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Cyprus ID card photo requirements

The photo rules set by Ministry of Interior of Cyprus for the Cyprus ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 4 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Cyprus ID card photo requirements?

A Cyprus identity card needs no photo from you. The Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) takes it at a service point, with fingerprints from the age of 12, and consulates abroad do the same. A print of your own is accepted only if it meets the CRMD specification: face 32 to 36 mm high, plain light background with neutral grey ideal, colour, at least 600 dpi. No official page names 35 x 45 mm or 3 x 4 cm for the card.

The civil identity card is issued by the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) of the Ministry of Interior. Under current rules every citizen must have one from the age of 12, and it is optional for younger children. Cards are valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors, according to the Ministry of Interior.

The process is shared with the passport, but the card has its own online service. You apply and pay on gov.cy with a CY Login account and then go to a service point, where your photo and fingerprints are taken. A child under 12 needs only the photo. Abroad, you apply in person at an embassy or high commission. The London High Commission states that its consular officer takes the card photo during the appointment, so you need not bring any photographs.

Sizes are the open question. The CRMD specification names no width or height for a print, only proportions of the face. A 35 x 45 mm photo is about the right height for them, since a face of 32 to 36 mm filling 70 to 80% of the picture implies a photo roughly 45 mm tall. A 3 x 4 cm size does appear in old and mission-level texts, but not for the identity card.

Cyprus ID card photo size and specifications

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

Print sizeNo print size published: the photo is taken at the service point or consulate
Digital sizeNo upload: the picture is captured on the spot, or a print is supplied to the CRMD specification
Head heightChin to crown 32 to 36 mm, 70 to 80% of the photo; rejected under 27 mm or over 40 mm
BackgroundPlain, light background, ideally neutral grey; no pattern or shadows
ColourColour, sharp, natural skin tones
Print qualityHigh-quality paper, at least 600 dpi

In the official words

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

two recent photos (3x4 cm)

ID Card / Passport / Emergency Travel Document[4]

two photos of 4x3 cm in size certified by the Consular Officer of the Embassy

ID Cards[1]

Key requirements

  • Mandatory from age 12

    The Ministry of Interior says the acquisition and possession of an identity card is mandatory for every citizen who has reached 12, and optional for younger people. The card is therefore the document that most families renew for a teenager.

  • Photo at the service point

    The gov.cy service Apply for an ID card takes the application and the payment online. It then says you will need to go to a service point for fingerprints and a photo. Your child needs to go too for the photo, and fingerprints begin for children between 12 and 18.

  • Bringing your own photo

    The Ministry's identity card page, posted in June 2025, says applicants may provide their own photograph if it meets the required specifications. Staff still do the biometric collection, so check with the service point before you print anything.

  • Proportions, not millimetres of paper

    The CRMD specification fixes the face, from chin to crown, at 70 to 80% of the photo, which it puts at 32 to 36 mm. Faces under 27 mm or over 40 mm are rejected. The face must be centred, and only the person being photographed may appear.

  • Even light, neutral face

    Use uniform lighting with no shadows, reflections or red eyes, and shadows on the face are not accepted. The expression is neutral with the mouth closed, you look straight at the lens, and the head is neither tilted nor turned.

  • Background colour

    The specification asks for a bright, single-colour background without a pattern, ideally a neutral grey. For fair hair a medium grey suits, and a light grey suits dark hair. Shadows on the background are not accepted.

  • Abroad, the officer takes it

    At the London High Commission the identity card photo is taken by a consular officer at the appointment, together with the other biometric information. Applications abroad are made in person.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Apply on gov.cy first, then attend a service point.
  • Bring your child so that the photo can be taken.
  • Check with the service point before supplying your own print.
  • Keep your head upright and your expression neutral.
  • Pull your hair back so it does not touch your eyes.
  • Ask a mission whether a baby needs two prints.

Don't

  • Do not wear dark lenses or sunglasses.
  • Do not let the edge of the glasses cover your eyes.
  • Do not choose a patterned or shadowed background.
  • Do not supply a print below 600 dpi.
  • Do not wear a uniform that shows in the picture.
  • Do not expect to send the photo online.

Glasses

Your eyes must be clearly visible. The CRMD specification rules out glare on the lenses, dark lenses and sunglasses, and it does not let the rims or frames cover any part of the eyes. A pair with light frames and clean, untinted lenses meets those words.

Headwear and religious dress

The specification does not allow hats or head coverings, but it makes exceptions, particularly for religious reasons or a permanent medical condition. A permitted covering must leave the face visible from the bottom of the chin to the forehead. Uniforms must not appear in the picture.

Babies and children

For an identity card a child under 12 gives a photo but no fingerprints or signature, and a child between 12 and 18 also has fingerprints taken. The gov.cy service asks for the consent of the other parent when the child is under 12.

The CRMD loosens the photo rules for the youngest. Children up to 9 need a face of 50 to 80% of the photo, or 22 to 36 mm, and a photo is refused only under 17 mm or over 40 mm. Children up to 5 need not look at the camera, keep a neutral face or sit in the centre, and a child under one year may have the eyes closed. London also asks for two passport photos with the card application for a child under 12 months.

The card has no upload step. The picture is taken at the service point or by the consular officer, and it is then stored on the card chip and printed on the card. A print is the only thing you could bring, and then only to the CRMD specification.

If you do print, the paper must be high quality and the resolution at least 600 dpi, particularly for a digital camera picture. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to size. The size to cut to is not published: the 3 x 4 cm print in the database appears in an old Helsinki embassy page and in London's emergency travel document instructions, not in any current identity card rule.

Where to submit the photo

In Cyprus, apply online on gov.cy with a CY Login account, or at a service point, and attend a service point for the photo and fingerprints. The card is collected from the place where you applied. If your previous card has expired you do not need to hand it in, and if it is still valid you give it up at the service point.

Abroad, applications for an identity card are made in person at an embassy or high commission. The London High Commission works only by appointment and asks for a birth certificate or the earlier card, depending on whether you are renewing.

How to get your Cyprus ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Cyprus ID card: plain background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: mandatory from age 12; photo at the service point; bringing your own photo; proportions, not millimetres of paper.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The card has no upload step. The picture is taken at the service point or by the consular officer, and it is then stored on the card chip and printed on the card. A print is the only thing you could bring, and then only to the CRMD specification.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Cyprus, apply online on gov.cy with a CY Login account, or at a service point, and attend a service point for the photo and fingerprints. The card is collected from the place where you applied.

Make this photo online

Cyprus ID card photo FAQ

No official page gives a size. The photo is taken at the service point. The CRMD specification gives the face as 32 to 36 mm high, 70 to 80% of the photo, which suggests a photo about 45 mm tall, in line with 35 x 45 mm.

No. You go to a service point after applying online, and the CRMD takes the photo and fingerprints. The London High Commission says its consular officer takes the card photo at the appointment.

No current official page asks for it. The size appears in London's emergency travel document instructions and in an old Helsinki embassy page for identity cards. Use the service point's photo or ask the mission.

From age 12, according to the Ministry of Interior. It is optional for younger children. Children aged 12 to 18 also have their fingerprints taken at the service point.

Yes, if your eyes remain clearly visible. There must be no glare on the lenses, no dark lenses or sunglasses, and the rims must not cover any part of the eyes.

Plain, bright and single-coloured, ideally neutral grey, with no pattern or shadows. The CRMD recommends medium grey for fair hair and light grey for dark hair.

Yes, in person at an embassy or high commission, usually by appointment. The London High Commission takes the photo and other biometric data itself, so you need not bring photographs.

Related photo specifications

Other Cyprus documents

Identity cards nearby

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Interior of Cyprus. ID Cards gov.cy. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Republic of Cyprus (gov.cy). Apply for an ID card citizen-documents.service.gov.cy. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Civil Registry and Migration Department. Electronic Documents csca.crmd.moi.gov.cy. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. High Commission of Cyprus in the UK. ID Card / Passport / Emergency Travel Document cyprusinuk.com. Checked 2 November 2026.

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

Cite this page

"Cyprus ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/cyprus/id-card-photo

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