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Croatia driving licence photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP) for the Croatia driving licence, 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 Croatia driving licence photo?

A Croatian driving licence (vozačka dozvola) application at a police counter needs one photo of 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), unless MUP already holds a usable one from the last five years. The licence ordinance bans retouched and booth-made photos, requires glossy high-quality paper and ISO/IEC 19794-5 framing, and rules out headwear except for religious or medical reasons. Online e-Zahtjev applications reuse your eID photo instead.

Driving licences in Croatia are issued by the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) at the police administrations and police stations that handle licensing. The same counter deals with a first licence after the driving test, a newly passed category, renewal, replacing a lost or stolen card and exchanging a licence from another EEA country or from outside the EEA. Croatian citizens living in Croatia can apply, and so can EEA nationals whose usual residence is in Croatia and foreigners who stay at least 185 days in a calendar year with temporary or permanent residence.

The official prints the application form at the counter and you sign it. Every type of licence application lists one 35 x 45 mm photo, but many drivers need none: MUP reuses a photo it already holds if, in the last five years, you were issued a biometric passport, an electronic identity card, an identity card with an OIB, or a licence issued since 4 September 2017, using a photo you supplied, and you look much the same. MUP's pages do not describe a photo being taken at the counter: either you bring a print or the stored image is used.

Croatia driving licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP):[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), one print
Digital sizeNo digital file: bring a print or rely on a stored photo; online e-Zahtjev uses your latest eID photo
Head heightFramed to ISO/IEC 19794-5; MUP e-document template 31.5 to 36 mm chin to crown
BackgroundNeutral, light and plain; MUP e-document guide names white and light grey
ColourNatural colours, no red-eye (MUP photo guide)
Photo ageNo older than 6 months (MUP photo guide)
Print qualityHigh-quality glossy, smooth paper without surface texture and with high print quality (licence ordinance)
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: neutral.

In the official words

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

The photograph enclosed with an application for a driving licence must faithfully show the applicant and must not be touched up (retouched) or made with self-photographing equipment. (translated from Croatian)

Pravilnik o vozačkim dozvolama (NN 2/2019), Article 17[6]

Key requirements

  • One print, unless a photo is on file

    First licences, renewals, replacements and exchanges each list one 35 x 45 mm photo. You can leave it out when MUP holds a photo supplied in the last five years for a biometric passport, an electronic or OIB identity card or a licence issued from 4 September 2017, and your appearance has not changed significantly.

  • No touch-ups, no booths

    Article 17 of the Ordinance on Driving Licences says the photo must faithfully show the applicant and must not be touched up (retouched) or made with self-photographing equipment.

  • Photographed to ISO/IEC 19794-5

    The ordinance requires the photo to follow ISO/IEC 19794-5, the face-image standard also used for Croatian passports. MUP links its photo guide for e-documents from the licence pages, with a head of 31.5 to 36 mm and the eyes at least 8 mm apart.

  • Glossy, smooth paper

    The print must be on high-quality glossy and smooth paper with no surface texture, and the printing itself must be of high quality. A matt or textured print does not meet this.

  • Head uncovered

    No hat, cap or scarf. Someone who covers the head for religious or medical reasons may submit a photo with the covering, as long as it does not hide the cheeks, chin or forehead.

  • e-Zahtjev reuses your eID photo

    Applications made online through e-Građani need no photo: MUP takes the photo and signature used for your latest electronic identity card. This route is for the regular procedure only and excludes lost or stolen licences and exchanges of EEA or foreign licences.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Check first whether a passport or ID card photo from the last five years can be reused
  • Order a 35 x 45 mm print on glossy, smooth photo paper
  • Bring proof of identity and, where required, a medical certificate
  • Use e-Zahtjev for a renewal or new category if you hold an electronic ID card
  • Bring the foreign licence, and a translation if needed, when exchanging
  • Collect the licence within 90 days of the issue deadline

Don't

  • Do not have the photo touched up or retouched
  • Do not use a self-service photo booth
  • Do not wear a hat, cap or scarf unless it is for religious or medical reasons
  • Do not print the photo on matt or textured paper
  • Do not expect e-Zahtjev to work for a lost licence or a licence exchange
  • Do not drive on the counter receipt for more than 30 days

Sample photos

How a Croatia driving licence 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

The Ordinance on Driving Licences does not mention glasses directly; it refers to ISO/IEC 19794-5. The guide MUP links from its licence pages is more specific: your eyes must be clearly recognisable, there must be no glare on the lenses, tinted lenses and sunglasses are out, and the rim or frame must not cover the eyes.

If you keep your glasses on, check the print for glare on the lenses before you hand it in.

Headwear and religious dress

Article 17 of the licence ordinance requires you to be photographed without a head covering, and names a hat, a cap and a scarf. The exception is narrow: a person who covers the head for religious or medical reasons may attach a photo with the covering on, provided it does not cover the cheeks, chin or forehead.

At the counter the photo is a print. Online, since 4 September 2017, holders of an electronic identity card with identification and signature certificates can file an e-Zahtjev for a driving licence through e-Građani. You scan and attach the medical certificate, the driving test certificate if you passed before 1 January 2018, and any proof of payment, but no photo: MUP takes the photo and signature used for your latest eID card.

The online route covers a first licence after the test, and replacing a licence because of damage, renewal, added or removed categories or corrected data. It does not cover lost or stolen licences or exchanges of licences issued in another EEA country or abroad, and it runs only in the regular procedure.

If you need a print, a suitable digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on glossy paper at a photo lab, for example on a 4x6 inch sheet.

Where to submit the photo

Apply at a police administration or police station that issues driving licences. In the regular procedure the licence is issued within 30 days, and it can be collected where you applied or sent by courier to your address. The accelerated procedure takes three working days; the urgent procedure takes 24 hours, with collection at the Zagreb Police Administration.

The receipt you get when you apply lets you drive for 30 days. MUP does not send a message when the licence is ready, and it cancels a licence that is not collected within 90 days of the issue deadline.

How to get your Croatia driving licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Croatia driving licence: 35 × 45 mm print, neutral background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one print, unless a photo is on file; no touch-ups, no booths; photographed to ISO/IEC 19794-5; glossy, smooth paper.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. At the counter the photo is a print. Online, since 4 September 2017, holders of an electronic identity card with identification and signature certificates can file an e-Zahtjev for a driving licence through e-Građani.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply at a police administration or police station that issues driving licences. In the regular procedure the licence is issued within 30 days, and it can be collected where you applied or sent by courier to your address.

Make this photo online

Croatia driving licence photo FAQ

Only if MUP has no recent photo of you. A renewal lists one 35 x 45 mm photo, but it is not needed if you were issued a biometric passport, an electronic or OIB identity card, or a licence from 4 September 2017 in the last five years using a photo, and you look much the same.

MUP's pages do not describe one. At the counter, the official prints the form for you to sign, and you either hand over a 35 x 45 mm print or rely on a photo already in MUP's records. Online applications take the photo from your latest electronic ID card.

Yes, in effect. MUP reuses the photo from an electronic or OIB identity card issued in the last five years if your appearance has not changed significantly, and an online e-Zahtjev always uses the photo from your latest electronic ID card.

One 35 x 45 mm photo, the same as for any Croatian licence, unless MUP already holds a suitable photo from the last five years. You also bring proof of identity and the foreign licence; non-EEA licences also need a medical certificate no older than six months. Exchanges cannot be filed online.

Only if you wear it for religious or medical reasons, and it must leave your cheeks, chin and forehead uncovered. Otherwise the ordinance requires a photo without a hat, cap or scarf.

No. The Ordinance on Driving Licences states that the photo must not be made with self-photographing equipment, and it must not be retouched. It also asks for glossy, smooth, high-quality paper.

Related photo specifications

Other Croatia documents

Driving licences nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Vozačka dozvola (driving licence) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Izdavanje vozačke dozvole (first licence and new category) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). e-Zahtjev za vozačku dozvolu (online licence application) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Zamjena vozačke dozvole (exchanging a licence) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Croatian driving licence mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Narodne novine (Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia). Pravilnik o vozačkim dozvolama (NN 2/2019), Article 17 narodne-novine.nn.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Upute za pripremu fotografija za e-dokumente (photo guide for e-documents) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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