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Estonia weapons permit photo requirements

The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) for the Estonia weapons permit, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 11 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Estonia weapons permit photo?

An Estonian weapons permit (relvaluba) has been a digital record since 26 February 2019, and the PPA's instructions for applying online list no photo. The paper application form asks first-time applicants for a 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) photo or permission to use the photo already in the identity documents database. Photos from PPA service office booths cannot be used for weapons permits. A European firearms pass needs one 3 x 4 cm photo per pass, or the same consent.

Weapons permits for private individuals are issued by the Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet, PPA) under the Weapons Act. A first permit requires a health certificate from a doctor no older than three months, a first-aid course of at least 16 hours, proof of shooting club membership if the weapon is for sport, and a weapons examination. The PPA asks you to apply only once every document is ready, and it answers within two months.

Since 26 February 2019 weapons permits and acquisition permits have been issued only in digital form. The data the Weapons Act lists for a natural person's permit are the holder's name and personal identification code, the type, purpose and details of the weapon, its storage place, and the issuer, issue date and expiry date. A photograph is not among them.

Photos still turn up in the paperwork. The PPA's paper application forms, dated 1 January 2019 and still offered on its forms page, have a box for a 3 x 4 cm photo or for consent to use the photo held in the identity documents database. The European firearms pass, a paper booklet for travelling with a weapon between EU countries, carries a photo authenticated with a seal.

Estonia weapons permit photo size and specifications

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

Print size30 x 40 mm (3 x 4 cm) on the paper form, first-time applicants only, or consent to use your ID database photo
Digital sizeNo photo upload is listed for the online application; PPA booth photos are excluded for weapons permits
BackgroundNo colour stated: the forms and the firearms pass regulation give only the 3 x 4 cm size
Print qualityEuropean firearms pass: the photo is fixed in the paper booklet and authenticated with a seal
Pixels when printed354 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
30 mm40 mm
30 × 40 mm photo drawn to scale.

Key requirements

  • Nothing to upload online

    In the PPA weapons self-service you upload copies of a health certificate no older than three months, a first-aid course certificate and, for sport shooting, proof of club membership. The PPA's instructions for the online route do not mention a photo.

  • 3 x 4 cm on the paper form

    The paper form for a natural person's weapons permit has an entry for a photo measuring 3 x 4 cm, marked for first-time applicants. The acquisition permit form has the same entry. Each offers an alternative box: you allow the PPA to use the photo held in the identity documents database.

  • Exchanging a permit

    The permit exchange form asks for photos of 3 x 4 cm according to the number of permits, again with the option of letting the PPA use your database photo instead of handing over prints.

  • Booth photos are excluded

    Every PPA service office has a free photo booth, and its digital photo can normally be reused for 183 days in any office or in the self-service portal. The PPA makes one exception: that booth photo cannot be used when a weapons permit is formalised.

  • Firearms pass: one photo per pass

    For a European firearms pass, take an identity document and as many 3 x 4 cm document photos as the number of passes to be issued to a PPA service office. You may instead consent there to the use of your identity documents database photo. A regulation in force since 7 September 2026 sets the same choice.

  • No published style rules

    Neither the Weapons Act nor the ministerial regulation on weapons examinations and permits sets background, head-size or recency rules for this photo. The only specification the PPA publishes is the 3 x 4 cm size on its forms.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Tick the consent box to reuse the photo in the identity documents database.
  • Bring one 3 x 4 cm print for each European firearms pass.
  • Book a time before applying at a service office.
  • Get the health certificate no more than three months before applying.
  • Submit a renewal at least two months before the permit expires.

Don't

  • Do not rely on a PPA booth photo for a weapons permit.
  • Do not expect a photo to appear on the digital permit.
  • Do not apply before you have every required document.
  • Do not let the permit lapse; an expired permit cannot be extended.

Sample photos

How a Estonia weapons permit photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 40 mm 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.

Babies and children

There is no weapons permit for children. A civilian weapon in unrestricted circulation, and its ammunition, cannot be acquired, owned, held or carried by anyone under 18. From 18 a permit can cover weapons for sport and hunting, among others, while a rifled or combination gun, a pistol or a revolver kept for self-defence requires an age of 21. A sport firearm can be lent to a person of at least 16.

The permit is digital, so there is no card for a photo to be printed on. Where a photo is asked for, it is a physical print: the paper forms specify 3 x 4 cm, and the firearms pass booklet has its photo fixed in and stamped. A digital photo can be cropped to 30 x 40 mm and printed on a sheet at a photo counter.

If you already hold an Estonian identity document, both the permit form and the firearms pass let you give consent instead, and the PPA then uses the photo from the identity documents database.

Where to submit the photo

Online: apply in the PPA weapons self-service and upload the documents there. In person: book a time, then take an identity document, the health certificate and any club membership document to a PPA service office. First-time applicants also sit the weapons examination.

Renewals can be made in the self-service, at a service office or by email as a digitally signed application with attachments. Foreign nationals applying for the first time also submit a translated and apostilled certificate of criminal records. The European firearms pass, and any extension or change to it, is handled at a PPA service office.

How to get your Estonia weapons permit photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Estonia weapons permit: 30 × 40 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: nothing to upload online; 3 x 4 cm on the paper form; exchanging a permit; booth photos are excluded.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The permit is digital, so there is no card for a photo to be printed on. Where a photo is asked for, it is a physical print: the paper forms specify 3 x 4 cm, and the firearms pass booklet has its photo fixed in and stamped.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Online: apply in the PPA weapons self-service and upload the documents there. In person: book a time, then take an identity document, the health certificate and any club membership document to a PPA service office.

Make this photo online

Estonia weapons permit photo FAQ

Not for the permit itself, which has been issued only digitally since 26 February 2019, and the PPA's online instructions list no photo. If you use the paper form as a first-time applicant, it asks for a 3 x 4 cm photo or your consent to use the photo already in the identity documents database.

3 x 4 cm, which is 30 x 40 mm (about 1.18 x 1.57 in). That size appears on the PPA paper forms for a weapons permit, an acquisition permit and a permit exchange, and in the regulation on the European firearms pass. No background, head-size or age rule is published.

No. The PPA says a booth photo can be used for 183 days for applications at any service office or in the self-service portal, except for a weapons permit. Use the consent option on the form, or bring a 3 x 4 cm print where one is asked for.

Yes. Bring one 3 x 4 cm document photo for each pass to be issued, or give consent at the service office to use the photo in the identity documents database. The photo in the pass is authenticated with a seal. You need a weapons permit or a weapons carrying permit before you can apply.

Yes, in the PPA weapons self-service. Upload copies of the health certificate, the first-aid training certificate and, for sport, a shooting club membership document. First-time applicants then sit the weapons examination, and the PPA answers within two months.

The PPA asks for the renewal application at least two months before the permit expires. You can apply in the self-service, at a service office or by digitally signed email. An expired permit cannot be extended, so you would have to start a new application.

Related photo specifications

Other Estonia documents

Licences and permit cards nearby

Also 30 × 40 mm

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Official sources

  1. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Relvaluba (weapons permit for a natural person) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Relvaloa meelespea (weapons permit overview) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Relvaluba füüsilisele isikule: iseteenindus politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Relvaloa pikendamine (renewing a weapons permit) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Euroopa tulirelvapass (European firearms pass) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Relvalubadega seotud blanketid (weapons permit forms) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Füüsilise isiku relvaloa taotlus (weapons permit application form) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Füüsilise isiku relvaloa vahetamise taotlus (permit exchange form) politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Requirement and instructions for the document photo politsei.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  10. Riigi Teataja. Relvaseadus (Weapons Act, version in force from 01.10.2026) riigiteataja.ee. Checked 2 November 2026.
  11. Riigi Teataja. Relva ja laskemoona Euroopa Liidus edasitoimetamise dokumentide vormid ja Euroopa tulirelvapassi väljaandmise kord riigiteataja.ee. 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 weapons permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/estonia/weapons-permit-photo

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