Monaco passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Government of Monaco, MonServicePublic for the Monaco passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Monaco passport photo?
The Monaco Passport Service asks for one printed identity photo taken by a professional photographer, in colour and less than 6 months old. It writes the format as 4.5 x 3.5 cm, which is 35 x 45 mm in portrait. The background must be light and a white background is prohibited. No smile, no glasses, bare head, ears and face uncovered. Photo-booth, personal and scanned photos are refused.
Monegasque passports are issued by the Passport Service (Service des passeports) of the General Secretariat of the Government, based at the Ministry of State in Place de la Visitation. Only Monegasque nationals can apply, and every application produces an electronic passport with a chip. There are two forms, one for adults and one for minors, and each serves both a first application and a renewal. You hand the file in at the reception of the Ministry of State or send it by post to the Passport Service. Only original documents are processed: nothing can be sent by email or consist of scans.
The photograph is a paper print that you supply. The Passport Service does not take it for you, and it sets one condition above all others: the picture must be taken by a professional photographer. A footnote on the page adds that photo booths, personal photos and scanned photos are not accepted. The service prefers that you enclose the whole sheet of prints, so that it can cut the photo to the right format, and it returns unused prints with the new passport.
Monegasques abroad have two descriptions to compare. The Passport Service page and its application form both list the professional-photographer criteria. The pages of Monaco's embassies, which deal with duplicates of lost or stolen passports, word the photo differently: under one year old, 35 x 45 mm, a light background and clear glasses allowed. The Passport Service is the issuing authority, so this page follows its stricter list.
Monaco passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Government of Monaco, MonServicePublic:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm); the Passport Service writes "Format 4,5 x 3,5 cm" |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: send a printed photo, preferably the whole print sheet, with the paper form |
| Background | Light background only; a white background is prohibited |
| Colour | Colour photograph |
| Photo age | Less than 6 months old |
| Print quality | Taken by a professional photographer; photo-booth, personal and scanned photos are not accepted |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
An identity photograph taken by a professional photographer. Photo booths and personal or scanned photos are not accepted. (translated from French)
Key requirements
- A professional photographer takes it
The criteria apply to an identity photograph taken by a professional photographer. Photo booths, personal photos and scanned photos are not accepted, for adults and for minors alike.
- Light background, never white
The photo must be on a light background only, and a white background is prohibited. Do not reuse a picture with a white backdrop.
- Less than six months old, in colour
The photograph is in colour and dated less than 6 months before the application. An older picture will not satisfy the list.
- Facing the camera, no smile
The page asks for a photo without smiling and facing the camera ("de face"). Keep the expression neutral.
- No glasses
The criteria say "sans lunettes", without glasses, and list no exception for medical or clear lenses.
- Bare head, ears and face uncovered
The photo is taken with a bare head ("tête nue") and with the ears and face uncovered. The page mentions no religious or medical exception.
- 4.5 x 3.5 cm, ideally the whole sheet
The format is written as 4.5 x 3.5 cm. Monaco's embassy pages give 35 x 45 mm for the same photo. Enclose the full print sheet if you can, so the office cuts it to the right size.
- Originals only, no scans
The service processes only original documents, so the file cannot be sent by email or contain scans. A first application also needs the holder to be present.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a professional photographer and tell them it is for a Monegasque passport.
- Ask for a light background and refuse a white one.
- Ask the photographer for the whole print sheet and enclose it with your form.
- Use a photo that is less than six months old.
- Look straight at the camera with a neutral face.
- Remove your glasses and any head covering, and show both ears.
- Fill in the form in black ink and keep the signature inside its frame.
Don't
- Do not use a white background.
- Do not use a photo-booth, personal or scanned picture.
- Do not smile or turn your head away from the camera.
- Do not wear glasses.
- Do not wear a hat or cover your ears or face.
- Do not email the application or send scans in place of originals.
Sample photos
How a Monaco 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 Passport Service criteria say "sans lunettes": no glasses. The list gives no exception, so take them off for the photograph even if you wear them every day.
One official page says otherwise for a narrow case. Monaco's embassy pages on lost or stolen documents, which cover duplicate requests, say that clear glasses may be worn if required. That wording is not repeated on the Passport Service page, which governs passport applications, so the safe course is to remove your glasses.
Headwear and religious dress
The photograph must show a bare head ("tête nue") with the ears and face uncovered. The Passport Service page does not list an exception for religious or medical head coverings, and does not say how such a case is handled.
If a head covering is part of your daily life, contact the Passport Service before paying a photographer, and ask whether your photo will be accepted.
Babies and children
It is no longer possible to add a child to a parent's passport: every child must have a personal passport. The minor's list repeats the adult photo criteria word for word, so the same professional photographer, light background and no-glasses rules apply to a child. The child signs the form if aged at least ten.
Both parents sign a parental authorisation, whatever their situation, or you provide the court ruling showing that the applicant holds sole parental authority. A passport is valid for 3 years if issued to a child under 3, and 5 years for a child between 3 and 18. An adult passport is valid for 10 years.
Printed and digital photos
This is a paper process. The page asks for a printed photograph, and the whole dossier must be made of originals, so there is no digital upload. A digital portrait cropped to 35 x 45 mm can be printed at a photo counter, but the page also requires the picture to be taken by a professional photographer and refuses personal photos.
The footnote on format recommends enclosing the sheet of prints so the Passport Service can cut the photo itself. Unused photos come back with the new passport.
Where to submit the photo
Take the form, the photo and the other documents to the reception of the Ministry of State in Monaco (main entrance), or send them by post to the Passport Service of the General Secretariat of the Government. The adult form can be downloaded and printed at actual size, or collected at the same reception. A first application requires the holder to be present.
From abroad, the Monaco embassies' emergency pages say a duplicate request can be sent to the embassy or directly to the Passport Service, with the form, a recent photo and the loss or theft report. A renewal needs the old passport or, failing that, the original police declaration of loss or theft.
How to get your Monaco passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Monaco passport: 35 × 45 mm print, light background only background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: a professional photographer takes it; light background, never white; less than six months old, in colour; facing the camera, no smile.
- Prepare a print or digital file. This is a paper process. The page asks for a printed photograph, and the whole dossier must be made of originals, so there is no digital upload.
- Submit the photo with your application. Take the form, the photo and the other documents to the reception of the Ministry of State in Monaco (main entrance), or send them by post to the Passport Service of the General Secretariat of the Government.
Monaco passport photo FAQ
The Passport Service writes the format as 4.5 x 3.5 cm, which is 35 x 45 mm in portrait. The Monaco embassy pages for duplicates also give 35 x 45 mm. No head height is published.
No. The Passport Service says the photo must be on a light background only and that a white background is prohibited. Ask the photographer for a plain light-coloured backdrop instead.
No. The page requires an identity photograph taken by a professional photographer and states that photo booths, personal photos and scanned photos are not accepted.
The Passport Service criteria say without glasses. Monaco's embassy pages for duplicates allow clear glasses if required, but the Passport Service page governs, so remove them.
Less than 6 months old according to the Passport Service. The embassy pages for duplicates allow a photo less than one year old, so use the shorter limit.
Yes. Every child has a personal passport, and the minor list repeats the adult criteria: professional photographer, light background, no white, no glasses, bare head and a photo under six months old.
Yes. The page says the application can be handed in at the Ministry of State reception or posted to the Passport Service. Only original documents are accepted, and a first application needs the holder to be present.
No. The file cannot be sent by email or contain scans, and scanned photos are specifically not accepted. Send a professionally made print, preferably the whole print sheet.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Austria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belgium passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- France passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Germany passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Luxembourg passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Netherlands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Switzerland 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 Monaco photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Government of Monaco, MonServicePublic. Obtenir un passeport monégasque monservicepublic.gouv.mc. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Passport Service, General Secretariat of the Government of Monaco. Première demande ou renouvellement de passeport monégasque, adulte (form 301-0008, PDF) monservicepublic.gouv.mc. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of Monaco in France. In case of emergency (Monaco embassy in France) ambassade-en-france.gouv.mc. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of Monaco in Spain. In case of emergency (Monaco embassy in Spain) ambassade-en-espagne.gouv.mc. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Government of Monaco, MonServicePublic before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Monaco passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/monaco/passport-photo