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Cyprus passport photo requirements

The 40 × 50 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Interior of Cyprus for the Cyprus passport, with the official wording and sources.

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

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Quick answer

What size is the Cyprus passport photo?

You do not have to bring a photo for a Cyprus passport. The Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) takes your photograph, fingerprints and signature at a service point, and embassies do the same abroad. If you supply your own print, the CRMD specification asks for a face 32 to 36 mm high, a plain light background, colour and at least 600 dpi. No official page gives a size for the passport photo itself; 4 x 5 cm appears only for the emergency travel document in Berlin.

Cyprus passports are issued by the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) of the Ministry of Interior under the Civil Registry Law. In Cyprus you can apply online on the gov.cy platform with a CY Login account, or in person at a service point. Online, you fill in the application and pay for yourself and your children, and the service then sends you to a service point for the fingerprints and the photo.

Citizens abroad apply in person, by appointment, at an embassy or high commission. The London High Commission says you need not bring any passport photos because a consular officer takes them during the appointment, and the Berlin embassy says the receiving officer records the photograph, fingerprints and a sample of the signature in a special area of the embassy (translated from Greek).

So the usual answer is that nobody asks you for a print. Two points qualify it. The Ministry of Interior says applicants may provide their own photo if it meets the required specifications, and the London High Commission asks for two passport photos when the child is under 12 months old. The CRMD has a specification for biometric photographs, but it gives proportions and print quality, not a paper size.

Cyprus passport photo size and specifications

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

Print sizeNo size published for the passport photo. Emergency travel document only: 4 x 5 cm (Berlin), 3 x 4 cm (London)
Digital sizeNo file to upload: the photo is captured at the service point or by the consular officer
Head heightChin to crown 32 to 36 mm, 70 to 80% of the photo (not to the top of the hair)
BackgroundPlain, light background, ideally neutral grey; no pattern or shadows
ColourColour, sharp and intact, with a natural skin colour balance
Print qualityHigh-quality paper, printed at 600 dpi or more
Pixels when printed472 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm50 mm32–36 mm
40 × 50 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 32–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain.

In the official words

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

Two recent photographs sized 4cm by 5cm

Biometric Passports of the Republic of Cyprus[4]

φωτεινό (ιδανικά ένα ουδέτερο γκρι χρώμα)

Passports[1]

Key requirements

  • You are photographed in person

    The Ministry of Interior states that in all cases the applicant must be present for the collection of biometric data: photo, fingerprints and signature. Specially trained and authorised officers take them. Children under 12 are exempt from the fingerprints and the signature, but they still have to attend for the photo.

  • Your own print is optional

    The Ministry's passport page, posted in June 2025, says applicants may provide their own photo if it meets the required specifications. The CRMD adds that it normally captures the face with specialised equipment, and that a printed biometric facial image is accepted when it complies with its specification.

  • Face size and position

    The specification wants the face measured from the bottom of the chin to the crown, not the top of the hair, to fill 70 to 80% of the photo, which it equates to 32 to 36 mm. A photo is rejected only when the face is under 27 mm or over 40 mm. The face must be centred.

  • Plain, light background

    The background must be one colour, bright and plain, and ideally a neutral grey that contrasts with your face and hair. The CRMD suggests a medium grey for light hair and a light grey for dark hair. Shadows on the background are not accepted.

  • Print quality

    A supplied print must be on high-quality paper at 600 dpi or more, especially when the picture comes from a digital camera. It must be in colour with a balanced, natural skin tone, sharp and intact. Only you may appear in it, with no other face or object.

  • Neutral, straight to the camera

    Keep your head upright, not tilted or turned in a portrait style, with a neutral expression and a closed mouth. Look straight into the lens with both eyes open. Lighting must be even, without shadows, reflections or red eyes.

  • Emergency travel document needs prints

    If you lose your passport abroad, the mission issues a single-trip travel document. The Berlin embassy asks for two recent photographs of 4 cm by 5 cm, while the London High Commission asks for two photos of 3 x 4 cm. Ask your own mission which size it wants.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Attend the appointment in person, including a child.
  • Ask the mission before bringing a print of your own.
  • Look straight at the camera with your face centred.
  • Keep your hair off your eyes and your face evenly lit.
  • Bring two passport photos for a baby under 12 months in London.
  • Ask which print size a mission wants for an emergency travel document.

Don't

  • Do not look for an upload step: the online service sends you to a service point.
  • Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses.
  • Do not wear a hat or head covering without a religious or medical reason.
  • Do not bring a print below 600 dpi.
  • Do not let shadows fall on the face or the background.
  • Do not apply by mail: abroad, applications are made in person.

Sample photos

How a Cyprus passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 50 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 CRMD specification asks for eyes that are clearly visible. There must be no glare on the lenses, no dark lenses and no sunglasses, and the rim of the lenses or the frame must not cover any part of the eyes. Clear glasses with thin frames that leave the eyes uncovered therefore fit the wording.

The consular officer or service point officer takes the photo, so you can usually adjust your glasses on the spot.

Headwear and religious dress

Hats and head coverings are not permitted. The specification allows exceptions, in particular for religious reasons or a permanent medical condition. Where a covering is allowed, the face must stay visible from the bottom of the chin up to the forehead. Uniforms must not be visible in the photograph.

Babies and children

Children attend the service point or the consular appointment so that the photo can be taken, and online applications ask the other parent for consent through CY Login. Fingerprints are taken only from the age of 12, and under 12 only the picture is needed. The CRMD relaxes its rules for young children. Up to age 9 the face must fill 50 to 80% of the photo, or 22 to 36 mm, and it is rejected only under 17 mm or over 40 mm.

Up to age 5 the same face size applies, but the child need not have a neutral expression, look at the camera or be centred. A baby under one year does not need to have the eyes open. The London High Commission asks for two passport photos with the application of a child under 12 months.

There is nothing to upload and, in the normal case, nothing to print. The picture is captured at the service point with specialised equipment, and consular officers take it during the appointment. None of the official pages describes a digital file as part of the procedure.

If you choose to bring a print, the CRMD says it must be on high-quality paper at 600 dpi or more. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to size, but the CRMD names no paper size. The 4 x 5 cm and 3 x 4 cm sizes belong to the emergency travel document, not to the passport.

Where to submit the photo

In Cyprus, apply on the gov.cy service Apply for a passport with a CY Login account, or at a service point, and then attend a service point for the fingerprints and photo. The passport can be collected only from the place where you applied.

Abroad, apply in person at an embassy or high commission. London and Berlin work by appointment. Citizens living in Germany can apply only at the Berlin embassy because their biometric data must be registered.

How to get your Cyprus passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Cyprus passport: 40 × 50 mm print, plain background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: you are photographed in person; your own print is optional; face size and position; plain, light background.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is nothing to upload and, in the normal case, nothing to print. The picture is captured at the service point with specialised equipment, and consular officers take it during the appointment.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Cyprus, apply on the gov.cy service Apply for a passport with a CY Login account, or at a service point, and then attend a service point for the fingerprints and photo. The passport can be collected only from the place where you applied.

Make this photo online

Cyprus passport photo FAQ

No official page gives a size for the passport photo. It is taken at the appointment. The CRMD specification describes the face, 32 to 36 mm high, rather than a paper size. The 4 x 5 cm figure that circulates is official only for the emergency travel document at the Berlin embassy.

No. The CRMD captures your photograph, fingerprints and signature at the service point, and consular officers do the same abroad. The London High Commission says you do not need to bring any passport photos.

The Ministry of Interior says applicants may provide their own photo if it meets the required specifications. Ask the service point or mission first, because staff normally take the picture themselves.

A plain, bright, single-colour background, ideally neutral grey, with no pattern and no shadows. The CRMD suggests medium grey for fair hair and light grey for dark hair. White is not named in the specification.

Yes, if your eyes stay clearly visible. There must be no glare, no dark lenses or sunglasses, and the frame or lens edge must not cover any part of the eyes.

The baby is photographed at the appointment, and a baby under one year does not need to have the eyes open. The London High Commission also asks for two passport photos with the application of a child under 12 months.

It depends on the mission. The Berlin embassy asks for two recent photographs of 4 cm by 5 cm, and the London High Commission asks for two photos of 3 x 4 cm. Contact the mission that will issue it.

You can start online on gov.cy, applying and paying for yourself and your children. You must then go to a service point for the fingerprints and the photo, so the application is never completed without attending in person.

Related photo specifications

Other Cyprus documents

Passports nearby

Also 40 × 50 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Interior of Cyprus. Passports gov.cy. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Republic of Cyprus (gov.cy). Apply for a passport 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. Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Berlin. Biometric Passports of the Republic of Cyprus mfa.gov.cy. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Berlin. Έκδοση βιομετρικού διαβατηρίου (Greek version) mfa.gov.cy. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. 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 passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/cyprus/passport-photo

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