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Estonia passport photo requirements

The 40 × 50 mm photo rules set by Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) for the Estonia passport, 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 passport photo?

An Estonian passport photo is a digital colour file, not a print: at least 1300 x 1600 pixels, saved as a JPEG of 1 MB to 5 MB. Chin to crown fills 70 to 80% of the photo height, with the eye line 50 to 70% up from the bottom edge. Use a flat, light, single-colour background, a neutral face with the mouth closed, no headwear and no editing. The photo may be up to six months old. The 40 x 50 mm print size ended in April 2019.

Estonian citizens' passports are issued by the Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet, PPA) in Estonia and through Estonian foreign representations abroad. An adult passport is valid for up to 10 years and a child's for up to five. Applicants aged 12 or over also give fingerprints, which are stored in the passport.

The photo rules come from a Minister of the Interior regulation, No 62 of 1 December 2015, which also covers the ID card, the alien's passport, the e-resident's digital ID and other identity documents. Since an amendment took effect on 29 April 2019, it asks for a digital colour photo instead of a 40 x 50 mm print. The PPA can still accept a photo on high-quality paper in justified cases, but the digitised result must reach the same digital minimums.

There are three usual ways to hand the photo over: have it taken free of charge in the photo booth at any PPA service office, upload a digital file when you renew in the self-service portal, or email the file to the PPA when you apply at a service office or an Estonian foreign representation.

Estonia passport photo size and specifications

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

Print sizeNo print size since 29 April 2019 (it was 40 x 50 mm): a digital file is required; paper only as an exception
Digital sizeAt least 1300 x 1600 pixels (width x height)
Head heightChin to top of head 70 to 80% of the photo height
Eye lineEye line 50 to 70% of the height from the bottom edge; the minimum may be 40% for children under 11
BackgroundFlat, single-tone and light-coloured, contrasting with face and hair; light grey, light blue, beige or light brown recommended
ColourColour
Photo ageTaken no more than 6 months before you apply; the PPA may accept up to 12 months
File size1 MB to 5 MB
File formatJPEG (.jpg or .jpeg)
Print qualityPaper accepted only in justified cases, on high-quality paper, and only if the digitised photo meets the file rules
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: flat.

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

  • Face fills 70 to 80% of the height

    Measure from the chin to the top of the head: that span must take up 70 to 80% of the picture's height. The centre of your mouth and nose sits on the imaginary vertical line through the middle of the photo, and the frame may cut off part of the hair. The same 70 to 80% close-up appears in the ICAO photograph guidelines.

  • Eye line between 50% and 70%

    An imaginary horizontal line through the centres of the eyes must sit 50 to 70% of the way up from the bottom edge, and run parallel to the top and bottom edges. For a child under 11 the lower limit may drop to 40%.

  • Camera level with the face

    Hold the camera at the height of your face, with your shoulders parallel to the lens. The head may tilt or turn by no more than five degrees in any direction. A lens with too short a focal length, which bends the face through radial distortion, is not allowed.

  • Sharp from crown to chin

    The face must be in focus from the top of the head to the chin and from the nose to the ears, with clear detail. Light it evenly with natural-spectrum sources: normal brightness and contrast, minimal shadows, no reflections on the face or the background, natural skin tone, and neither over- nor underexposed.

  • No red-eye, and no software fix for it

    Red-eye is not allowed, and neither is removing it with software. The photo must not be damaged, defective or processed to beautify you or for artistic effect, and the PPA asks for an unedited file.

  • Six months, occasionally twelve

    The photo must normally be taken no more than six months before the application. As an exception the PPA may accept one up to 12 months old if, in its view, it still identifies you unambiguously.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Supply a JPEG of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels.
  • Keep the file between 1 MB and 5 MB.
  • Hold the camera at face height.
  • Show your head and shoulders.
  • Use a booth photo within 183 days of taking it.
  • Put your full name and personal identification code in the email that carries the photo.

Don't

  • Do not scan a printed photo.
  • Do not retouch your face or remove red-eye with software.
  • Do not shoot close up with a wide-angle lens.
  • Do not tilt or turn your head more than five degrees.
  • Do not include other people or objects.

Sample photos

How a Estonia passport 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

Glasses may stay on if the eye openings, eyelids and irises are clearly visible. The lenses must not reflect light, and the frames must not hide any part of the facial image, so that you can be identified without doubt. Tinted lenses are accepted only with a justified medical indication.

Headwear and religious dress

Take off hats, caps and head decorations: the regulation asks for a frontal, natural pose without headwear. Religious headwear is the exception. Your face must then be clearly visible from the lower jaw to the top of the forehead, with no shadow from the covering, and you submit, with the photo, a written assessment from the Ministry of the Interior on whether your religious beliefs oblige you to wear it.

Nose and eyebrow rings and other facial decorations may show if they do not prevent identification, but neither hair nor decorations may cover the face or cast shadows on it.

Babies and children

A child's passport is valid for up to five years. Children aged 15 or older may apply on their own, and a parent can apply for anyone under 18, including through the self-service portal; if the child was born abroad, the birth must first be entered in the population register.

The photo rules relax slightly for the young. For a child under 11, the eye line may sit as low as 40% of the photo height. For a baby under one year, minimal unavoidable deviations from the pose, expression and eye rules are allowed. Fingerprints are taken from age 12.

The rule is digital. Since 29 April 2019 the regulation has required a colour file of at least 1300 pixels wide and 1600 pixels high, in .jpg or .jpeg format, between 1 MB and 5 MB. The provisions on 40 x 50 mm prints, 300 dpi print resolution and photo paper were removed at the same time.

The regulation fixes proportions rather than a frame size, so a digital photo can be cropped and resized to meet the pixel minimum as long as the face and eye-line percentages still hold. A paper photo is a fallback that the PPA accepts only in justified cases, and only if the digitised result meets the same file limits. A scanned photo submitted as a file is not allowed.

Where to submit the photo

In Estonia, the self-service portal handles passport renewals for adults and passports for minors. You sign in with an ID card and card reader, Mobile-ID or internet banking, and either upload a digital photo or use the photo, fingerprints and signature taken in a service office booth within the previous 183 days.

A first passport, or any application you prefer to make in person, goes through a service office: bring an identity document, and book a slot if you wish. Every office has a free photo booth. First-time applicants must prove Estonian citizenship.

Abroad, apply in the self-service portal or at an Estonian foreign representation, where you give fingerprints. Send the digital photo by email with the full name and personal identification code of the person in it. Expedited passports cannot be applied for from abroad.

How to get your Estonia passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Estonia passport: 40 × 50 mm print, 1300 × 1600 px digital file, flat background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: face fills 70 to 80% of the height; eye line between 50% and 70%; camera level with the face; sharp from crown to chin.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The rule is digital. Since 29 April 2019 the regulation has required a colour file of at least 1300 pixels wide and 1600 pixels high, in .jpg or .jpeg format, between 1 MB and 5 MB.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Estonia, the self-service portal handles passport renewals for adults and passports for minors.

Make this photo online

Estonia passport photo FAQ

There is no print size any more. Since 29 April 2019 the photo must be a digital colour file of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels, saved as a JPEG of 1 MB to 5 MB. Before that date the rule was a 40 x 50 mm colour print. A paper photo is now accepted only as an exception.

Yes. The PPA lets you upload a photo you took yourself to the self-service portal, but asks you to follow its photo instructions carefully, because a non-compliant photo delays your passport. It recommends the photo booth at a PPA service office or a photographer's studio instead.

No. The regulation asks for a frontal view in a natural state: neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed and the gaze directed at the lens. Babies under one year may deviate slightly where it cannot be avoided.

The regulation does not ban white. It requires a flat, single-tone, light background that contrasts with your face and hair. Since April 2019 its list of recommended colours names light grey, light blue, beige and light brown; white was on the earlier list but is no longer named.

A photo you took yourself should be no more than six months old, and a booth photo can be reused for 183 days. The PPA may accept a photo up to 12 months old as an exception, and an older photo can be allowed when a documented health condition makes a new compliant one impossible.

Apply through the self-service portal, or at an Estonian foreign representation with the completed application form. In the second case, email the digital photo to the PPA with the full name and personal identification code of the person shown. You give fingerprints at the representation.

Related photo specifications

Other Estonia documents

Passports 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. Riigi Teataja. Isikut tõendava dokumendi väljaandmise taotlemisel fotole esitatavad nõuded (Minister of the Interior regulation No 62, version in force from 29.04.2019) riigiteataja.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Estonian passport for an adult: what is it? politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Estonian passport for an adult: applying at the self-service portal politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Estonian passport for an adult: applying at a service office politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Estonian passport for an adult: applying abroad politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Estonian passport for a child politsei.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 Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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