Denmark driving licence photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Færdselsstyrelsen, via Retsinformation for the Denmark driving licence, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Denmark driving licence photo?
A Danish driving licence photo measures 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), with the head 30 to 36 mm high, taken straight from the front against a light background without shadows or motifs. Colour and black and white both work. You arrange the photo yourself and hand it in at Borgerservice with the application, or digitally for a duplicate where the municipality allows it. Several municipalities also take it for a fee.
Danish driving licences (kørekort) are issued by the municipalities. A first licence is requested with form P23 at Borgerservice in any municipality of your choice, a renewal is done in person at Borgerservice, and a duplicate for a lost or damaged licence goes through the municipality's digital application. Færdselsstyrelsen, the Danish Road Traffic Authority, sets the rules, and the photo requirements sit in section 4 of the executive order on driving licences (bekendtgørelse om kørekort, no. 718 of 20 August 2026).
Every application has to carry a photograph of the applicant. The Færdselsstyrelsen page says you can bring your own driving licence photo or passport photo when you apply, or have a new one taken at Borgerservice for a fee, and that the licence photo rules follow the EU rules for passport photos.
The illustrated guide that shows right and wrong examples is published by the police for passports and licences together. The police page that carries it says nothing about taking photos, and the application, together with any decision to waive a requirement, rests with the municipality where you apply.
Denmark driving licence photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Færdselsstyrelsen, via Retsinformation:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Duplicate licence: submitted digitally where the municipality supports it; no pixel size published |
| Head height | 30 to 36 mm, from the tip of the chin to the top of the hair |
| Background | Uniform light colour, with no shadows or motifs; light blue or light grey given as examples |
| Colour | Colour or black and white |
| Photo age | No maximum age published; the photo must be a good likeness |
| Print quality | A photograph, or a print on good-quality photo paper at very high resolution; no stamps, holes or damage |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Format and head size
Section 4 of the order asks for a good-likeness portrait measuring 35 x 45 mm in which the head is 30 to 36 mm high. The Færdselsstyrelsen leaflet draws the head from the tip of the chin to the top of the hair.
- Straight on, face and shoulders
The portrait is taken from directly in front and shows the face without headwear and the top of the shoulders. Only one person may be in the picture, and the leaflet rejects off-centre, too-close and too-distant framing.
- Eyes, mouth and light
The order asks for an evenly lit face, both eyes completely visible with the gaze at the camera, and a closed mouth. The leaflet marks hair over an eye, closed eyes, a tilted head and an open mouth as faults.
- A light, plain backdrop
The order says the background must be light and without shadows or other motifs. The leaflet words it as a uniform light colour, for example light blue or light grey, and says people with white or light hair, or a light headscarf, need a background in sharp contrast.
- Durable and scannable
The photo has to be of good quality, durable, suitable for scanning and free of stamps, holes or other damage. The leaflet adds that it should be a photograph or a print on good-quality photo paper at very high resolution.
- Waivers are decided locally
The municipal council may allow a head covering when you ask on religious grounds, and may set aside other requirements for very special reasons. The leaflet says the decision is made where you apply for the licence.
- Every application carries a photo
The order asks for a photograph that meets section 4 with a first licence, a renewal, a duplicate and an exchange of a foreign licence. A provisional renewal for driving outside the Nordic countries needs one too.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Ask your Borgerservice whether it takes licence photos before you get a print made
- Book a time at Borgerservice before you go
- Print the photo at 35 x 45 mm with the head 30 to 36 mm high
- Stand in front of an even, pale wall with no pattern
- Choose a backdrop that contrasts with white or light hair
- Bring the old licence when you renew
Don't
- Do not wear tinted glasses or lenses that reflect the flash
- Do not wear a hat or cap unless the municipality has approved a religious head covering
- Do not hand in a photo with stamps, holes or damage
- Do not let another person or an object into the picture
- Do not use a blurred, grainy or washed-out image
Sample photos
How a Denmark driving licence 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
Section 4 of the order allows glasses as long as the lenses are not tinted and show no reflections. The leaflet is stricter in practice: your eyes must be completely free of the frame, and it marks tinted lenses, glare and frames across the eyes as wrong. If the frame sits over your eyes, take the glasses off.
Headwear and religious dress
The order asks for a face without headwear. A head covering can be allowed by the municipal council if you request it on religious grounds. The leaflet then requires the forehead, chin area and cheekbones to stay visible, and it shows a cap and a hat as wrong.
Babies and children
The leaflet states that all the rules also apply to children. A 17-year-old applying for a car licence (category B) needs the signature of the holder or holders of parental authority on the application, and an application for a moped licence for an applicant under 18 is submitted to the home municipality.
Printed and digital photos
For most applications the photo is a paper print at 35 x 45 mm, handed in at the counter, or taken there by Borgerservice if your municipality offers it. The order fixes the size for the photograph, not a pixel count.
For a duplicate licence the order says the photograph must be submitted digitally where the municipality's application procedure supports digital submission. No file format or pixel size is published. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut out.
Where to submit the photo
For a first licence, the application form P23 comes from your driving instructor or from the Færdselsstyrelsen website and is handed in at Borgerservice in a municipality of your choice. Borger.dk says the instructor usually does this for you, and that you must arrange the photo yourself. A new licence is normally delivered about four weeks after it is ordered.
To renew, go in person to Borgerservice in any municipality, book a time first and bring your old licence. You can renew from three months before it expires. A duplicate is applied for digitally through the municipality's solution, and people exempt from digital post can use another route.
How to get your Denmark driving licence photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Denmark driving licence: 35 × 45 mm print, uniform light colour background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: format and head size; straight on, face and shoulders; eyes, mouth and light; a light, plain backdrop.
- Prepare a print or digital file. For most applications the photo is a paper print at 35 x 45 mm, handed in at the counter, or taken there by Borgerservice if your municipality offers it. The order fixes the size for the photograph, not a pixel count.
- Submit the photo with your application. For a first licence, the application form P23 comes from your driving instructor or from the Færdselsstyrelsen website and is handed in at Borgerservice in a municipality of your choice.
Denmark driving licence photo FAQ
It is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), with the head measuring 30 to 36 mm in height. The photo is taken straight from the front and shows the face and the top of the shoulders, in colour or black and white.
Yes. Færdselsstyrelsen says you can bring your own driving licence photo or passport photo when you apply. Both have to meet the 35 x 45 mm rules, with the head 30 to 36 mm high, a light background and the other requirements of section 4.
Several municipalities do, for a fee, and you should book a time. Copenhagen is one example. Others leave it to you, so check your own municipality before you go.
No. You apply to the municipality, at Borgerservice, and the municipality assesses the application. The police publish the photo guide for passports and licences, but the pages read do not describe them taking driving licence photos.
Yes, if the lenses are untinted and free of reflections. The leaflet also asks for your eyes to be completely clear of the frame, so remove glasses whose frame crosses your eyes.
Only on religious grounds. You ask, and the municipal council may allow it. Your forehead, chin area and cheekbones must still be visible.
A light background without shadows or other motifs. The leaflet describes it as a uniform light colour such as light blue or light grey. With white or light hair, or a light headscarf, choose one that contrasts sharply.
For a duplicate licence, yes where the municipality's application procedure supports it. For other applications the sources read describe a print handed in at Borgerservice, or a photo taken there.
Yes. The order says a renewal application for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B and B/E must be accompanied by a photograph that meets section 4, and the same goes for the heavier categories.
Related photo specifications
Other Denmark documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Seafarer's discharge book photo 35 × 45 mm
Driving licences nearby
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 Denmark photo specifications
- Driving licences: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Færdselsstyrelsen, via Retsinformation. Bekendtgørelse om kørekort (BEK nr. 718 af 20/08/2026) retsinformation.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Færdselsstyrelsen (Danish Road Traffic Authority). Foto og dokumentationskrav fstyr.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Færdselsstyrelsen (Danish Road Traffic Authority). Foto til kørekort (leaflet, PDF) cdn.fstyr.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- borger.dk (Danish Agency for Digital Government). Forny dit kørekort borger.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- borger.dk (Danish Agency for Digital Government). Kørekort til bil borger.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Færdselsstyrelsen (Danish Road Traffic Authority). Dit første kørekort fstyr.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Færdselsstyrelsen (Danish Road Traffic Authority). Ansøg om kørekort (P23) fstyr.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Danish Police (Rigspolitiet). Krav til pas- og kørekortfoto politi.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- City of Copenhagen (Københavns Kommune). Forny kørekort (Københavns Kommune) kk.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Færdselsstyrelsen, via Retsinformation before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Denmark driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/denmark/driving-licence-photo