Greenland passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Grønlands Politi (Greenland Police) for the Greenland passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Greenland passport photo?
A Greenland passport photo is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), with the head 30 to 36 mm from the tip of the chin to the top of the hair. It can be in colour or black and white, taken straight from the front against a plain, light background, with your mouth closed. The same photo serves a Greenlandic or a Danish passport. You bring it to your local police station, where you must appear in person.
People who live in Greenland and are Danish citizens can choose between a Greenlandic and a Danish passport, and both are issued by Greenland Police (Grønlands Politi) at its local stations. The Danish passport shows "Danmark – Den Europæiske Union" on the front and the Greenlandic one shows "Danmark – Kalaallit Nunaat". Greenland Police and the public portal Sullissivik say the two are valid in the same countries and differ in the languages printed inside. The application form has a tick box for your choice, and neither page gives the two passports different photo rules.
The photo rules come from the Danish police guide "Foto pas og kørekort", which Sullissivik links under the passport page as "Alle krav til pasfoto". The Danish passport order says that in Greenland the police carry out the tasks it gives to municipal councils, and it repeats the 35 x 45 mm size and the head height of 30 to 36 mm.
Both Greenland pages list a suitable passport photo among the items you bring when you apply, and neither mentions a photo service at the stations or a way to send a file. Because the passport is made in Denmark and sent back to Greenland, the pages tell you to order well before you travel, so have the photo ready before you go to the station.
Greenland passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Grønlands Politi (Greenland Police):[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital route is described: bring a printed photo to your local police station |
| Head height | 30 to 36 mm from the tip of the chin to the top of the hair |
| Background | Uniform light colour with no motifs or shadows, for example light blue or light grey |
| Colour | Colour or black and white, taken straight from the front |
| Photo age | No maximum age is stated; the photo must be a good likeness of you |
| Print quality | A photograph, or a print on good-quality photo paper at very high resolution; no holes, stamps or damage |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Appear in person, whatever your age
You must go to your local police station yourself, and the same applies to anyone under 18. Your photo is handed in there with the form, so it has to be finished and printed before you leave home.
- Face and top of shoulders
The guide asks for a likeness taken straight from the front that shows the face and the top of the shoulders, with one person only. A portrait taken too close, or from too far away, is shown as wrong.
- Gaze at the lens, mouth shut
Look at the camera with both eyes fully visible and your mouth closed. Hair over the eyes, closed eyes, a glance to the side, a tilted head and an open mouth are the faults the guide pictures.
- Light, even and plain
Light the face evenly so no shadows fall on it or on the background. The background is a uniform light colour without motifs, such as light blue or light grey. White or light hair, or a light headscarf, needs a sharply contrasting background.
- Good image and good paper
The picture must be undamaged, with no holes or stamps, and must be a photograph or a print on good-quality photo paper at very high resolution. The guide shows blur, pixelation, red eyes and washed-out or unnatural colours as faults.
- One photo, two passports
Whether you choose the Greenlandic or the Danish passport, the pages give one set of photo rules. You tick your choice on the form; the photo does not change.
- Exceptions are decided at the counter
The guide says single requirements can be waived in special cases and that the decision is taken where you apply. The passport order lets the police depart from the photo rules when very special reasons point that way.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Print the photo at 35 x 45 mm before you travel to the station.
- Keep the head 30 to 36 mm tall, from chin to hair.
- Use colour or black and white, taken straight from the front.
- Stand against a plain light background with even light.
- Bring the completed form, the photo and your old passport.
- Order the passport well ahead of any trip.
Don't
- Do not wear a cap, hat or face covering unless it is for religious reasons.
- Do not wear tinted glasses or lenses that reflect light.
- Do not let the frame of your glasses cross your eyes.
- Do not include another person or any object in the picture.
- Do not bring a blurred, pixelated or damaged print.
- Do not use a flash that washes out or darkens your face.
Sample photos
How a Greenland passport 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are allowed if the lenses are untinted and show no reflections. The guide also requires the eyes to be completely free of the frame, and it pictures tinted lenses, glare in the lenses and frames that cover the eyes as wrong. The Danish passport order says the same about tint and reflections.
If the flash bounces off your lenses, or the frame sits on your eyes, remove the glasses for the photo.
Headwear and religious dress
The guide says head coverings are permitted only on religious grounds, and the forehead, the chin area and the cheekbones must stay visible. Under the passport order the police can allow a covering after an individual assessment, as long as the facial features are clear: chin, nose, cheekbones, eyes and eyebrows uncovered, and enough forehead showing to make the face shape clear.
The guide pictures a cap, a hat, a covering over the face and a scarf that shades the face as errors.
Babies and children
The guide states that all the rules also apply to children. Both Greenland pages say children under 18 need their own passport and can no longer be entered in a parent's passport. A parent or guardian must sign the form, in section C, and Sullissivik tells under-18s to bring their parents.
Sullissivik says a passport can be issued for a child who has not yet been named, but a few countries, the United States among them, cannot promise that an unnamed child will be admitted, so check with that country's embassy before travelling.
Printed and digital photos
The Greenland pages describe a photo you bring and mention no upload, so plan on a print. The Danish order sets 35 x 45 mm, with the head 30 to 36 mm tall, for a photo that is not delivered digitally, and the guide asks for a photograph or a print on good-quality photo paper at very high resolution.
A digital picture can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed at a photo counter. Check that the print is sharp, evenly lit and free of marks, because a damaged or blurred print is shown as wrong in the guide.
Where to submit the photo
Order or renew at your local police station. Greenland Police list 19 stations and offices on their site, among them Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, Aasiaat, Qaqortoq, Narsaq, Nanortalik, Tasiilaq, Ittoqqortoormiit, Upernavik, Qaanaaq and Pituffik. You can fill in the application form beforehand, and everyone over 12 has a fingerprint scanned at the station.
Bring the form, your old passport, and your photo. If you have never held a passport, bring an original baptism, name or birth certificate, and bring proof of your name if it recently changed. Sullissivik adds that only the stations in Qaqortoq, Nuuk, Sisimiut, Aasiaat and Ilulissat have card terminals, so pay in cash elsewhere. It also says there is no passport requirement between Denmark and Greenland unless you travel via Iceland.
How to get your Greenland passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Greenland passport: 35 × 45 mm print, uniform light colour with no motifs or… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: appear in person, whatever your age; face and top of shoulders; gaze at the lens, mouth shut; light, even and plain.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The Greenland pages describe a photo you bring and mention no upload, so plan on a print.
- Submit the photo with your application. Order or renew at your local police station. Greenland Police list 19 stations and offices on their site, among them Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, Aasiaat, Qaqortoq, Narsaq, Nanortalik, Tasiilaq, Ittoqqortoormiit, Upernavik, Qaanaaq and Pituffik.
Greenland passport photo FAQ
It is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), and the head measures 30 to 36 mm from the tip of the chin to the top of the hair. The Danish passport order gives the same size, and Sullissivik links the police guide that shows it.
No difference is stated. The two passports have different cover wording and different languages inside, and you tick your choice on the application form, but the photo rules read on the Greenland pages are the same for both.
Greenland Police and Sullissivik state no maximum age. The guide asks for a good likeness of you, so use a recent photo that still looks like you on the day you apply.
The Greenland pages do not say so. They list a suitable passport photo among the things you bring, and mention no photo service, so have a print with you when you go to the station.
The pages read say you must appear in person at your local police station, under-18s included, and they describe no online route or upload for the photo. You may fill in the application form beforehand.
Yes, if the lenses are not tinted, show no reflections, and the frame leaves your eyes completely free. Take them off if you cannot avoid glare.
A uniform light colour with no motifs or shadows. The guide names light blue and light grey as examples and does not mention white. If you have white or light hair, or wear a light headscarf, choose a background in sharp contrast to it.
No. Children under 18 need their own passport and can no longer stand in a parent's passport. The child needs a photo that follows the same rules, and a parent or guardian signs the form.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Bermuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Canada passport photo 50 × 70 mm
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- United States passport photo 2 × 2 in
- United States U.S. passport card photo 2 × 2 in
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Greenland photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Grønlands Politi (Greenland Police). Bestil pas politi.gl. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Sullissivik.gl (Greenland public portal). Pas sullissivik.gl. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Danish Police (Rigspolitiet), hosted on Sullissivik.gl. Alle krav til pasfoto (Foto pas og kørekort) sullissivik.gl. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Grønlands Politi (Greenland Police). Politistationer politi.gl. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Sullissivik.gl (Greenland public portal). Ansøgning om pas 2024 (PDF) sullissivik.gl. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Justice, via Retsinformation. Bekendtgørelse om pas m.v. (BEK nr. 2693 af 28/12/2021) retsinformation.dk. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Grønlands Politi (Greenland Police) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Greenland passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/greenland/passport-photo