Czech Republic ID card photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Digital and Information Agency (Portál veřejné správy) for the Czech Republic ID card, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Czech Republic ID card photo?
A standard Czech identity card (občanský průkaz) needs no photo from you. The official takes it with a digital camera when you apply at a municipal office with extended powers, the Ministry of the Interior or an authorised embassy, and fingerprints are added from the age of 12. Printed photos are used only for a temporary card: two identical 35 x 45 mm colour prints on a white to light blue or light grey background, with no retouching.
The občanský průkaz is the Czech identity card. Every Czech citizen aged 15 or over with permanent residence in the Czech Republic must have one, and it can be issued on request to younger children and to citizens who live abroad. It can also be used as a travel document for trips to European Union countries. Since 2 August 2021, standard cards are machine-readable and hold biometric data in a chip: the facial image and, from the age of 12, fingerprints.
Because those biometrics are recorded at the counter, the photo is part of the visit. The government portal says the official takes the photo with a digital camera when you apply, together with your fingerprints, so you have to be there in person. The application itself is prepared electronically from data already held in public registers, and you sign it on a tablet.
Printed photos survive in one corner of the system only: the temporary identity card, which has no chip and no machine-readable data. It is issued, for example, when the card production system has a technical fault lasting more than 7 days or after a disaster, and to people who apply within 2 months of acquiring Czech citizenship.
Czech Republic ID card photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Digital and Information Agency (Portál veřejné správy):[1]
| Print size | Standard card: none, taken at the office. Temporary card: two identical 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) prints |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No file: the official photographs you with a digital camera at the counter |
| Eye line | Eyes to chin at least 13 mm; at least 2 mm between the top of the head and the top edge |
| Background | At the counter: uniform, white to light grey. Temporary card prints: white to light blue or light grey |
| Colour | Temporary card prints: colour |
| Photo age | Temporary card prints must match your appearance on the day you apply |
| Print quality | Temporary card prints: smooth, portrait, 0.13 to 0.27 mm thick, straight or rounded corners (radius 3 mm +/- 0.5 mm) |
| 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:
No retouching or other alterations may be made to the negative or positive of the photograph, or to a digital photograph of the person, or to its print. (translated from Czech)
Key requirements
- Photographed at the counter
The official records your face with a digital camera while taking your application and adds fingerprints for applicants aged 12 or over. The portal stresses that personal presence is required for this reason. You bring no prints to a standard application, in the Czech Republic or abroad.
- Look straight into the lens
The decree on identity cards sets how the office captures you: facing the camera squarely, with a neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and free of hair, looking into the lens. Looking over your shoulder, turning or tilting the head is not accepted, and your face from eyes to chin must be at least 13 mm high in the image.
- Light backdrop, no retouching
The office photographs your head and upper shoulders against a uniform white to light grey background, leaving at least 2 mm above your head. Retouching or other changes to the recorded image are not permitted. Someone whose anatomy prevents full compliance is still photographed.
- Authorised embassies since 2025
Czechs abroad can apply at embassies chosen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Ministry says the photo is taken there free of charge during the application, so no photos are needed, and every applicant must attend in person regardless of age. The deadline is up to 120 days, with no express option.
- Temporary card: two prints
For a temporary card you hand in a completed application form, two identical photos showing your likeness and proof of Czech citizenship. The municipal office issues it within 5 working days. It is valid for 5 months after a technical fault or disaster, or for 2 months for a new citizen.
- Print rules for the temporary card
Prague 1's office lists the requirements: a smooth colour print of 35 x 45 mm in portrait orientation, 0.13 to 0.27 mm thick, showing the head and upper shoulders from the front. Your eyes must be open and your mouth closed, and no glare may hide or change features such as the eyebrows, nose or chin.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Go in person, even for a child's card.
- Face the camera squarely with a neutral expression.
- Push your hair away from your eyes before the photo.
- Bring two identical colour prints if you need a temporary card.
- Bring proof of Czech citizenship with a temporary card application.
- Apply at least 30 days before your current card expires, as advised.
Don't
- Do not wear dark glasses unless you are blind.
- Do not let glasses cover your eyes or reflect light.
- Do not wear headwear unless you need it for health or religious reasons.
- Do not retouch or alter prints for a temporary card.
- Do not expect express processing at an embassy.
Sample photos
How a Czech Republic ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
At the office, dark glasses are not accepted unless you are blind, and the decree also says that glasses must not cover the eyes or create reflections. Clear glasses are not banned as such: they can stay on as long as the lenses are free of glare and the frames leave your eyes visible.
The Prague 1 list for temporary card prints sets the same condition: glasses in the photo must neither cover the eyes nor reflect light.
Headwear and religious dress
You may keep on a head covering that you wear for health or religious reasons, provided it does not cover the face in a way that prevents identification. The decree allows a head covering only when it is worn for those reasons.
For temporary card prints, Prague 1 adds that religious or medical headwear must not cast shadows on the face.
Babies and children
A card is optional for children under 15 and is issued to them with 5-year validity. The application is made by a legal representative, guardian, foster parent or another person named in the Act, but the child must be present to be photographed. Only the facial image is recorded for children under 12; fingerprints start at 12.
At an embassy, the legal representative proves their own identity and presents the child's Czech birth certificate. The representative also collects the card, and abroad the child does not have to come to the collection.
Printed and digital photos
For the standard card there is no print and no file: the official's camera produces the image, which goes into the chip and the card register. Both the government portal and the Foreign Ministry's guide for embassies say so.
Only a temporary card needs prints, two identical ones. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to 35 x 45 mm, as long as the image itself is not retouched or altered. Mind the background as well: white to light blue or light grey, with a smooth shift between those shades allowed.
Where to submit the photo
In the Czech Republic: any municipal office with extended powers, regardless of your registered address, or any district office from Prague 1 to Prague 22. That office becomes the issuing office. Express cards, ready within 24 hours on working days or within 5 working days, can be requested there or at the Ministry of the Interior.
Abroad: an embassy authorised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The card is made in the Czech Republic and sent there, and you collect it at the same embassy or, if you asked when applying, at a municipal office in the Czech Republic. Temporary cards are issued only by municipal offices with extended powers.
How to get your Czech Republic ID card photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Czech Republic ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, at the counter: uniform background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photographed at the counter; look straight into the lens; light backdrop, no retouching; authorised embassies since 2025.
- Prepare a print or digital file. For the standard card there is no print and no file: the official's camera produces the image, which goes into the chip and the card register. Both the government portal and the Foreign Ministry's guide for embassies say so.
- Submit the photo with your application. In the Czech Republic: any municipal office with extended powers, regardless of your registered address, or any district office from Prague 1 to Prague 22. That office becomes the issuing office.
Czech Republic ID card photo FAQ
No, not for a standard card. The official takes your photo with a digital camera when you apply, both at municipal offices in the Czech Republic and at authorised embassies abroad, where it is free of charge. Printed photos are needed only for a temporary card without machine-readable data.
Clear glasses are allowed if they neither cover your eyes nor create reflections. Dark glasses are not accepted unless you are blind. These rules come from the Ministry of the Interior's decree on identity cards, which sets how the office captures your face.
Yes, since 2025, at embassies authorised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You must come in person whatever your age, the photo is taken on site, and the card can take up to 120 days. Express processing is not available at embassies.
Only for a temporary card. That card is issued, for example, when the production system has failed for more than 7 days or after a disaster, or to someone who applies within 2 months of becoming a Czech citizen. You then bring two identical 35 x 45 mm colour prints.
For the photo taken at the counter, the decree requires a uniform white to light grey background. For temporary card prints, the Prague 1 office accepts white to light blue or light grey, with a smooth transition between those colours.
From the age of 12. For applicants under 12 only the facial image is recorded, and the office notes this in the application. Cards issued to children under 15 are valid for 5 years.
Related photo specifications
Other Czech Republic documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Firearms licence photo
Identity cards nearby
- Bulgaria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Moldova ID card photo 100 × 150 mm
- Poland ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Romania ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Slovakia ID card photo 30 × 35 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 Czech Republic photo specifications
- Identity cards: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Digital and Information Agency (Portál veřejné správy). Vydání občanského průkazu portal.gov.cz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. Základní informace k občanským průkazům mv.gov.cz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Vydání občanského průkazu (na pověřeném zastupitelském úřadě) mzv.gov.cz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Collection of Laws of the Czech Republic (e-Sbírka). Zákon č. 269/2021 Sb., o občanských průkazech e-sbirka.gov.cz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Collection of Laws of the Czech Republic (e-Sbírka). Vyhláška č. 281/2021 Sb., § 20 (capturing the holder's likeness) e-sbirka.gov.cz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Prague 1 Municipal District Office. Vydání občanského průkazu praha1.cz. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Digital and Information Agency (Portál veřejné správy) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Czech Republic ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/czech-republic/id-card-photo