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Estonia long-stay visa photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia for the Estonia long-stay visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Estonia long-stay visa photo?

An Estonian long-stay (D) visa, including the Digital Nomad Visa for teleworkers, needs one 35 x 45 mm colour photo that meets ICAO requirements and is no more than six months old. Glue it to the printed and signed application form; do not staple it. The Interior Minister's regulation accepts prints from 35 x 45 mm up to 40 x 50 mm, face-on against a light background without headwear. A repeat applicant applying electronically sends a digital JPEG of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels instead.

The long-stay (D) visa is Estonia's national visa for temporary stays of more than 90 days. It can allow up to 365 days of stay within 12 consecutive months, plus up to 90 days in any 180 elsewhere in the Schengen area. One of its listed purposes is teleworking for an employer or business abroad, the basis of what Estonia calls its Digital Nomad Visa.

You apply in person: abroad at an Estonian representation that handles visa applications in your country of residence, and in Estonia at a service office of the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). VFS Global centres in the United States also take D-visa applications. The form is filled in online in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pre-application system, then printed and signed at the end of each page.

The photo rules come from a Minister of the Interior regulation on long-stay visas, No 82 of 18 December 2015, in the version in force since 22 May 2026. It accepts a colour print from 35 x 45 mm to 40 x 50 mm, while the foreign ministry asks for 35 x 45 mm. The same regulation sets a digital photo standard for electronic applications, which are open only to applicants whose visa fingerprints are less than 59 months old.

Estonia long-stay visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) colour print per vm.ee; the regulation allows 35 x 45 mm up to 40 x 50 mm
Digital sizeElectronic application only: at least 1300 x 1600 pixels
Head heightFace takes up 70 to 80% of the photo (ICAO guidelines that vm.ee links)
BackgroundLight background (regulation); VFS USA says plain light-coloured
ColourColour
Photo ageTaken no more than 6 months before the application is submitted
File sizeElectronic application only: 1 to 5 MB
File formatElectronic application only: JPG or JPEG, inside a digitally signed container
Print qualityGlue the print to the application form; do not staple it
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm31.5–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 31.5–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: light background.

In the official words

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

The applicant's photo must be digital, in colour, unedited and at least 1300 pixels wide and 1600 pixels high. (translated from Estonian)

Pikaajalise viisa andmise, viibimisaja vormistamise ja viibimisaja pikendamise kord (regulation No 82, version in force from 22.05.2026)[3]

Key requirements

  • Glue, never staple

    The foreign ministry asks for the photo to be glued on the visa application form and adds, with an exclamation mark, that it must not be stapled. The online form also states that a photo of the applicant must be added to the application you print and sign.

  • Two sizes in the rules

    The vm.ee document list asks for 35 x 45 mm. The Interior Minister's regulation accepts any colour photo from 35 x 45 mm to 40 x 50 mm. A 35 x 45 mm print satisfies both.

  • Face-on, bare-headed, light backdrop

    The regulation requires a frontal view, no headwear and a light background, with nobody and nothing else in the frame. The photo must let officials verify your identity unambiguously.

  • Six months at most

    The photo must not have been taken more than six months before you submit the application. VFS in the United States adds that it should not be a photo already used in your passport.

  • Digital file for electronic applications

    If you gave fingerprints in a visa procedure less than 59 months ago, you may apply electronically. The photo is then a digital, unedited colour file of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels, a JPG or JPEG of 1 to 5 MB, placed in a container signed with a digital signature recognised in Estonia.

  • Postal applications carry originals

    The same 59-month fingerprint condition opens a postal route. You send the original documents, photo included, with a prepaid return envelope for the decision and your passport.

  • Fingerprints at a first application

    Ten fingerprints are collected when you lodge the application in person, unless you gave them in a visa procedure less than 59 months earlier. Children under 12 are exempt.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Glue one 35 x 45 mm colour print onto the application form.
  • Fill in the form online, print it and sign the end of every page.
  • Use a photo taken within the last six months.
  • Send a JPEG of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels if you apply electronically.
  • Give the PPA your pre-application number if you cannot print the form in Estonia.

Don't

  • Do not staple the photo to the form.
  • Do not wear a hat or cap unless the covering is religious.
  • Do not include other people or objects in the picture.
  • Do not edit a photo for an electronic application.
  • Do not reuse the photo printed in your passport.

Sample photos

How a Estonia long-stay visa 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

The D-visa regulation itself is silent on glasses. Its practical reference, the ICAO photograph guidelines that vm.ee links, lets you keep them on when the photo shows your eyes clearly, the lenses carry no flash reflection and no tint, and the frames hide no part of your eyes. The guidelines also advise against heavy frames.

Headwear and religious dress

Leave your head uncovered. The regulation lets you wear headwear for religious reasons only if your facial image, from the lower jaw to the upper part of the forehead, is clearly visible and the covering casts no shadows.

Babies and children

Every applicant presents a colour photo, so a child needs one too. Children under 12 are exempt from the ten fingerprints taken with a D-visa application.

For applications through VFS in the United States, a minor also needs a birth certificate, notarised parental consent and copies of the parents' passports.

Most D-visa applicants hand in a print. The online form at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a pre-application: it emails you a PDF with an application number, and you print and sign it before lodging it with the photo glued on.

Electronic and postal applications are possible only for repeat applicants whose visa fingerprints are less than 59 months old. An electronic application needs a digital, colour, unedited photo of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels as a JPG or JPEG of 1 to 5 MB, placed with the form and document copies in a digitally signed container. A digital photo can be resized to that pixel minimum, or printed at 35 x 45 mm for the paper form.

Where to submit the photo

Abroad: lodge the application in person at an Estonian representation that handles visa applications in your country of residence. If there is none, apply at the Estonian representation accredited to that country or the nearest one issuing visas, after confirming an appointment with it. In the United States, VFS Global centres accept D-visa applications from US citizens and residents.

In Estonia: the PPA takes long-stay visa applications at its service offices in Tallinn, Tartu, Jõhvi, Narva and Pärnu, in person or through a representative. Submit at least 30 days before your current period of stay ends, and bring the printed, signed form from the pre-application system.

How to get your Estonia long-stay visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Estonia long-stay visa: 35 × 45 mm print, 1300 × 1600 px digital file, light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: glue, never staple; two sizes in the rules; face-on, bare-headed, light backdrop; six months at most.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Most D-visa applicants hand in a print. The online form at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a pre-application: it emails you a PDF with an application number, and you print and sign it before lodging it with the photo glued on.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Abroad: lodge the application in person at an Estonian representation that handles visa applications in your country of residence.

Make this photo online

Estonia long-stay visa photo FAQ

The foreign ministry asks for one 35 x 45 mm colour photo meeting ICAO requirements. The Minister of the Interior regulation behind it accepts colour photos from 35 x 45 mm up to 40 x 50 mm. Choosing 35 x 45 mm satisfies both.

No. The Digital Nomad Visa is a long-stay (D) visa for teleworking, applied for at an Estonian embassy under the standard visa rules, so one 35 x 45 mm colour photo, no older than six months, is glued to the signed form. Teleworkers add documents about their remote work, not a different photo.

Glue it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs page says the photo must be glued on the visa application form and adds that it must not be stapled. Attach it to the form you printed from the pre-application system and signed.

Only if you gave fingerprints in a visa procedure less than 59 months before. The photo must then be a digital, unedited colour JPG or JPEG of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels and 1 to 5 MB, in a digitally signed container. Otherwise the application is lodged in person.

Yes, if you wear it for religious reasons. The regulation requires your face to be clearly visible from the lower jaw to the upper part of the forehead, with no shadows from the covering. Other headwear is not allowed.

At a PPA service office in Tallinn, Tartu, Jõhvi, Narva or Pärnu, together with the signed form from the pre-application system and your other documents. The PPA lists one colour photograph among the documents and asks you to apply at least 30 days before your current stay ends.

Related photo specifications

Other Estonia documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. Application for a long-stay (D) visa vm.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. Pikaajalise (D) viisa taotlemine vm.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Riigi Teataja. Pikaajalise viisa andmise, viibimisaja vormistamise ja viibimisaja pikendamise kord (regulation No 82, version in force from 22.05.2026) riigiteataja.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Long-term visa politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. Online visa application (pre-application system) eelviisataotlus.vm.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. VFS Global for the Embassy of Estonia. Visa information: Estonia in the USA (Long Stay D) vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. e-Residency of Estonia. Digital Nomad Visa vs e-Residency e-resident.gov.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. ICAO photograph guidelines home-affairs.ec.europa.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Estonia long-stay visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/estonia/long-stay-visa-photo

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