Iceland passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ísland.is, Government of Iceland for the Iceland passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Iceland passport photo?
You do not bring a photo for a regular Icelandic passport. A digital photo is taken at the district commissioner's (sýslumaður) office at your photo appointment, and the embassies in Washington and Geneva say they photograph applicants too. The regulation asks for a light grey, neutral background, even lighting without shadows, and a face turned straight to the camera with both eyes visible. No size is published for the digital photo. Emergency passports are the exception: two 35 x 45 mm prints.
Icelandic passports are issued by Registers Iceland (Þjóðskrá Íslands). Applications are taken by the district commissioners (sýslumenn) in Iceland and by some Icelandic embassies abroad. You can start the application on Ísland.is, but you still have to appear in person at a district commissioner's office for the photo appointment within 30 days, and show an older passport, driving licence or identity card.
The photo is part of that visit. The office takes a digital photo of you, so there is no print to hand in and no file to upload. Passport Regulation 560/2009 does allow an applicant to bring a photographer's photo on an electronic medium, but the portal describes a narrower route: the studio emails the photo straight to the office you will visit, the office still takes a comparison photo, and a file sent by you or handed over on a USB drive is not accepted.
This page covers the regular passport. It sets out the photo standard in the regulation, what changes for an emergency passport, and what the embassy pages say about photos abroad.
Iceland passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ísland.is, Government of Iceland:[1]
| Print size | None published for the digital photo; 35 x 45 mm for emergency-passport prints only |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No file from you: the office takes the photo (a studio may email its own file to the office) |
| Background | Light grey, neutral, evenly lit and without shadows |
| Photo age | A photographer's digital photo and emergency prints: no more than six months old |
| Print quality | Emergency passport only: two prints on photographic paper |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- The office takes the photo
At a district commissioner's office the photo is taken at your photo appointment, and any district commissioner can do it. The portal says a new photograph must always be taken for a new or renewed passport.
- A studio photo travels by email
If you want a studio photo, you ask the studio to email it directly to the office you plan to visit before you go. A comparison photograph is still taken at the office. Photos cannot be emailed by the applicant or delivered on a USB drive.
- Light grey, neutral, evenly lit
The regulation asks for an evenly lit photo with a light grey, neutral background and no shadows (translated from Icelandic).
- Face straight on, both eyes visible
The photo is a portrait of the face, taken so that the face points directly at the camera and both eyes can be seen.
- No computer changes to your appearance
The regulation prohibits changing the applicant's appearance in the photo with any computer or image processing (translated from Icelandic). The wording is about the person's appearance and does not mention backgrounds.
- Photographer files must be recent
A photograph brought on an electronic medium may not be more than six months old.
- Emergency passports need two prints
For an emergency passport you submit two photographs on photographic paper, 35 x 45 mm, no more than six months old. They need a straight-on face with both eyes visible, no dark or reflective glasses and no headwear, and the light and background rule applies as far as circumstances allow.
- Photos abroad
The Washington and Geneva embassy pages state that the photo is taken at the appointment. The London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Brussels and Berlin pages mention no passport photo. Honorary consuls issue emergency passports only.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Attend the photo appointment within 30 days of applying.
- Bring an older passport, driving licence or identity card to the appointment.
- Face the camera directly with both eyes open and visible.
- Ask a studio to email its photo straight to the office if you want to use one.
- Check whether your district commissioner needs a booked time for the photo.
- Bring two 35 x 45 mm prints on photographic paper only if you apply for an emergency passport.
Don't
- Do not email a photo to the office yourself or hand one over on a USB drive.
- Do not wear dark glasses or glasses that show reflections.
- Do not wear a hat or head covering unless you have asked for it on religious or health grounds.
- Do not change your appearance on a photo with computer or image-editing software.
- Do not expect an old photo to be reused: a new one is always taken for a new or renewed passport.
Sample photos
How a Iceland passport 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The regulation bans dark glasses and glasses with reflections (translated from Icelandic). It says nothing more specific about frames or lenses, but both eyes must be visible in the photo.
If you use a studio, tell the photographer about the rule so that the lenses show no reflections.
Headwear and religious dress
Headwear is not allowed. The regulation lets the office permit it when the applicant asks for it on religious or health grounds (translated from Icelandic). Raise this with the district commissioner before the appointment.
Babies and children
A child under 18 must attend the photo appointment at a district commissioner's office within 30 days. If both guardians have approved the pre-registered application, one guardian is enough to bring the child, and that guardian must show ID. Children do not need to attend when the passport is collected.
The regulation sets no separate photo rules for children, so the same conditions on lighting, background, glasses and headwear apply.
Printed and digital photos
For a regular passport there is no print and no upload. The office takes a digital photo, and the only outside photo it takes is a studio's file emailed by the studio itself. Your own file, sent by email or on a memory stick, is refused.
The emergency passport is the one case that needs prints: two photographs on photographic paper, 35 x 45 mm, no more than six months old. A digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut apart.
Where to submit the photo
In Iceland, go to any district commissioner (sýslumaður). In the capital area you can book a time online, and the other district commissioners do not require an appointment for passport photos. The portal lists a few small offices that do not handle photo appointments, so check before you travel.
Abroad, applications are taken at certain Icelandic embassies. The London and Geneva pages say all applicants must apply in person, and Washington is the only place in the United States that takes passport applications. Honorary consuls cannot accept applications for regular passports.
How to get your Iceland passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Iceland passport: 35 × 45 mm print, light grey background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the office takes the photo; a studio photo travels by email; light grey, neutral, evenly lit; face straight on, both eyes visible.
- Prepare a print or digital file. For a regular passport there is no print and no upload. The office takes a digital photo, and the only outside photo it takes is a studio's file emailed by the studio itself. Your own file, sent by email or on a memory stick, is refused.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Iceland, go to any district commissioner (sýslumaður). In the capital area you can book a time online, and the other district commissioners do not require an appointment for passport photos.
Iceland passport photo FAQ
No. The district commissioner's office takes a digital photo at your photo appointment. The Washington and Geneva embassies say the same, and the other embassy pages we read mention no passport photo. Only an emergency passport needs two printed photos.
No size is published for the digital photo, because the office takes it. The only size in the regulation is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), for the two printed photos of an emergency passport.
The regulation asks for a light grey, neutral background without shadows and even lighting. It applies to the office photo and to a photographer's photo. For emergency prints it applies as far as circumstances allow.
Yes, if you wish. Ask the studio to email the photo directly to the district commissioner's office you will visit, before you go. The office still takes a comparison photo, and a studio photo may not be more than six months old.
No. The portal says photographs cannot be submitted by email from the applicant or delivered on a USB drive. Only a studio can send its photo, and it must send it directly to the office.
Ordinary glasses are not mentioned as a problem. The regulation bans dark glasses and glasses with reflections, and both eyes must be visible. Avoid any lens that catches the light.
Headwear is not allowed in general. The regulation lets the office permit it if you request it on religious or health grounds.
Two photographs on photographic paper, 35 x 45 mm, no more than six months old. They need a straight-on face with both eyes visible, no dark or reflective glasses and no headwear, and should meet the background and lighting rule as far as circumstances allow.
The Washington embassy says the applicant does not need a passport photo because one is taken on location, and the Geneva embassy says it takes a biometric photograph at the appointment. The other embassy pages we read do not mention a photo.
Related photo specifications
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
- Finland passport photo 36 × 47 mm
- Guernsey 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 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 Iceland photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Ísland.is, Government of Iceland. Passports (applying for a passport) island.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ísland.is, Government of Iceland. Sækja um vegabréf island.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Government of Iceland, via Ísland.is. Reglugerð um íslensk vegabréf nr. 560/2009 (amended 11 October 2024) island.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Registers Iceland (Þjóðskrá Íslands). Umsóknarferli innanlands skra.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Registers Iceland (Þjóðskrá Íslands). Umsóknarferli fyrir börn skra.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of Iceland in Washington, D.C.. Consular Services - Passport (Washington) government.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of Iceland in Geneva. Consular Services - Passport (Geneva) government.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of Iceland in London. Service for Icelanders - Passport (London) government.is. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ísland.is, Government of Iceland before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Iceland passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/iceland/passport-photo