Croatia passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Government of the Republic of Croatia (gov.hr) for the Croatia passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Croatia passport photo?
A Croatian passport (putovnica) needs one printed photo of 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in). The head, chin to crown, should fill about two-thirds of the frame and be no taller than 36 mm. Use a plain light background, a neutral face with the mouth closed and glossy photo paper. MUP rejects booth and retouched photos. You need no new photo if one used in the last five years is on file, or if you renew online through e-Građani.
Croatian passports are issued by the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) through its police administrations and the police stations that carry out administrative work. You can apply at any of them, whatever your registered address, in the regular or the urgent procedure. Citizens living abroad apply in person at a Croatian embassy or consulate, and adults who already hold a passport can apply for the next one through the e-Građani (e-Citizens) portal.
The photo is a paper print that you bring with you. The passport ordinance asks for one photo of 35 x 45 mm, and MUP tells applicants to mention to the photographer that it is for a biometric passport. The office does not need a print if it already holds a photo of you, supplied for a passport or electronic identity card in the last five years, and you look much the same. Applicants aged 12 and over attend in person to sign the application and give two fingerprints, which are stored in the passport chip.
Croatia passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Government of the Republic of Croatia (gov.hr):[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: hand in one print; e-Građani applications reuse the photo from your identity card |
| Head height | Chin to crown about 2/3 of the photo; MUP template 31.5 to 36 mm for anyone over 11 |
| Background | Plain light colour, no pattern or shadow, contrasting with face and hair; MUP guide suggests white or light grey |
| Colour | Colour, with natural tones and no red-eye |
| Photo age | No older than 6 months (MUP photo guide) |
| Print quality | High-quality glossy, smooth paper with no surface texture; no scratches, stains, stamp marks or folds |
| 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:
Subordinate legislation provides that the photograph cannot be made in self-photographing machines (photo booths), nor may it be retouched. (translated from Croatian)
Key requirements
- Tell the photographer it is for a biometric passport
MUP's answer to where you can be photographed is any photo studio in Croatia, provided you say the picture is for a biometric passport. The studio then works to ISO/IEC 19794-5, the standard MUP uses to check head geometry, background, lighting and contrast.
- Head about two-thirds of the height
From the chin to the crown, the head should take up about two-thirds of the photo and must not exceed 36 mm. Centre it, and keep at least 8 mm (ideally 10 mm) between the centres of the eyes. A high hairstyle may run off the top edge.
- No photo booths, no retouching
MUP states that the implementing regulations rule out photos made in self-service booths and photos that have been retouched. Its guide also forbids stretching the head, changing its proportions or mirroring the image.
- Plain light background, even light
Use a single light colour with no pattern and no shadows, standing out clearly from your face and hair. Light the face evenly, without reflections, shadows or red-eye.
- Neutral, frontal pose
Look straight into the camera with your eyes open and level, mouth closed and no smile. Half-profile poses are refused, and hair must not cover the eyes, nose or mouth.
- A photo on file can replace a new one
You need not hand in a photo if a passport or electronic identity card was issued to you in the last five years using a photo you supplied, and your appearance has not changed significantly.
- Medical emergency exception
When someone urgently needs a passport to be taken abroad for medical treatment, the ordinance lets the office accept a photo that does not meet the usual conditions.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Tell the photographer the photo is for a biometric passport
- Bring one 35 x 45 mm print, or two if your consulate asks for them
- Have the photo printed on glossy, smooth photo paper
- Bring your old passport; it is cancelled and handed back
- Ask whether a photo from the last five years is already on file
- Bring children aged 12 and over so they can sign and give fingerprints
Don't
- Do not use a self-service photo booth
- Do not retouch, mirror or stretch the image
- Do not wear a hat, cap or scarf unless it is for religious or medical reasons
- Do not wear tinted lenses or sunglasses
- Do not hand in a creased, stained or stamped print
- Do not include other people or objects in the frame
Sample photos
How a Croatia 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
Glasses are not banned, but MUP's photo guide requires the eyes to be clearly and accurately recognisable. Reflections on the lenses, tinted lenses and sunglasses are not accepted, and neither the frame nor the rim of the lenses may cover the eyes. The guide shows a thick plastic frame as one of its rejected examples, so a thin frame, or no glasses, is the safer choice.
The one exception is for blind people who wear dark glasses: the passport ordinance lets them submit photos taken with those glasses on.
Headwear and religious dress
The passport photo must show you faithfully and without a head covering. MUP lists a hat, a cap and a scarf as examples, and asks for an uncovered forehead. A covering worn for religious or medical reasons is allowed only if it leaves the cheeks, chin and forehead visible. MUP's guide adds that the face must then be recognisable from the bottom of the chin to the forehead, with no shadows falling on it.
Babies and children
A parent or legal guardian applies for a child. Children under 12 do not have to come to the police station, so the parent brings the child's photo; from 12, the child attends to sign and give fingerprints for the chip.
In the photo the child must be alone, with the whole face visible and eyes open. MUP's guide shows a baby wearing a hat, a baby with an open mouth and a baby held on someone's arm as photos that are refused. Its template allows a smaller head for children under 11, from 22.5 to 36 mm chin to crown.
A parent can also apply for a child's next passport through e-Građani without a new photo, if the child already had a passport and was issued an identity card with a photo in the past year.
Printed and digital photos
There is no photo upload for a Croatian passport. At a police station or a consulate you hand over a paper print, and online applications skip the photo entirely.
The e-Građani route is open to adults who already hold a passport and have an electronic identity card no older than one year with identification and signature certificates. MUP then takes the photo, fingerprints and signature recorded when that identity card was issued. Online applications are handled only in the regular procedure; urgent passports are applied for at a police administration or station.
If you take the picture yourself, it can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. MUP's own advice, though, is that a photographer should make the photo, and booth photos are refused.
Where to submit the photo
In Croatia, apply at any police administration or police station that carries out administrative work; some specialised stations do not. Urgent applications cannot be lodged at the stations under the Zagreb Police Administration. In the regular procedure you collect the passport where you applied or have it delivered to an address in Croatia, but not abroad.
Abroad, book an appointment through the Croatian Consular Portal and apply in person at the embassy or consulate; London says applications cannot be sent by post. London issues passports to nationals legally resident in the UK for more than three months, and asks for two 35 x 45 mm colour photos when an adult applies for a first passport. The embassy in Australia asks for one photo on a plain white background, printed on gloss.
How to get your Croatia passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Croatia passport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain light colour background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: tell the photographer it is for a biometric passport; head about two-thirds of the height; no photo booths, no retouching; plain light background, even light.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no photo upload for a Croatian passport. At a police station or a consulate you hand over a paper print, and online applications skip the photo entirely.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Croatia, apply at any police administration or police station that carries out administrative work; some specialised stations do not. Urgent applications cannot be lodged at the stations under the Zagreb Police Administration.
Croatia passport photo FAQ
No. The application lists a 35 x 45 mm photo among the things you bring, and MUP's answer to where to be photographed is any photo studio in Croatia. You can skip the print when a suitable photo is already on file: one supplied for a passport or electronic identity card in the last five years, if your appearance has not changed much.
No. MUP states that the implementing regulations do not allow photos made in self-service booths, and it recommends that a professional photographer takes the picture so that the size and quality rules are met.
Yes, through e-Građani, if you are an adult, already had a passport and hold an electronic identity card no older than one year with identification and signature certificates. No photo is attached: MUP uses the photo, fingerprints and signature from that identity card. Only regular-procedure applications can be made this way.
No. The ordinance asks for a neutral expression with eyes open and mouth closed, taken from the front, and MUP's photo guide shows a smiling face among its examples of rejected photos.
A plain light background with no pattern and enough contrast with your face and hair. MUP's guide recommends white in one place and light grey in another, and the embassy in Australia asks for plain white. Shadows on the background are not accepted.
Usually one. The embassies in Ireland and Australia ask for a single colour photo. London asks for one when you renew, but two 35 x 45 mm colour photos when an adult applies for a first Croatian passport. Applications are made in person by appointment.
Only from age 12, when the child signs the application and gives fingerprints for the passport chip. For a younger child, a parent or guardian applies and brings the child's 35 x 45 mm photo, showing the child alone with eyes open.
Related photo specifications
Other Croatia documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
Passports nearby
- Albania passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cyprus passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Gibraltar passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Greece passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Italy passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Malta passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Portugal passport photo
- San Marino passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Slovenia passport photo 35 × 45 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 Croatia photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Government of the Republic of Croatia (gov.hr). Issuing a Passport at a Police Department or Station gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Croatia (gov.hr). Issuing Passport through e-Citizens gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Putovnica (passport) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Primjeri ispravno i neispravno snimljenih fotografija (examples of correct and incorrect photos) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- 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.
- Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP). Najčešća pitanja: osobne isprave (FAQ on personal documents) mup.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Narodne novine (Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia). Pravilnik o obrascima i evidencijama putnih isprava hrvatskih državljana (NN 4/2010), Articles 4-5 narodne-novine.nn.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Narodne novine (Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia). Pravilnik o izmjenama i dopuni Pravilnika o obrascima i evidencijama putnih isprava (NN 27/2021) narodne-novine.nn.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Croatian Passports (Embassy in London) mvep.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Croatian Passports (Embassy in Ireland) mvep.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Passport (Embassy in Australia) mvep.gov.hr. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Government of the Republic of Croatia (gov.hr) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Croatia passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/croatia/passport-photo