at the office: a cédula or contraseña for Colombian adults, a tarjeta de identidad for minors, and a cédula de extranjería, passport or PPT for foreigners.

  • Each transit authority sets its own list

    Bogotá and Nariño publish that they take the photo. Itagüí's sheet for a first licence lists the cédula and the fitness exam, with no photograph. If your licence comes from another transit office, read its own requirement list.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Register in RUNT as a natural person before anything else.
  • Get your fitness, driving school and test certificates recorded in RUNT first.
  • Book a slot at a Ventanilla Única office that has appointments available.
  • Carry your original cédula, tarjeta de identidad or foreign ID.
  • Clear any unpaid traffic fines before your appointment.
  • Check the requirement list of your own transit office outside Bogotá.

Don't

  • Do not pay intermediaries who offer to process the licence for you.
  • Do not hand over photos, fingerprints or a signature outside the official offices.
  • Do not order printed photos for a Bogotá licence: they are not used.
  • Do not send someone else to the appointment in your place.

Babies and children

Colombians can hold a licence for private vehicles from age 16; a licence for public service vehicles requires age 18, according to Itagüí's procedure sheet. Minors apply in the same way as adults, presenting a tarjeta de identidad or contraseña, and their photo is taken at the office like everyone else's.

A licence issued against a tarjeta de identidad has to be changed when the holder comes of age and gets a cédula. Itagüí's sheet for that change asks for copies of both identity documents and a request form, with RUNT registration under both numbers; it lists no photograph.

There is neither a print nor a file to prepare for the licence photo in Bogotá. The image is captured on site, at the same visit as your fingerprints and signature, and Bogotá's 2023 guide says the photo is taken for your document before you pay the fee.

Because no applicant photo is used, no size, background or file rule is published for one, and none of the transit offices checked asks for a 3 x 4 cm print. If an office outside Bogotá does ask you for a printed photo, follow the size and colour it states.

Where to submit the photo

In Bogotá, choose a Ventanilla Única de Servicios office with available appointments, log in or create an account on the city's booking platform, and book. On the day, bring your original identity document; the payment module is inside the office. Renewal and recategorisation also run through these offices: renewal needs a new fitness certificate in RUNT and updates your licence's validity date, and moving up a category needs a new driving course and tests.

Elsewhere, apply at the transit authority for your area, such as a municipal Secretaría de Movilidad or a departmental transit office. Itagüí's sheet, for example, has you pay the fees owed to the Ministry of Transport, RUNT and the transit office at a bank counter inside its building. Your expiry date is printed on the back of the licence and can be checked on the RUNT website with your ID number.

How to get your Colombia driving licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Colombia driving licence. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photographed at the appointment; only at an official office; rUNT enrolment records your biometrics; certificates come first.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is neither a print nor a file to prepare for the licence photo in Bogotá. The image is captured on site, at the same visit as your fingerprints and signature, and Bogotá's 2023 guide says the photo is taken for your document before you pay the fee.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Bogotá, choose a Ventanilla Única de Servicios office with available appointments, log in or create an account on the city's booking platform, and book. On the day, bring your original identity document; the payment module is inside the office.

Make this photo online

Colombia driving licence photo FAQ

Not in Bogotá. Your photo, fingerprints and signature are captured at one of the city's Ventanilla Única de Servicios offices during the appointment. Nariño's transit offices also take the photo. Outside those areas, check the requirement list of the transit office that will issue your licence.

No size is published for applicants, because the transit office takes the photo itself and prints it on the card. Neither Bogotá nor Nariño asks you to bring a picture, and Itagüí's requirement sheet does not list one either.

No. Bogotá says nobody can do the procedure on your behalf, because your fingerprints, signature and photograph must be taken in person. It warns that anyone who offers to handle it and asks for your photos is not telling the truth.

RUNT registration, a fitness certificate from a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores, a driving certificate from a Centro de Enseñanza Automovilística, passed theory and practical tests, no unpaid fines, and the fee. Bogotá's transit authority checks each item before issuing the licence.

Yes. Bogotá's guide lists the documents foreign adults may present: a cédula de extranjería, a valid passport or a Permiso por Protección Temporal. The same certificates, tests and in-person photo capture apply as for Colombians.

From 16 for private vehicles and from 18 for public service vehicles, according to Itagüí's procedure sheet. Minors present a tarjeta de identidad or contraseña, and must change the licence to their cédula once they come of age.

Bogotá says the licence has an expiry date. You can read it on the back of the card or look it up on the RUNT website by entering your identity document number. Renewal requires a new fitness certificate recorded in RUNT.

Related photo specifications

Other Colombia documents

Driving licences nearby

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Official sources

  1. Alcaldía de Bogotá. Guía para expedir tu licencia de conducción en Bogotá (15 March 2026) bogota.gov.co. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Alcaldía de Bogotá. Licencia de conducción en Bogotá 2025: cómo solicitarla bogota.gov.co. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Alcaldía de Bogotá. Así puedes sacar, renovar o recategorizar la licencia de conducción en Bogotá (2023) bogota.gov.co. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Gobernación de Nariño, Subsecretaría de Tránsito y Transporte. GFRA-P-42 Gestión expedición licencia de conducción vehicular (version 2, 11 March 2025) mipg.narino.gov.co. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Secretaría de Movilidad de Itagüí. Hoja de vida del trámite: Expedición licencia de conducción transitoitagui.gov.co. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Secretaría de Movilidad de Itagüí. Hoja de vida del trámite: Cambio de licencia de conducción por mayoría de edad transitoitagui.gov.co. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Alcaldía de Bogotá before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

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"Colombia driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/colombia/driving-licence-photo

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