Czech Republic photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 4 documents issued in Czech Republic, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Most Czech citizens never bring a photo: passports (cestovní pas) and identity cards (občanský průkaz) are photographed digitally at the office or embassy. Prints of 35 x 45 mm are needed only for the emergency cestovní průkaz and the temporary ID card. Visa applicants hand in one 35 x 45 mm photo. Since 1 January 2026 the firearms authorisation has no card and needs no photo.
Overview
You bring no photo for a Czech passport, because the municipal office, the Ministry of the Interior or the embassy captures your face digitally when you apply, so there is no print size or file to prepare; prints appear only for the emergency cestovní průkaz, two identical 35 x 45 mm colour photos on a uniform white to light grey background, and for visas.
Passports and identity cards are issued through municipal offices with extended powers, the Ministry of the Interior for express applications, and Czech embassies abroad. All of them capture your face at the counter, along with fingerprints from older children and adults, so no photo is brought. The exceptions are rare: an embassy's emergency cestovní průkaz and the temporary ID card both take two 35 x 45 mm prints.
Visas are a Foreign Ministry matter, handled by embassies, consulates and visa centres, and they use a printed 35 x 45 mm photo with at least 13 mm from eyes to chin. Residence permits belong to the Ministry of the Interior, whose offices take the facial image for the biometric card. Firearms authorisations are issued by the regional police directorates, and since 2026 they are register entries without any card or photo.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | 35 × 45 mm | — | Passport: nothing to supply. Cestovní průkaz… |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | 35 × 45 mm | — | MZV sets none |
Identity cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID card | 35 × 45 mm | — | At the counter: uniform, white to light grey… |
Licences and permit cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firearms licence | — | — | Not applicable: no photo is taken or supplied |
Frequently asked questions
Not for a Czech passport or a standard identity card, because the office or embassy photographs you when you apply. You need printed 35 x 45 mm photos for a visa, for the emergency cestovní průkaz and for a temporary identity card.
Both are captured at the counter rather than supplied, at the same municipal offices. The ID card decree asks for a uniform white to light grey background and a neutral expression, and the passport capture follows similar pose rules. Neither needs a print in a normal application.
Visa applications, the cestovní průkaz that embassies issue after a passport is lost or stolen abroad, the temporary identity card, and filings related to residence permits with the Ministry of the Interior. Each comes with its own background and quality rules.
The Ministry of the Interior. Its offices for foreign nationals capture a facial record and fingerprints with special equipment for long-term and permanent residence cards; for children under 6 only the face is recorded.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Eastern Europe:
Official sources
- Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. Základní informace k cestovním pasům mv.gov.cz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Digital and Information Agency (Portál veřejné správy). Vydání občanského průkazu portal.gov.cz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Police of the Czech Republic. Zbrojní oprávnění policie.gov.cz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Photo mzv.gov.cz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic (Portal for Foreigners). Photograph ipc.gov.cz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic (Portal for Foreigners). Biometrics ipc.gov.cz. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Ztráta nebo odcizení cestovních dokladů mzv.gov.cz. Checked 3 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Czech Republic photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/czech-republic