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Latvia passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia (PMLP) for the Latvia passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 10 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Latvia passport photo?

In Latvia the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) photographs adults and children at its divisions at no extra charge. A print you hand in instead must be made in a professional photo salon, carry the salon's stamp and date on the back, be no more than three months old and be 1 to 3 mm larger than 35 x 45 mm. The background is light, the face takes 70 to 80 percent of the picture height, and the picture must not be retouched.

Latvian passports are issued by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (Pilsonības un migrācijas lietu pārvalde, PMLP). You apply in person at one of its territorial divisions. Latvian citizens who live abroad and have declared their address in the Population Register apply at a Latvian embassy or consulate instead, although the document is still issued by PMLP in Latvia.

PMLP says photographs of both children and adults are taken at the divisions on the spot, without an additional fee. If you do not want to be photographed there, you may submit a photograph from a photo salon when you apply for a new document. The Cabinet regulation on personal identification documents (No. 134 of 2012) sets one standard, in its Annex 11, for the photographs people submit and for the image taken at the counter.

Embassies do not all follow the same routine. Some photograph you at the appointment, some ask for a print, and some ask for one only for young children. This page gives the PMLP standard first and then what the embassy pages we could read say.

Latvia passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia (PMLP):[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm picture; a submitted print is 1 to 3 mm larger, without a white corner
Digital sizeNo upload: PMLP photographs you at the division, or you hand in a printed photo
Head height70 to 80% of the picture height, from the chin line to the hairline
Eye lineLine through the eye midpoints parallel to the picture edge; face in the centre
BackgroundLight, with no shadows, other people or objects (the Japan embassy page asks for white)
ColourIf in colour: natural skin tone and no red eyes
Photo agePhotographed no more than three months ago, and not used for an earlier document
Print qualitySmooth, glossy or semi-matt photo paper; salon stamp with the date on the back; no creases
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: light.

In the official words

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

4.9. the picture shall not be retouched.

Regulations Regarding Personal Identification Documents (Cabinet Regulation No. 134), English translation[4]

Only photographs made at professional photo-salons can be used for passports, which are confirmed by the photo-salon’s stamp and date on the other side of the photograph.

Documents required to obtain an identity document[1]

Key requirements

  • PMLP takes the photo for free

    At the PMLP divisions adults and children are photographed on the spot at no extra fee. A child is photographed there if he or she can sit alone and agrees to be photographed at that moment.

  • A salon print needs a stamp and a date

    PMLP accepts a printed photo only from a professional photo salon. The salon's stamp and the date of taking must be on the back, and the stamp must not show through the picture. Pictures from snapshot cabins are invalid.

  • Three months at most

    The person must have been photographed no longer than three months ago. The print must not have been used for the previous identification document.

  • Print size

    The print is 1 to 3 mm larger than 35 x 45 mm. It must be clean, without a white corner, sharply focused and free of creases or folds.

  • Face size and position

    The face sits in the centre. From the chin line to the hairline (or the supposed hairline) it takes up 70 to 80 percent of the picture height, and the line through the eye midpoints is parallel to the horizontal edge.

  • Natural expression, level light

    Look straight at the camera with the head in front view, eyes open and not covered by hair, and a natural, ordinary, neutral expression. Both sides of the face are equally lit, with no glare or shadows on the face.

  • Light background, nothing else in view

    The background is light and shows no shadows. No other people or objects may be visible.

  • No retouching

    Annex 11 says the picture shall not be retouched. If the picture is in colour, the skin tone must look natural and the eyes must not be red.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Book a visit at a PMLP division and be photographed there if you want to avoid preparing a photo.
  • Have a print made at a professional photo salon and ask for its stamp and the date on the back.
  • Check the date: the photograph must be no more than three months old.
  • Keep your eyes open and visible and look at the camera with a neutral expression.
  • Keep the face centred, with chin to hairline filling 70 to 80 percent of the height.
  • Ask your embassy or consulate what it requires before you go, as practice differs by mission.

Don't

  • Do not use a snapshot-cabin picture or a print made at home.
  • Do not retouch the picture or change the background with software.
  • Do not wear tinted lenses, heavy frames or glasses that reflect light.
  • Do not wear a hat or any head covering that hides part of the face.
  • Do not reuse the photograph from your previous document.

Sample photos

How a Latvia 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.

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 you wear them. In the picture your eyes must be clearly visible and not covered by the frames. The frames may not be heavy or thick, and they may not cover part of the face. The lenses may not reflect light or be shaded, and the glasses may not slip down the nose (Annex 11, item 1.9).

Glare on the face and shadows on the face are not allowed either, so light from the front.

Headwear and religious dress

The person must be without headgear. The only exception is headgear worn every day for religious reasons, and only if it covers neither the face nor a part of it (Annex 11, item 1.10). Clothing may not cover the face or a part of it. Face paint and decorations that make it difficult to recognise the person are not permitted.

Babies and children

PMLP photographs children at the division on the spot if the child sits alone and agrees to be photographed at that moment. If that fails, the child needs a photograph made in a photo salon, and PMLP says a child under 10 has to attend the division only once when the photograph has been submitted in advance.

The regulation lets a parent or other legal representative of a child up to 15 submit a photograph if they prefer, and it requires a print when a good digital image of a child up to five years old cannot be obtained. The Washington embassy gives the same advice and asks parents to judge whether the child can sit alone. The Netherlands embassy page asks for one 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour photo on a light background only for children under 10.

There is no digital upload in the sources we read. The picture is either taken by PMLP at the counter, or it is a print you submit, which is then scanned and returned to you. The printed photograph must be on smooth, glossy or semi-matt photographic paper of high quality, and a print made at home or in a snapshot cabin does not qualify.

A photo salon is the route to a valid print. A digital photo can be cropped to the required proportions and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, but the salon stamp and date on the back are still needed, so ask the salon whether it will stamp the print.

Where to submit the photo

In Latvia, you apply in person at a PMLP territorial division. Fees and the queue system are on the PMLP website and change, so we do not quote them.

Abroad, the embassy pages say the service is for citizens who live there permanently and have declared their foreign address. The Washington page says photographs of adults and children are taken at the embassy on the spot. The Japan page asks you to bring one 35 x 45 mm photograph with a white background, without glasses and no older than three months. The London page lists no photo rule. Under the regulation a mission that cannot photograph you may ask for a print.

How to get your Latvia passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Latvia passport: 35 × 45 mm print, light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: pMLP takes the photo for free; a salon print needs a stamp and a date; three months at most; print size.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no digital upload in the sources we read. The picture is either taken by PMLP at the counter, or it is a print you submit, which is then scanned and returned to you.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Latvia, you apply in person at a PMLP territorial division. Fees and the queue system are on the PMLP website and change, so we do not quote them.

Make this photo online

Latvia passport photo FAQ

Not at a PMLP division: adults and children are photographed on the spot at no extra fee. Abroad it depends on the mission. Washington photographs you at the embassy, while the Japan embassy asks for one print.

The picture is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in). A printed photograph must be 1 to 3 mm larger than that, clean and without a white corner. The face from chin line to hairline takes 70 to 80 percent of the picture height.

No. PMLP says only photographs made at professional photo salons can be used for passports, confirmed by the salon's stamp and date on the back. It also says pictures from snapshot cabins are invalid.

No more than three months. PMLP gives that limit for a salon photograph, and Annex 11 says the person must have been photographed no longer than three months ago. The photo also must not be the one used for the previous document.

The regulation asks for a light background without shadows and without other people or objects. It names no colour. The Japan embassy page asks for white.

Yes, if the eyes are clearly visible. The frames must not cover the eyes, be heavy or cover part of the face. The lenses may not reflect light or be tinted, and the glasses must not sit low on the nose.

No. Annex 11 to Cabinet Regulation No. 134 says the picture shall not be retouched. Use an untouched photo that is sharp, bright and in good resolution.

It depends on the embassy. Washington says photographs of adults and children are taken at the embassy on the spot. Japan asks for one 35 x 45 mm print, the Netherlands only for children under 10, and the London page lists no photo.

The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) issues it. Citizens who live abroad apply at a Latvian embassy or consulate, and the document is still issued by PMLP in Latvia.

Related photo specifications

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia (PMLP). Documents required to obtain an identity document pmlp.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia (PMLP). Documents to be submitted in order to obtain a personal certificate for a child (under the age of 15) pmlp.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia (PMLP). What to remember when arranging a passport or eID card for an infant or small child under the age of 4 years pmlp.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia, via Likumi.lv. Regulations Regarding Personal Identification Documents (Cabinet Regulation No. 134), English translation likumi.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia, via Likumi.lv. Personu apliecinošu dokumentu noteikumi (Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr. 134) likumi.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia. Passport and personal ID card (eID) mfa.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of Latvia in the United States. Applying for passport and ID card (Washington) usa.mfa.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  8. Embassy of Latvia in the United Kingdom. Applying for passport and ID card (London) uk.mfa.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  9. Embassy of Latvia in Japan. Passport and personal ID card (Japan) www2.mfa.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.
  10. Embassy of Latvia in the Netherlands. Passport and/or ID card (Netherlands) www2.mfa.gov.lv. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia (PMLP) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Latvia passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/latvia/passport-photo

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