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Denmark ID card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Interior, via Retsinformation for the Denmark ID card, 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 Denmark ID card photo?

The Danish ID card (legitimationskort) uses a 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) portrait with the head 30 to 36 mm tall, taken straight from the front against a light background without shadows. Show your face and the top of your shoulders, keep both eyes visible and your mouth closed, and wear no tinted or reflective glasses. Anyone aged 15 or over with an address in Denmark can apply at Borgerservice; Copenhagen photographs you at the appointment.

Denmark's plastic ID card, the legitimationskort, is issued by the kommune where you are registered in the Civil Registration System (CPR), to anyone aged 15 or over with an address in Denmark. It was created by an act of March 2017, and the photo rules sit in the executive order on issuing ID cards (no. 1220 of 21 November 2017), in force since 1 December 2017. The card is valid for 10 years and shows your CPR number and nationality.

The card is voluntary. It proves your identity in many everyday situations, though not all, and it is not a travel document: borger.dk says it cannot be used on journeys and generally does not work as travel ID, for example within Schengen. The back of the card states that it does not document a residence or work permit in Denmark.

The order says a photo of the applicant must accompany the application, and borger.dk tells you to check your Borgerservice's photo rules before you go. Copenhagen takes the photo itself at the appointment and includes it in the card fee, while borger.dk notes that elsewhere a photo taken at Borgerservice carries its own charge, which depends on the kommune.

Denmark ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Interior, via Retsinformation:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in)
Digital sizeNo file upload: hand in a print, or have the photo taken at Borgerservice where offered
Head height30 to 36 mm in height
BackgroundLight background with no shadows or other motifs
Print qualityGood quality, durable and suitable for scanning; no stamps, holes or other damage
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm30–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 30–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: light background with no shadows or other….

Key requirements

  • Portrait format

    The order asks for a portrait that is a good likeness, 35 x 45 mm, in which the head measures 30 to 36 mm in height. It does not say which points the head is measured between; the police passport guide, which uses the same figures, measures from the tip of the chin to the top of the hair.

  • Straight on, bare head

    Face the camera directly so that the picture shows your face, without headwear, and the top of your shoulders. The kommune can let you keep a head covering if you ask for it on religious grounds.

  • Eyes and mouth

    Both eyes must be fully visible with your gaze directed at the camera, and your mouth must be closed.

  • Even light, light background

    Your face must be lit evenly, and the background behind you must be light, with no shadows and no other motifs in the picture.

  • Durable and scannable

    The photo must be of good quality, durable and suitable for scanning, with no stamps, holes or other damage. On the finished card the portrait sits on the right-hand side of the front, with your name, CPR number and nationality on the left.

  • Your home kommune only

    You can apply only in the kommune where you live, and you must attend in person with one of four identity documents: an original baptism, name or birth certificate; a passport; a driving licence; or a health insurance card.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Book an appointment at Borgerservice in the kommune where you live.
  • Ask your Borgerservice whether it takes the photo or expects a print.
  • Bring a passport, driving licence, health card or original birth certificate.
  • Look straight at the camera with both eyes visible.
  • Stand in front of a light background without shadows.

Don't

  • Do not wear tinted glasses or lenses with reflections.
  • Do not cover your head unless religion requires it and the kommune agrees.
  • Do not hand in a stamped, holed or damaged photo.
  • Do not expect to travel on the card, even within Schengen.

Sample photos

How a Denmark 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, 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

Glasses are allowed if the lenses are not tinted and do not reflect light. That is the only glasses rule in the ID card order. If your photo is taken elsewhere, the police guide for passport photos, which shares this rule, also asks for the eyes to be completely free of the frame.

Headwear and religious dress

The photo must show you without headwear. The order lets the kommune allow a head covering when you request it for religious reasons. Unlike the passport order, it does not list which parts of the face must stay uncovered, so ask your Borgerservice how it applies the rule before the photo is taken.

Babies and children

The card is not issued to children under 15. From that age you can apply yourself, and the order sets no separate photo rules for teenagers. According to Copenhagen, the legitimationskort replaced the earlier ID card for young people.

There is no online photo upload for this card. Copenhagen photographs you at the appointment, with the photo included in the fee, and posts the card to you within 14 days. Borger.dk notes that a photo taken at Borgerservice is charged separately in some kommuner, so elsewhere you may be able to bring a 35 x 45 mm print that meets the order instead. Some kommuner hand the card over on the spot rather than posting it.

Where to submit the photo

Apply in person at Borgerservice in your home kommune after booking a time; borger.dk also links to a self-service page where you start the application. Because the card requires an address in Denmark and is issued by your home kommune, there is no route through Danish embassies abroad.

How to get your Denmark ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Denmark ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, light background with no shadows or other… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: portrait format; straight on, bare head; eyes and mouth; even light, light background.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no online photo upload for this card. Copenhagen photographs you at the appointment, with the photo included in the fee, and posts the card to you within 14 days.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply in person at Borgerservice in your home kommune after booking a time; borger.dk also links to a self-service page where you start the application.

Make this photo online

Denmark ID card photo FAQ

It is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), with the head 30 to 36 mm tall. The executive order on ID cards sets this size and asks for a good likeness, taken straight from the front and showing your face and the top of your shoulders.

In Copenhagen, yes: the kommune photographs you at the appointment and the fee includes the photo. Practice varies elsewhere. Borger.dk says a photo taken at Borgerservice costs extra in some kommuner and advises you to check the photo rules with your Borgerservice before you go.

No. Borger.dk says the card cannot be used for travel and generally does not work as travel ID, for example within Schengen. Use a passport instead; the passport order lets Danish citizens travel to Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden without one.

Anyone aged 15 or over with a registered address in Denmark can apply; citizenship is not one of the conditions, and the card shows your nationality. It does not prove a right to live or work in Denmark.

Yes, as long as the lenses are untinted and free of reflections, which is the only glasses rule in the order on ID cards. Keep the frame clear of your eyes as well.

No. AltID, the app with a digital ID card from the Agency for Digital Government, takes your photo only from the chip in your passport or ID card, which you scan with your phone. No other photo can be added, and without one the digital card cannot be used as photo ID.

Ten years. The executive order fixes a validity period of 10 years, and the expiry date is printed on the front of the card together with your signature and the serial number.

Related photo specifications

Other Denmark documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Interior, via Retsinformation. Bekendtgørelse om udstedelse af legitimationskort (BEK nr. 1220 af 21/11/2017) retsinformation.dk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. borger.dk (Danish Agency for Digital Government). Pensionistbevis og legitimationskort af plastik borger.dk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. City of Copenhagen (Københavns Kommune). Legitimationskort kk.dk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. City of Copenhagen. Identity card international.kk.dk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. borger.dk (Danish Agency for Digital Government). AltID borger.dk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Danish Police (Rigspolitiet). Krav til pas- og kørekortfoto politi.dk. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Interior, via Retsinformation before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

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

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