Estonia photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 8 documents issued in Estonia, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Estonia's Police and Border Guard Board takes digital photos for the passport, ID card, alien's passport and e-Residency digital ID: at least 1300 x 1600 pixels, a JPEG of 1 to 5 MB, with no print size since 2019. The long-stay (D) visa needs a 35 x 45 mm colour print, the size VFS India also lists for Schengen visas. The driving licence reuses a photo on file, and the paper weapons permit form asks first-time applicants for a 3 x 4 cm photo.
Overview
Three authorities issue the documents covered here. The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) issues the Estonian passport, the ID card, the alien's passport, the e-resident's digital ID and weapons permits. The Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) issues driving licences. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles visas through Estonian embassies and, in 15 countries, the visa centres of VFS Global.
For PPA identity documents, a 2019 change to the Interior Ministry's photo regulation replaced the old 40 x 50 mm print with a digital file of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels. You can get one free in the booth at any PPA service office, upload your own in the self-service portal, or email it with an office or embassy application; e-Residency applicants upload theirs online, and the photo is never printed on that card. A booth photo works for 183 days for every PPA document except a weapons permit.
The other documents work differently. The Transport Administration takes the licence photo from the identity documents database or the traffic register, or photographs you at its service bureau if the stored photo is more than five years old. Visa applicants lodge their application in person; for a Schengen visa the photograph is scanned or taken at the time of lodging, while the long-stay visa form carries a printed photo.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | 40 × 50 mm | 1300 × 1600 px | Flat, single-tone and light-coloured… |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-stay visa | 35 × 45 mm | 1300 × 1600 px | Light background |
| Visa | 35 × 45 mm | — | White at VFS India, UAE and USA |
Identity cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID card | 40 × 50 mm | 1300 × 1600 px | Light background of a single colour, with no… |
| Resident digital identity card | 40 × 50 mm | 6000 × 7380 px | Plain light-coloured background, in clear… |
Driving licences
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving licence | 35 × 45 mm | — | A light background of one colour |
Residence and work permits
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aliens passport | 40 × 50 mm | 1300 × 1600 px | Plain light colour, flat and contrasting with… |
Licences and permit cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapons permit | 30 × 40 mm | — | No colour stated: the forms and the firearms… |
Frequently asked questions
Visas do. The long-stay (D) visa asks for one 35 x 45 mm colour photo glued, not stapled, to the form, and the VFS Global checklist in India lists a 35 x 45 mm colour photo on a white background for Schengen visas. The PPA's paper weapons permit form asks first-time applicants for a 3 x 4 cm photo. Passports, ID cards, alien's passports and the e-Residency card use digital files.
Until 28 April 2019 the Interior Ministry regulation required a 40 x 50 mm colour print for identity documents. From 29 April 2019 it requires a digital colour JPEG of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels and 1 to 5 MB. A paper photo is now accepted only in justified cases.
No. The Transport Administration uses your photo from the identity documents database or the traffic register. If that photo is more than five years old, it is taken at a Transport Administration service bureau. The agency states that other photos are not accepted.
A photo from a PPA service office booth is digital and can be used for 183 days for applications at any service office or in the self-service portal, except for a weapons permit. The weapons permit form instead lets you allow the PPA to use the photo already held in the identity documents database.
Every PPA service office has a photo booth that takes document photos free of charge, even if you apply elsewhere. The PPA also recommends a photographer's studio, especially for children up to seven. For a driving licence, the Transport Administration's service bureau takes the photo when the stored one is out of date.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Northern Europe:
- Åland Islands
- Denmark
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- Guernsey
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Norway
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Official sources
- Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Requirement and instructions for the document photo politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Riigi Teataja. Isikut tõendava dokumendi väljaandmise taotlemisel fotole esitatavad nõuded (regulation No 62) riigiteataja.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Rules for face photos (e-Residency) eresident.politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Estonian Transport Administration. Driving licence and right to drive transpordiamet.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Relvaluba füüsilisele isikule: iseteenindus politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Füüsilise isiku relvaloa taotlus (weapons permit application form) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. Application for a long-stay (D) visa vm.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. Application for a Schengen visa vm.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
- VFS Global for the Embassy of Estonia. Estonia visa checklist: tourism (India) vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Estonia photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/estonia