Finland passport photo requirements
The 36 × 47 mm photo rules set by Police of Finland for the Finland passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Finland passport photo?
A Finnish passport photo is 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 in) on paper, or exactly 500 x 653 pixels as a JPEG of up to 250 KB when it goes to the police photograph server. The head measures 32 to 36 mm from crown to chin, hair excluded, against a plain, light, neutral background; light grey is best. Colour or black and white is accepted, the photo may be no more than six months old, and the expression must be neutral with the mouth closed.
Finnish passports are issued by the police (Poliisi) to citizens in Finland, and by Finnish embassies and consulates to citizens living abroad. The photo rules are written into a Ministry of the Interior decree on photographs attached to passports and identity cards (1168/2016), and the police explain them in an illustrated passport photograph instruction. That instruction covers every facial photo on a document or permit the police grant.
Most applicants never hand over a print. Almost every photo studio in Finland sends the passport photo straight to the police photograph server, and you receive a photograph retrieval code by text message or email. You type the code into the online passport application, or give it to the official at a police station. A paper photo is still accepted at a police station, but it rules out the online application, which the police say is cheaper and quicker.
You may also upload a photo to the photograph server yourself. The police allow this but advise against it, because many photos uploaded by non-professionals are rejected.
Finland passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Police of Finland:[1]
| Print size | 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 in) for a paper photo |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Photo server: exactly 500 x 653 pixels; a deviation of even one pixel is refused |
| Head height | 32 to 36 mm (445-500 px) from crown to chin, hair and beard excluded; crown 4-6 mm from the top, chin 7-9 mm from the bottom |
| Background | Plain light background in one flat, neutral colour, without shadows; light grey is best |
| Colour | Colour or black and white |
| Photo age | No more than 6 months old; on the photo server the age counts from the upload |
| File size | Photo server: up to 250 KB, with no visible compression artefacts |
| File format | JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg), not JPEG2000 |
| Print quality | High-quality photographic paper; clean, with no scratches, stains or creases |
| Pixels when printed | 425 × 555 px at 300 dpi · 850 × 1110 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Head size and position
Measure from the crown of the head to the chin, ignoring hair and beard: 32 to 36 mm on paper, 445 to 500 pixels in a file. Leave 4 to 6 mm (56 to 84 px) above the crown and 7 to 9 mm (96 to 124 px) below the chin, and keep the centre line of the face within 1.5 mm (21 px) of the centre of the photo. No width is set for the face.
- Sharp from ears to nose
The whole face must be in focus, with the depth of field reaching from the ears to the tip of the nose. Blur, graininess, compression artefacts and colour defects are all faults. The police trace blur to a camera that was not focused properly and grain to low camera resolution, and they also count contrast so harsh that detail disappears as a fault. They warn that phones and tablets used at short range have a wide-angle effect that makes the nose look too large.
- Even, natural light
Light the face evenly, with no shadows on the face or behind you and no burnt-out white patches from hard light. The colour of the light must be natural, without blue or red casts, and the photo must be neither overexposed nor underexposed. Red-eye is a fault.
- Contrast with the background
The portrait laser-engraved in the passport is always greyscale, so a shirt or skin tone as light or as dark as the background blurs into it. The police name light grey as the best background, and say a photographer may adjust the lighting or switch to a lighter or darker background to make you stand out.
- No appearance-changing edits
The photo must not be manipulated in any way that changes even the smallest detail of your appearance, or in a way that could cast doubt on its authenticity. Digital make-up is not allowed. Ordinary make-up is accepted if it does not make you harder to identify, and is judged case by case.
- Straight posture
Hold your head straight, without tilting it sideways, forwards or back, with face and eyes pointing at the camera and shoulders square to it. Decree 1168/2016 requires a shot taken straight from the front, so the camera should face you level, not angled down from above, up from below or in from one side. Over-the-shoulder portraits are refused. Both ears do not have to show. With a medical condition the posture rules can be relaxed so that the photo identifies you as well as possible: the face position matters more than the shoulders, and if you cannot hold your head straight, the photographer may change the camera angle instead.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Have the photo taken at a studio that sends photos to the police.
- Enter the retrieval code in the online application before you submit it.
- Use a photo taken within the last six months.
- Choose light grey or another light, neutral background.
- Keep your whole face sharp, from the ears to the tip of the nose.
- Take your current passport or identity card to the police station.
Don't
- Do not ask a studio to upload a photo you took yourself.
- Do not shoot with a phone held close to your face.
- Do not wear tinted glasses unless a medical reason requires them.
- Do not let hair or glasses frames cover your eyes.
- Do not apply digital make-up or retouch your features.
- Do not show toys, pillows or a supporting parent in the frame.
Sample photos
How a Finland passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 36 × 47 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
You may wear glasses if your eyes show clearly. No part of the frame may cross the eyes, the frame must not be so thick that it hides the structure of your face, and frames and lenses must show no reflections or cast shadows. The police suggest keeping every part of the frame well away from the eyes, and point out that you can always take your glasses off for the photo.
Tinted glasses and an eye patch are accepted only for medical reasons.
Headwear and religious dress
A scarf or other head covering is allowed only when religion or an established tradition requires it, or for health or medical reasons. It must not cover too much of the face or throw shadows across it.
A wig worn daily, for example for medical reasons, is treated like hair: it must not cover the face, and in particular the eyes.
Babies and children
There is no separate child size. The police apply the same 32 to 36 mm head height, and the same margins above the crown and below the chin, to every age, babies included. Very young babies may have the mouth slightly open, but even small children must have their eyes open. You may hold or support a small child as long as no part of you appears in the picture, and no toys or pillows may show.
A child applying for a passport must come to the police station in person, even as a baby, and almost all minors need that visit for identification. Children under 12 are not fingerprinted, under 15s come with at least one guardian, and all guardians must consent to the application.
Printed and digital photos
The digital route is the normal one. A studio on the police list photographs you, uploads the file at exactly 500 x 653 pixels as a JPEG of no more than 250 KB, and you receive the retrieval code. Studios may upload only photos they have taken themselves, and only straight after the shoot, because the six-month limit is counted from the upload. You cannot download the photo from the server afterwards; ask the studio if you want a copy.
A 36 x 47 mm paper photo on high-quality photographic paper works only at a police station, where staff scan it; the police say scanning takes time and lowers image quality. If you upload your own file instead, nothing is checked in advance: the licence officer judges the photo when the application is processed and asks for a new one if it fails, without a second application fee.
Where to submit the photo
In Finland you can apply online with Suomi.fi identification, or at a police station. The online service tells you whether you also need to visit a station; if so, book an appointment and bring your current passport or identity card. The police do not offer passport photography, except at the Helsinki Airport service point, which can photograph you for an extra fee but accepts only urgent applications from air passengers transiting through the airport.
Abroad, you apply in person at a Finnish embassy or consulate, which asks for one photo taken within the past six months, preferably in colour. The online service can be used from abroad, but studios outside Finland cannot send photos to the photograph server, so you supply the studio's photo yourself after signing in with Suomi.fi e-Identification.
How to get your Finland passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Finland passport: 36 × 47 mm print, 500 × 653 px digital file, plain light background in one flat background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: head size and position; sharp from ears to nose; even, natural light; contrast with the background.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The digital route is the normal one. A studio on the police list photographs you, uploads the file at exactly 500 x 653 pixels as a JPEG of no more than 250 KB, and you receive the retrieval code.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Finland you can apply online with Suomi.fi identification, or at a police station. The online service tells you whether you also need to visit a station; if so, book an appointment and bring your current passport or identity card.
Finland passport photo FAQ
A paper photo is 36 mm wide and 47 mm high. A digital photo sent through the police photograph server must be exactly 500 x 653 pixels, saved as a JPEG of up to 250 KB. In both cases the head measures 32 to 36 mm (445 to 500 pixels) from the crown to the chin.
It is the code a photo studio sends you by text message or email once it has uploaded your passport photo to the police photograph server. You enter it in the online passport application, or give it to the official at a police station, and the photo is attached from the server. Photos on the server are only ever accessed with this code.
You can upload your own photo to the police photograph server, but the police do not recommend it. Many photos taken by non-professionals are rejected, most often for incorrect lighting and for distortion from shooting too close. Nobody checks the photo in advance, and a studio is not allowed to upload a photo it did not take.
Yes, at a police station. Using a paper photo means you cannot apply online, and staff have to scan it, which the police say takes time and reduces image quality. Bring one 36 x 47 mm photo on high-quality photographic paper, free of scratches, stains and creases.
Yes, if your eyes are clearly visible. The frames must not cover any part of the eyes or be so thick that they hide your features, and there must be no reflections in the lenses or shadows from the frames. Tinted glasses are allowed only for a medical reason. You can also take your glasses off.
No. The police accept colour or black-and-white photos. The portrait engraved in the passport is always greyscale, so contrast between you and the background matters. Finnish missions abroad prefer colour but still accept black and white for the time being.
The licence official asks you to complement the application with a photo that meets the requirements, and you do not pay the application fee again. Photos are assessed only when the application is processed, so a rejection can come after you have applied.
Yes, if your identity card or passport was issued recently and its photo is less than six months old. The police can then attach the same photo to the new application automatically.
Related photo specifications
Other Finland documents
- Visa photo 36 × 47 mm
- ID card photo 36 × 47 mm
- Driving licence photo 36 × 47 mm
- Residence permit photo 36 × 47 mm
- Firearms permit photo 36 × 47 mm
Passports nearby
- Åland Islands passport photo 36 × 47 mm
- Denmark passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Estonia passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Faroe Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Guernsey passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Iceland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ireland irish Passport Card photo
- Ireland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Isle of Man passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Jersey passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 36 × 47 mm
- Åland Islands passport photo 36 × 47 mm
- Albania eVisa photo 36 × 47 mm
- Albania visa photo 36 × 47 mm
- All Finland photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 36 × 47 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Police of Finland. Passport photographs poliisi.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Police of Finland. Passport photograph instructions by the police (PDF) poliisi.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Police of Finland. Apply for a passport poliisi.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Police of Finland. Minor's passport poliisi.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior, published in Finlex. Decree 1168/2016 on photographs attached to passports and identity cards (Finnish, PDF) finlex.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Required attachments to the application for a passport or an identity card um.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Online application for a passport or an identity card um.fi. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Police of Finland before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Finland passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/finland/passport-photo