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Estonia ID card photo requirements

The 40 × 50 mm photo rules set by Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) for the Estonia ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 10 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Estonia ID card photo?

The Estonian ID card (ID-kaart) needs a digital colour photo of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels, saved as a JPEG of 1 to 5 MB. It must be unedited, recent (a self-taken photo no older than six months) and shot against a light background of one colour with no patterns. Look straight at the camera with level eyes and your face centred, without headwear or headphones. The free booth at any PPA service office makes a photo you can use for 183 days.

The ID card is the compulsory identity document for Estonian citizens living in Estonia from the age of 15. It is valid for up to five years, makes internet banking and other e-services easier to use, and lets Estonian citizens travel within the EU and the European Economic Area. The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) also issues an ID card to EU citizens who hold a right of residence in Estonia; theirs is not a travel document. Fingerprints are stored on the card from age 12.

The PPA never asks for a paper photo in the normal process. You either upload a digital file in the self-service portal, use the photo taken in the booth at a PPA service office, or email the file with an application made at a service office or an Estonian foreign mission. The technical limits come from the same Minister of the Interior regulation that covers passports; this page concentrates on the PPA's practical instructions for taking the picture.

Estonia ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Police and Border Guard Board (PPA):[1]

Print sizeNo printed photo needed: digital file only (the 40 x 50 mm print rule ended in April 2019); paper only by exception
Digital sizeAt least 1300 x 1600 pixels
Head heightChin to crown 70 to 80% of the photo height
BackgroundLight background of a single colour, with no extraneous objects or patterns
ColourColour, unedited
Photo ageSelf-taken photo: no older than 6 months; booth photo: usable for 183 days
File sizeAt least 1 MB and at most 5 MB
File formatJPEG
Pixels when printed472 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm50 mm35–40 mm
40 × 50 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 35–40 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: light background of a single colour.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

The photograph must be a colour photograph and unedited

Requirement and instructions for the document photo[1]

Key requirements

  • Rear camera and a helper

    Ask a family member, friend or acquaintance to take the picture. If you use a mobile phone, use the camera on the back of the device: the PPA warns that the front camera distorts the shape of the face.

  • Level eyes, centred face

    Look straight into the camera with both eyes at the same height, so the head is not tilted. Your face must sit in the centre of the frame.

  • A plain, light backdrop

    Stand in front of a light background of one colour. Patterns and any extraneous objects behind you are not acceptable.

  • No screenshots or scans

    The file must be the original photo. A scanned photograph, or a screenshot taken from a computer or mobile phone screen, is not allowed.

  • File limits

    The photo must be in colour and unedited, between 1 MB and 5 MB, and at least 1,300 pixels wide by 1,600 pixels high. Submitting a photo that does not meet the requirements lengthens the time it takes to receive the card.

  • The booth also takes fingerprints

    Enter your personal identification code to use a PPA photo booth. Depending on the application, the same booth records your fingerprints and signature sample, and the digital photo can be used for 183 days in any service office or in the self-service portal.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Get someone else to take the photo.
  • Use the phone's rear camera.
  • Keep both eyes level and your face in the middle of the frame.
  • Choose a plain, light wall with nothing on it.
  • Note on an emailed application that your photo was taken in the booth, if it was.

Don't

  • Do not take a selfie with the front camera.
  • Do not wear a cap, hat or headphones.
  • Do not send a screenshot of a photo.
  • Do not use a patterned background.
  • Do not let glasses reflect light or cover your eyes.

Sample photos

How a Estonia ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 50 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

You can keep your glasses on as long as your eyes can be seen behind the frames and the lenses do not reflect. The regulation behind the PPA's instructions adds that frames must not hide the face, and it allows tinted lenses only for a justified medical reason.

Headwear and religious dress

The PPA's instruction is short: the person in the photo must not wear headwear or headphones. The underlying regulation makes one exception, for headwear worn for religious reasons. In that case the face must be fully visible from the lower jaw to the upper forehead, without shadows, and a written assessment from the Ministry of the Interior must accompany the photo.

Babies and children

Young people aged 15 or older can apply for their own ID card, and a parent can apply for a child under 18, including in the self-service portal. The card is compulsory from 15 for citizens living in Estonia.

For a child aged 0 to 7, the PPA advises a digital photo from a photographer's studio, because a small child may not face the booth camera for long enough. If you do use the booth, ask an official to help. The child must look straight into the camera with the mouth closed, the background must be light and plain, and big hair ornaments or toys should stay out of the picture.

Every route uses a digital photo. The booth creates one on the spot, the self-service portal takes an upload, and the PPA application form asks you to email a digital colour photo of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels, 1 to 5 MB, in JPG format. When you email the photo, put the full name of the person in it and their personal identification code or date of birth in the body of the email.

Paper is not part of the normal process. The regulation lets the PPA accept a photo on high-quality paper only in justified cases, and the digitised result must still meet the file limits.

Where to submit the photo

Self-service portal: renew an adult ID card or apply for a child's card online with an ID card and card reader, Mobile-ID or internet banking. A name change must already be in the population register.

Service office: bring an identity document and book an appointment if you like. Any office accepts an expedited application, but an expedited card must be collected in Tallinn. Previously given fingerprints stay valid for six years, and people over 70 who have given them before do not repeat them. A first ID card requires proof of Estonian citizenship.

Abroad: use the self-service portal or an Estonian foreign mission, which can retake fingerprints. Expedited cards are not available from abroad. People who are permanently unable to visit an office for medical reasons can apply by post or email.

How to get your Estonia ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Estonia ID card: 40 × 50 mm print, 1300 × 1600 px digital file, light background of a single colour background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: rear camera and a helper; level eyes, centred face; a plain, light backdrop; no screenshots or scans.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Every route uses a digital photo. The booth creates one on the spot, the self-service portal takes an upload, and the PPA application form asks you to email a digital colour photo of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels, 1 to 5 MB, in JPG format.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Self-service portal: renew an adult ID card or apply for a child's card online with an ID card and card reader, Mobile-ID or internet banking. A name change must already be in the population register.

Make this photo online

Estonia ID card photo FAQ

No printed size is needed. The ID card photo is a digital colour file at least 1300 pixels wide and 1600 pixels high, in JPEG format, between 1 MB and 5 MB. The fixed 40 x 50 mm print size disappeared from the regulation in April 2019.

Yes. Every PPA service office has a photo booth that takes document photos free of charge, even if you do not file your application there. The photo is digital and can be used for 183 days, in any office or in the self-service portal, for any document except a weapons permit.

The PPA advises against it. Ask someone else to take the picture and use the rear camera of your phone, because the front camera distorts the shape of the face. Keep your eyes level and your face in the centre.

Yes, when you apply at a service office or an Estonian foreign mission. The application form asks for the digital colour photo to be sent to ppa@politsei.ee. Include the full name and the personal identification code or date of birth of the person in the photo. If you used a booth, say so in the application instead.

The PPA advises wheelchair users to take the photo at home with someone's help or to go to a photo studio, because the booths in service offices do not have enough room for a wheelchair.

Yes. The PPA issues ID cards to EU citizens with a right of residence in Estonia, and the photo regulation applies to every identity card. Unlike a citizen's card, the EU citizen's ID card is not valid as a travel document.

Related photo specifications

Other Estonia documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 40 × 50 mm

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Official sources

  1. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Requirement and instructions for the document photo politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Dokumendifoto nõuded ja juhised politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Applying for an ID card for an adult: what is it? politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Submitting an ID card application using the self-service portal politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Submitting an ID card application at a client service office politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Submitting an ID card application abroad politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Applying for an ID card for a child politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Identity document application form (isikut tõendavate dokumentide taotlus) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. Riigi Teataja. Isikut tõendava dokumendi väljaandmise taotlemisel fotole esitatavad nõuded (regulation No 62) riigiteataja.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  10. European Union, Your Europe. Travel documents for EU nationals europa.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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