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Italy ID card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministero dell'Interno, Carta di Identità Elettronica for the Italy 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 Italy ID card photo?

The photo for the Italian electronic identity card (CIE) is 35 mm wide and at least 45 mm high, in colour and no more than 6 months old. Your face should take up 70 to 80% of the photo height, with your eyes 23 to 31 mm above the bottom edge. Use a uniform, evenly lit background. Give the comune a print, or upload a JPG of up to 500 KB when you book on Agenda CIE. The photo must not be retouched.

The Carta d'Identità Elettronica (CIE) is the Italian identity card. The Ministry of the Interior runs the system, the State Printing Office (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) produces the cards, and you apply at a comune: usually the one where you live, from 180 days before your card expires, or after loss, theft or damage. Italians registered with AIRE apply at their consulate instead. Adults get a card valid for up to 10 years, fingerprints are taken from age 12, and the card is posted to you or collected at the comune.

The national procedure has you supply the photo yourself. Either you bring a printed fototessera, which the clerk digitises with a scanning device, or you upload a digital photo when you book the appointment on Agenda CIE, the Ministry's booking platform, and the clerk downloads it. The Ministry says the photo must be in the same format as the passport photo; its own guidance adds an eye-height band, a ban on retouching and a wider choice of background colours.

Italy ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministero dell'Interno, Carta di Identità Elettronica:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in): 35 mm wide, at least 45 mm high
Digital sizeOptional upload when booking on Agenda CIE: no pixel size set, high definition of 300 to 400 dpi
Head heightFace 70 to 80% of the photo height; whole head and top of the shoulders visible
Eye lineEyes 23 to 31 mm above the bottom edge of the photo
BackgroundUniform and evenly lit; preferably light blue, beige, light brown, light grey or white
ColourColour, natural tones only
Photo ageTaken within the last 6 months
File sizeAgenda CIE upload: up to 500 KB
File formatJPG for an Agenda CIE upload
Print qualityHigh-quality paper; not folded, stapled, written on or damaged
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm31.5–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 31.5–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: uniform and evenly lit.

In the official words

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

The photo must not be cropped to exclude the background or to straighten the head, nor must it be retouched, colored or tampered.

Photo acquisition process[2]

Key requirements

  • Eyes in the 23 to 31 mm band

    Measured from the bottom edge, your eyes must sit between 23 and 31 mm up the photo, with the face centred in the frame. If you trim a print to 35 mm wide, keep the whole face in view: both ear lobes must still show.

  • No retouching or straightening

    The Ministry forbids retouching, colouring or otherwise tampering with the photo. Trimming to size is allowed, but not trimming away the background or cutting the print at an angle to straighten a tilted head, so take the picture with your head level.

  • Head and shoulders, nothing else

    Show the whole head and the top of the shoulders, with the face taking up 70 to 80% of the photo height and the head centred vertically. Only you may appear: no other people and no objects.

  • Light, even background

    The background must be uniform and evenly lit, with no shadows on it or on your face. Light blue, beige, light brown, light grey and white are preferred because they make the face stand out.

  • Frontal, neutral pose

    Look straight into the lens with your face neither turned nor tilted, mouth closed, eyes open and expression neutral. Artistic poses, such as a turned face or raised shoulders, are refused.

  • True colours, clean print

    The photo must be in colour with natural tones, in focus, correctly exposed and free of flash reflections. It must be printed on high-quality paper, and a folded, stapled or written-on print is not accepted.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Upload the photo when you book on Agenda CIE, if your comune uses it.
  • Keep your eyes 23 to 31 mm above the bottom edge.
  • Show both ear lobes and the top of your shoulders.
  • Use a light, evenly lit background such as white or light grey.
  • Bring your old card, or another valid ID, to the appointment.
  • Keep the print flat and clean.

Don't

  • Do not retouch, recolour or filter the photo.
  • Do not rotate or cut the photo to straighten your head.
  • Do not trim the print so tightly that the background disappears.
  • Do not wear tinted lenses or heavy frames.
  • Do not let hair cover your eyes.
  • Do not staple the photo or write on it.

Sample photos

How a Italy 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

Glasses are allowed if the lenses are clear. The Ministry of the Interior refuses tinted lenses and asks for transparent ones so that your eyes are easy to see, with no reflections from a flash or other lights. Its sample images also mark a heavy frame and a frame that covers the eyes as faults, so a thin frame that leaves the eyes clear is the safe choice.

Headwear and religious dress

Head coverings are refused unless worn for religious, cultural or medical reasons, and even then your face must be clearly shown. The Ministry's examples reject a hat, a cap, a covered face and a scarf that hides part of the face, and accept a covering that leaves the whole face visible.

This is wider than the passport guidance, which names religious reasons only. If you wear a covering for cultural or medical reasons and want one photo for both documents, ask the Questura before printing.

Babies and children

A CIE can be issued from birth. It is valid for 3 years for children under 3 and 5 years from 3 to 18. From age 12 two fingerprints are taken and the child signs the card. A card valid for travel abroad needs both parents present when it is issued, and for children under 14 the parents' names can be printed on the back.

The photo rules are the same as for adults. The Ministry's examples show the usual faults with babies: another person in the shot and a toy in view. Photograph the child alone, facing the camera, against a plain light background.

You can supply the photo in two ways. The usual route is a paper print that the comune scans; trim it, if necessary, to 35 mm wide and at least 45 mm high. If your comune takes bookings through Agenda CIE, you can instead upload a digital photo while booking: a JPG of no more than 500 KB at 300 to 400 dpi, showing you centred, from the front, with both ear lobes visible against a plain single-colour background with no scenery or furniture. The system checks the image and warns you if it falls short, and you can replace it until the day of the appointment.

The Ministry's English page still describes bringing the photo on a USB stick as a JPG of at least 400 dpi and no more than 500 KB. The Italian page, revised in March 2026, no longer mentions this, so do not rely on it. A digital photo can also be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and the print handed in.

Where to submit the photo

In Italy, go to the registry office (anagrafe) of your comune. Where the comune uses Agenda CIE, book on the Ministry's Prenotazioni CIE site and turn up at the chosen time. At the counter you show your old card or another valid ID (for a first card without ID, come with two witnesses), give your tax code, check your personal data, hand over the photo unless you uploaded it and have your fingerprints taken. You also choose home delivery or collection and may record your decision on organ donation.

Italians abroad who are registered with AIRE apply at their consulate, booking through the Prenota Online platform or the channel the consulate names. Bring one ICAO-compliant photo; the consular officer captures it together with your fingerprints and signature, and the card is posted to you from Italy.

How to get your Italy ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Italy ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, uniform and evenly lit background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: eyes in the 23 to 31 mm band; no retouching or straightening; head and shoulders, nothing else; light, even background.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. You can supply the photo in two ways. The usual route is a paper print that the comune scans; trim it, if necessary, to 35 mm wide and at least 45 mm high.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Italy, go to the registry office (anagrafe) of your comune. Where the comune uses Agenda CIE, book on the Ministry's Prenotazioni CIE site and turn up at the chosen time.

Make this photo online

Italy ID card photo FAQ

35 mm wide and at least 45 mm high, the passport format. Within that frame the face should take up 70 to 80% of the height, and the eyes should sit between 23 and 31 mm above the bottom edge.

The Ministry of the Interior's procedure expects you to provide it: bring a printed photo, which the clerk scans, or upload one when booking on Agenda CIE. The national pages do not describe the comune taking the picture, so come prepared with your own.

Yes, if your comune books appointments through Agenda CIE. During booking you can upload a JPG of up to 500 KB at 300 to 400 dpi. You then need not bring a print, because the clerk downloads the photo, and you can swap it for a better one until the appointment.

Any uniform, evenly lit background, preferably light blue, beige, light brown, light grey or white so that your face stands out. The passport checklist asks for white, so a white background is the choice that works for both documents.

Yes, if you wear it for religious, cultural or medical reasons and your face is clearly shown. Hats, caps and coverings that hide part of the face are not accepted.

No more than six months old. The print must also be undamaged: not folded, stapled, written on or tampered with, and printed on high-quality paper so the scan is sharp.

Often, since the Ministry says the CIE photo uses the passport format and both follow ICAO. Before reusing a print, check two CIE points: your eyes must be 23 to 31 mm from the bottom edge, and the photo must be under six months old.

Related photo specifications

Other Italy documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministero dell'Interno, Carta di Identità Elettronica. Modalità di acquisizione delle foto cartaidentita.interno.gov.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of the Interior, Electronic Identity Card. Photo acquisition process cartaidentita.interno.gov.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministero dell'Interno, Carta di Identità Elettronica. Rilascio e rinnovo in Italia cartaidentita.interno.gov.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ministero dell'Interno, Carta di Identità Elettronica. Rilascio e rinnovo minorenni cartaidentita.interno.gov.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministero dell'Interno, Carta di Identità Elettronica. Sistema di prenotazione della CIE cartaidentita.interno.gov.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Ministero dell'Interno and Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. Agenda CIE (Prenotazioni CIE), citizen booking prenotazionicie.interno.gov.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Carta d'identità (for Italians abroad) esteri.it. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministero dell'Interno, Carta di Identità Elettronica before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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