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Israel ID card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Population and Immigration Authority for the Israel ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 7 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Israel ID card photo?

You bring no photo for a biometric Israeli ID card (teudat zehut): a Population and Immigration Authority clerk photographs you at the office, without glasses, in front of a backdrop. Prints are needed only in exceptions. A temporary ID card application, or one a relative makes for someone too ill to attend, takes two recent colour photos, 35 x 45 mm, on a light, smooth background, and home-printed photos are refused for the temporary card.

The teudat zehut is the identity card Israel issues to every resident at the age of 16. By law it must be carried at all times, and it serves as identification when you get other documents such as a passport or a driving licence, at the bank and at government offices. The Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) issues it, and since June 2017 the regular card has been a biometric smart card holding your facial image and two fingerprints.

The card photo is taken at a PIBA office. A first card may be issued through the Lihyot Ezrach (Becoming a Citizen) project at participating schools; otherwise you book an appointment on PIBA's website or in the MyVisit app. PIBA's first-ID brochure says the photo is taken at the office during enrolment and that there is no need to bring photos. The first card is free.

After the application you receive a personal delivery code, so the card is handed over to you alone at the post office. You activate it by text message 24 hours after receiving it, or on Gov.il, and it is valid only once activated. The card cannot be obtained abroad: Israeli missions cannot issue or renew ID cards.

Israel ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Population and Immigration Authority:[1]

Print sizeUsually none: taken at the office. Temporary ID or proxy application: two 35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm) prints
Digital sizeNo upload: the card photo is captured live at a PIBA office
Head heightPIBA print standard: face 32 to 36 mm from chin to hairline; the temporary ID form says 25 x 35 mm
BackgroundAt the office a backdrop is provided; prints: light and smooth, uniform grey or white
ColourColour (temporary ID and proxy applications ask for colour photos)
Photo ageCurrent, new and identical photos (temporary ID and proxy applications)
Print qualityPhoto paper cut exactly to size; no office or coloured paper; the temporary ID form refuses home-printer photos
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: at the office a backdrop is provided.

In the official words

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

A photo in uniform, of poor quality or from a home printer will not be accepted (translated from Hebrew)

Procedure 2.18.0013: application for and issue of a biometric ID card (Hebrew)[2]

Key requirements

  • Captured at the service counter

    The clerk photographs you seated in a chair facing the camera, with a photo backdrop behind you. PIBA's Aviv system checks the image against the quality criteria automatically and shows a note when one is not met.

  • Up to six attempts

    Staff can make six attempts at the face photo. If none meets the quality criteria, the best image is chosen with a manager's approval; only in an exceptional case may the branch manager allow a printed photo to be scanned in instead.

  • No glasses, with one exception

    The photo is taken without glasses. A blind applicant, or one who covers the eyes with glasses or an eye patch because of a defect or injury, may be photographed with them.

  • Religious head covering allowed

    You may be photographed in a head covering worn for reasons of religion or conscience, as long as it does not hide the face from the top edge of the forehead to the bottom of the chin.

  • Privacy on request

    You can ask for someone of your choice to be present during the photo, for it to be taken behind a screen, and for a staff member of your own sex if one is at the office.

  • Prints for temporary and proxy applications

    The temporary ID card form asks for two colour, recent, identical photos of 35 x 45 mm. When a relative applies for someone who cannot come because of illness, age or disability, a specialist doctor must sign and stamp both photos.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Book an appointment and attend the office in person
  • Sit straight and face the camera
  • Ask for a same-sex staff member or a screen if you prefer
  • Bring two identical 35 x 45 mm colour photos for a temporary ID card
  • Have the doctor sign and stamp both photos for a proxy application
  • Activate the card after it is delivered

Don't

  • Do not wear glasses unless you are blind or cover your eyes because of an injury
  • Do not let a head covering hide your forehead or chin
  • Do not bring photos printed on a home printer
  • Do not submit a photo of yourself in uniform
  • Do not expect an Israeli embassy to issue the card

Sample photos

How a Israel ID card 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 card photo is taken without glasses. PIBA's procedure for biometric ID cards lists this among the capture principles, alongside a straight head, no shadows on the face and a sharp, high-contrast image.

There is one exception. A blind applicant, or someone who covers the eyes with glasses or an eye patch because of a defect or injury, may be photographed wearing them. The Aviv capture system checks the other criteria automatically, but removing glasses is not one of its checks.

Headwear and religious dress

A head covering is allowed when it is worn for reasons of religion or conscience, provided it does not hide your features from the top edge of the forehead to the bottom of the chin. PIBA's print standard otherwise asks for no hat.

If you would rather not be photographed in front of others, the procedure lets you ask for a screen, for a person of your choice to be present, and for a staff member of your own sex when one is available. The office is told to grant these requests and to respect your dignity and privacy throughout the enrolment.

Babies and children

The first ID card is issued at 16, and the teenager must attend the office in person. If a 16- or 17-year-old wants their fingerprints kept in the biometric database, a parent must come to sign the consent; otherwise the teenager can come with a parent's ID card or their own valid passport.

For a minor's card that was lost, stolen or damaged, one parent must attend to sign the declaration. Younger children do not hold a card of their own: they are registered on a parent's ID card, which is why a child's passport application asks for the parent's ID in which the child is listed.

There is no digital route for the teudat zehut: the photo is captured live at the office and stored on the card. PIBA explains that printing the photo into the document, instead of gluing on a print, makes forgery much harder.

Prints come in only in a few cases. A temporary ID card application takes two colour, recent, identical photos, 35 x 45 mm, on a light, smooth background, and its form says photos in uniform, of poor quality or from a home printer will not be accepted. A relative applying for a bedridden, elderly or disabled person brings two photos of the same size, signed and stamped by a specialist doctor. If no compliant photo can be taken at the office, the branch manager may approve a printed photo instead.

Printed photos must be on photo paper, cut exactly to size, and free of stains, creases, folds and holes. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo lab.

Where to submit the photo

Apply at a PIBA office in Israel after booking an appointment on the authority's website or in the MyVisit app; students in the Becoming a Citizen project come with their class. At the counter you answer identity questions, are photographed and have both index fingers scanned. Once the card reaches you, activate it by text message or on Gov.il.

If you live abroad, the card is not available at an embassy or consulate. The Washington embassy states that ID cards are issued only in Israel and cannot be issued or renewed at Israeli missions abroad, so you apply during a stay in Israel.

How to get your Israel ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Israel ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, at the office a backdrop is provided background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: captured at the service counter; up to six attempts; no glasses, with one exception; religious head covering allowed.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no digital route for the teudat zehut: the photo is captured live at the office and stored on the card. PIBA explains that printing the photo into the document, instead of gluing on a print, makes forgery much harder.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply at a PIBA office in Israel after booking an appointment on the authority's website or in the MyVisit app; students in the Becoming a Citizen project come with their class.

Make this photo online

Israel ID card photo FAQ

Not for an ordinary application. PIBA's first-ID brochure says the ID card photo is taken at the office during enrolment and there is no need to bring photos. Prints are needed only for a temporary ID card, for a relative's application on behalf of someone who cannot attend, or when a manager approves a printed photo.

The temporary ID form asks for two colour, recent, identical photos measuring 35 x 45 mm, on a light, smooth background. It refuses photos taken in uniform, photos of poor quality and photos printed on a home printer. You must apply in person and bring your previous ID card.

No. PIBA photographs ID card applicants without glasses. Its procedure makes an exception for blind applicants and for people who cover their eyes with glasses or an eye patch because of a defect or injury.

No. ID cards are issued only in Israel, and Israeli missions abroad cannot issue or renew them, according to the embassy in Washington. You need to apply in person at a PIBA office while you are in Israel.

Yes. PIBA's procedure says that if you ask for the photo to be taken by a staff member of your own sex and one is present at the office, the request should be granted. You can also ask for a screen or for another person to be present.

Yes. A first-degree relative applies in person with the completed form, a specialist doctor's letter, another identity document of the applicant and a power of attorney. Two 35 x 45 mm colour photos on a light, smooth background are attached, and the doctor must sign and stamp both.

At 16. Some schools take part in the Becoming a Citizen project, through which the card is issued; other teenagers book an appointment at a PIBA office. The first card is free, and the photo is taken at the office.

Related photo specifications

Other Israel documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Population and Immigration Authority. First ID card: digital brochure (Hebrew) gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Population and Immigration Authority. Procedure 2.18.0013: application for and issue of a biometric ID card (Hebrew) gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Population and Immigration Authority. Get an Israeli ID card gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Population and Immigration Authority. Apply for an Israeli travel document (laissez passer): biometric documentation gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Population and Immigration Authority. Photo guide for passports and travel documents (Hebrew) gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Population and Immigration Authority. List of PIBA procedures (Hebrew) gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of Israel, Washington. Issuance of an Israeli travel document following loss, theft or damage (ID cards issued only in Israel) embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Population and Immigration Authority before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Israel ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/israel/id-card-photo

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