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European Union EU driving licence photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Each EU member state (licence model set by EU directive) for the European Union EU driving licence, 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 European Union EU driving licence photo?

No. Licences follow EU rules (Directive 2006/126/EC, replaced by Directive (EU) 2025/2205 from 26 November 2029), but each country sets the photo rules: Spain's DGT wants 32 x 26 mm, Germany and Poland 35 x 45 mm prints, and France an e-photo from an approved photographer.

There is no single EU driving licence photo. Licences follow EU rules, Directive 2006/126/EC, replaced by Directive (EU) 2025/2205 from 26 November 2029, but each country sets the photo rules. Most ask for a 35 x 45 mm biometric photo; Spain wants 32 x 26 mm; France and the Netherlands use digital photos from approved photographers for online applications.

Driving licences are issued by each member state, not by the EU, and in most countries by a national or local office: the Fahrerlaubnisbehoerde in Germany, France Titres (ANTS) in France, RDW and the gemeente in the Netherlands, the DGT in Spain and the municipality in Belgium. Licence photos often differ from passport photos in the same country.

European Union EU driving licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Each EU member state (licence model set by EU directive):[1]

Print sizeSet nationally: usually 35 x 45 mm; Spain 32 x 26 mm (height x width); Italy 40 to 45 mm high x 32 to 35 mm wide
Digital sizePoland: JPEG of 480 x 615 pixels
Photo ageFrance: less than 6 months old; Italy and Poland: no more than 6 months old
File sizePoland: up to 100 KB
File formatPoland: JPEG, sRGB, with EXIF data including the date
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale.

Key requirements

  • Germany

    Biometric photo, 45 x 35 mm (height x width), printed. Germany's digital-only rule of 1 May 2025 covers passports and ID cards, not the driving licence. The driving licence regulation (FeV, section 21) requires a photo that meets the passport regulation as it stood on 12 April 2024, which means the earlier printed biometric photo rules, and the licence office may allow exceptions. Service Berlin asks you to bring one current biometric passport photo on paper and does not print photos on site.

  • France

    An online application through France Titres (ANTS) needs a "photo signature", a digital photo with its code, from an authorised photographer or an approved booth, less than six months old. At the end of the online procedure you can instead download the photo signature form and send it by post with a paper photo.

  • Netherlands

    35 x 45 mm, the same photo rules as the Dutch passport. For online renewal, an RDW-approved photographer takes the photo and your digital signature at their premises and sends them to RDW, and you get an application code by e-mail or text message. At the gemeente, a printed photo is used.

  • Spain (DGT)

    An original, current colour photo of 32 x 26 mm (height x width) on a plain background, taken from the front with the head uncovered and no dark glasses. A religious veil is allowed if the face is uncovered from the hairline to the chin. If you renew at a drivers' medical centre, it takes the photo, and since 6 November 2024 no new photo is needed if the DGT already holds one.

  • Italy

    The transport ministry's guidance asks for a colour photo 40 to 45 mm high and 32 to 35 mm wide, no more than six months old, on a uniform background (preferably light grey, cream or light blue), with no head covering except for religious reasons, no tinted lenses and no frames over the eyes. A 35 x 45 mm photo fits within that range.

  • Belgium

    Licences are issued by the municipality, 35 x 45 mm. Ask yours whether it can reuse the photo it already holds or needs a print; some municipalities say their counter photos cannot yet be used for driving licences.

  • Poland

    A colour photo of 35 x 45 mm, taken within six months, on a light uniform background, showing the whole head and the top of the shoulders with the face filling 70 to 80%. A file supplied on a storage device must be a JPEG of 480 x 615 pixels, up to 100 KB, in sRGB colour with EXIF data including the date.

  • Austria

    For a duplicate licence, one portrait photo of 35 x 45 mm in which you are clearly recognisable, following the passport photo criteria where possible.

  • New EU directive

    Directive (EU) 2025/2205 of 22 October 2025 replaces Directive 2006/126/EC and was published in the Official Journal on 5 November 2025. Member states must adopt national rules by 26 November 2028 and apply them from 26 November 2029, with some validity rules earlier. It introduces a digital (mobile) licence alongside the card. Photo specifications remain a national matter.

Sample photos

How a European Union EU driving licence photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 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.

Glasses

Spain: no dark glasses. Italy: no tinted lenses and no frames over the eyes.

Headwear and religious dress

Spain: head uncovered, but a religious veil is allowed if the face is uncovered from the hairline to the chin. Italy: no head covering except for religious reasons.

Printed photos are used in Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Austria. France and the Netherlands (online) use digital photos supplied by approved photographers, and you cannot upload a photo you took yourself. Poland also accepts a JPEG file.

Where to submit the photo

Bring the printed photo to your appointment, or use the code from an approved photographer for online applications in France and the Netherlands. In Spain, drivers' medical centres take the photo on renewal.

How to get your European Union EU driving licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the European Union EU driving licence: 35 × 45 mm print, 480 × 615 px digital file. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: germany; france; netherlands; spain (DGT).
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Printed photos are used in Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Austria. France and the Netherlands (online) use digital photos supplied by approved photographers, and you cannot upload a photo you took yourself. Poland also accepts a JPEG file.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Bring the printed photo to your appointment, or use the code from an approved photographer for online applications in France and the Netherlands. In Spain, drivers' medical centres take the photo on renewal.

European Union EU driving licence photo FAQ

No. The EU sets the licence model and categories, but each country decides the photo rules. Spain asks for 32 x 26 mm (height x width), most other countries 35 x 45 mm, and Italy's transport ministry gives a range of 40 to 45 mm high by 32 to 35 mm wide.

No. Since May 2025 passports and ID cards need a digital photo, but the driving licence regulation still refers to the earlier passport photo rules, so licence offices work with printed biometric photos. Berlin, for example, asks you to bring one current printed photo.

The online application needs a "photo signature", a digital photo with a code, from an approved photographer or photo booth, and it must be less than six months old. At the end of the online procedure you can choose instead to download a form and post it with a paper photo.

An RDW-approved photographer takes your photo and digital signature at their premises and sends them to RDW. You then get an application code by e-mail or text message. If the digital route fails, you can apply at your gemeente with a printed photo that meets the Dutch passport photo rules.

Not always. Since 6 November 2024 the DGT does not ask for a new photo if it already holds one. If you renew at a drivers' medical centre (Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores), the centre takes the photo.

Directive (EU) 2025/2205 replaces the 2006 directive. Countries must adopt their national rules by 26 November 2028 and apply them from 26 November 2029. The directive also brings a digital licence. Photo specifications stay national.

Related photo specifications

Other European Union documents

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. European Parliament. Revision of the driving licence directive (Legislative Train) europarl.europa.eu. Checked 29 October 2026.
  2. EUR-Lex (European Union). Directive (EU) 2025/2205 on driving licences eur-lex.europa.eu. Checked 29 October 2026.
  3. German Federal Ministry of Justice. Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung (FeV), section 21 gesetze-im-internet.de. Checked 29 October 2026.
  4. Service Berlin. Exchanging a driving licence for a card licence service.berlin.de. Checked 29 October 2026.
  5. Service-Public.fr (French government). Damaged driving licence (online application and photo signature) service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 29 October 2026.
  6. RDW (Netherlands). Supplying driving licence photos digitally rdw.nl. Checked 29 October 2026.
  7. Direccion General de Trafico (DGT), Spain. Renewing a driving licence that is about to expire sede.dgt.gob.es. Checked 29 October 2026.
  8. Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Photos on the driving licence (PDF) ilportaledellautomobilista.it. Checked 29 October 2026.
  9. gov.pl (Polish government). Photo for a driving licence gov.pl. Checked 29 October 2026.
  10. oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian government). Duplicate driving licence oesterreich.gv.at. Checked 29 October 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Each EU member state (licence model set by EU directive) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"European Union EU driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/european-union/driving-licence-photo

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