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France driving licence photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA) for the France driving licence, 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 France driving licence photo?

A French driving licence (permis de conduire) photo is 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm), in colour on a plain, light background, bare-headed, face centred and eyes open, less than 6 months old. The application is made online on the France Titres (ANTS) site. You supply the photo and signature either as an e-photo code from an approved photographer or booth, or as a print glued to the FPS form and posted. Scans and photocopies are refused.

The French driving licence is applied for online only, on the France Titres (ANTS) licence website: the first licence after passing the test, a new licence when the old one expires, or a replacement after loss, theft or damage. No office visit is needed, so the licence cannot use a print handed over a counter the way passports and identity cards do.

Instead, the licence uses a photo-signature, also called e-photo: a photographer or booth approved for the ANTS online service records your photo and your signature and gives you a code, printed on the photo sheet, which you type into the online form. If you prefer paper, you tick the option for a classic identity photo, then download the Formulaire de dépôt photo et signature (FPS) at the end of the procedure, glue a print to it, sign it and post it. In both cases France Titres requires a recent photo taken by a professional or in an approved booth.

France driving licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA):[1]

Print size3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm, 1.38 x 1.77 in)
Digital sizeNo file upload: type the e-photo code from an approved provider, or post a print on the FPS form
Head heightFace 32 to 36 mm from chin to top of skull, hair excluded (Interior Ministry norm)
BackgroundPlain and light; the Ministry norm that covers licences forbids white
ColourColour
Photo ageLess than 6 months old
Print qualityOriginal print glued with double-sided tape or strong glue; scanned or photocopied photos are refused
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm32–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 32–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain and light.

In the official words

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

The photo must be recent and taken by a professional or in an approved photo booth. (translated from French)

Refus de photo par l'ANTS (reply of 7 October 2025)[6]

A scanned or photocopied photo will be refused. (translated from French)

Refus de photo par l'ANTS (reply of 7 October 2025)[6]

Key requirements

  • e-Photo code or FPS form

    The online application offers two routes. Enter the e-photo code from your photo sheet and the photo and signature are sent electronically, so nothing goes by post. Or choose the classic paper photo, download the FPS form from the confirmation page and post it with your print and signature.

  • Professional or approved booth

    France Titres states that the photo must be recent and taken by a professional or in an approved photo booth. For the e-photo route, only photographers and booths approved for the ANTS online service can issue a code; the France Titres map shows where they are.

  • Photo and signature travel together

    The licence carries your signature as well as your picture. An e-photo provider records both. On the paper route you sign inside the frame on the FPS form, and France Titres warns that crossing anything out on the form is not taken into account and can lead to rejection.

  • Glue the print, never staple it

    Fix the photo to the FPS form with double-sided tape or strong glue. Staples and ordinary sticky tape leave marks that can get the photo rejected.

  • Originals only

    A scanned or photocopied photo is refused. The print must be an original photo, 3.5 x 4.5 cm, in colour, on a plain light background, showing you face-on and bare-headed with the face centred and the eyes visible and open.

  • Rejection means a new application

    If your account shows the status "Photo ou signature non conforme", the scanning centre rejected the photo or signature, or never received the form. You must file a new application, with a new e-photo or one of the four paper prints supplied with your e-photo.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask for a photo-signature (e-photo) when you have the photo taken.
  • Type the e-photo code into the online application.
  • Tick the classic identity photo option if you will post a print.
  • Glue the print with double-sided tape or strong glue.
  • Keep the four spare prints that come with the e-photo.
  • Sign inside the frame on the FPS form.

Don't

  • Do not staple the photo or fix it with ordinary tape.
  • Do not send a scan or photocopy of a photo.
  • Do not cross anything out on the FPS form.
  • Do not reuse a photo from an old licence or identity card.
  • Do not wear a hat or tinted glasses.
  • Do not forget to post the FPS form, or the application stalls.

Sample photos

How a France 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, 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 licence follows the Interior Ministry photo norm that also covers passports, identity cards and residence permits. Under it, thick frames are banned, the frame must not hide the eyes, tinted or coloured lenses are not allowed and there must be no reflection on the lenses. France Titres' own licence checklist only asks for the eyes to be visible and open, so the simplest way to satisfy both is to remove your glasses at the photographer's.

Headwear and religious dress

France Titres asks for a photo taken face-on with the head bare, and the Ministry norm forbids head coverings of any kind. Keep the face centred and uncovered: hair should stay off the face and the eyes must show. The Ministry leaflet illustrates the rule with a headscarf and a close-fitting cap, both refused.

There is no file to upload for a French licence. The digital route is the e-photo code: the approved photographer or booth sends the image and your signature to the system, and the code links them to your application. France Titres says that with the photo-signature there is no need to post the photo afterwards. A purchased e-photo usually comes with four paper prints, which France Titres says you may use if the first attempt is rejected.

The paper route exists for people without access to an e-photo service or who prefer a print. Choose the classic identity photo option, download the FPS form when you confirm the application, glue on a professionally made print, sign and post it to the address on the form. If the form never arrives, the application ends up with a non-compliant photo or signature status. A home print, a scan or a photocopy does not meet the rule on either route.

Where to submit the photo

Apply on the France Titres licence website. Service-public describes the same online procedure for a first licence, a damaged licence and a lost or stolen one: you gather the supporting documents listed for your case and either enter the e-photo code or choose the paper route and post the FPS form afterwards. If you cannot manage the online steps, a point d'accueil numérique or a France Services office can help you through them.

Living abroad changes the picture. If your normal residence is abroad (more than 185 days a year), French authorities are no longer competent and you turn to the authorities of your country of residence. If you are only temporarily abroad, the online procedure still applies; for an international driving permit service-public then asks for a photo made by a photographer or booth authorised in France.

How to get your France driving licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the France driving licence: 35 × 45 mm print, plain and light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: e-Photo code or FPS form; professional or approved booth; photo and signature travel together; glue the print, never staple it.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no file to upload for a French licence. The digital route is the e-photo code: the approved photographer or booth sends the image and your signature to the system, and the code links them to your application.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply on the France Titres licence website.

Make this photo online

France driving licence photo FAQ

It is the code that comes with a photo-signature, also called e-photo, taken by a photographer or booth approved for the ANTS online service. The code is printed on the photo sheet. You type it into the online licence application, and your photo and signature are sent electronically, so nothing has to be posted.

Yes. In the online application, tick the classic identity photo option. On the confirmation page you can download the photo and signature deposit form (FPS); glue an original 3.5 x 4.5 cm print to it, sign it without crossings-out and post it to the address shown.

No. France Titres requires the photo to be taken by a professional or in an approved photo booth, and it refuses scanned or photocopied photos. A phone picture printed at home therefore does not qualify on either the e-photo or the paper route.

It is 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm). Under the Interior Ministry norm that covers licences, the face measures 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair excluded, on a plain light background without white.

The scanning centre rejected the photo or the signature, or the FPS form was not received. France Titres says you must file a new application, using a new e-photo or one of the four paper prints that came with your e-photo, and following the photo rules carefully.

The norm is shared, so a print from an approved photographer that met the passport rules and is under six months old can be glued to the FPS form. To use the online e-photo route, you need a code issued by a provider approved for the photo-signature service at the time the picture was taken.

Yes. Service-public asks for one photo-signature, or e-photo, less than six months old. If you live in France but are temporarily abroad, the photo must be taken by a photographer or booth authorised in France.

Related photo specifications

Other France documents

Driving licences nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Détérioration du permis de conduire service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Perte du permis de conduire français service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Permis international pour conduire à l'étranger service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. France Titres (ANTS). Géolocaliser les photographes habilités à la photo-signature permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. France Titres (ANTS). Aide et contact : pièces du dossier permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Services Publics+ (reply from France Titres - ANTS). Refus de photo par l'ANTS (reply of 7 October 2025) plus.transformation.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Légifrance. Arrêté du 10 avril 2007 relatif à l'apposition de photographies d'identité sur les documents d'identité et de voyage, les permis de conduire et les titres de séjour legifrance.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Ministry of the Interior (hosted by the French Embassy in Suriname). Nouvelle norme relative à l'apposition des photographies d'identité (leaflet) sr.diplomatie.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"France driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/france/driving-licence-photo

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