Norway passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Norwegian Police (Politiet) for the Norway passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Norway passport photo?
You do not bring a photo for an ordinary Norwegian passport or national ID card: the police photograph every applicant, babies included, at the passport and ID office, and Norwegian embassies do the same abroad. A print is needed only for an emergency passport (nødpass). In Norway it must be a colour photo from a photographer or photo booth; missions abroad ask for 35 x 45 mm (Ottawa) or about 36 x 47 mm (several embassies), with no glasses and both ears showing.
Norwegian passports and national ID cards are issued by the police (politiet) to Norwegian citizens. You book an appointment online and attend in person at a passport and ID office, or at a stop of one of the two mobile passport and ID offices (passbuss) that drive routes across Norway. Abroad, Norwegian embassies take passport applications; the embassy in Canberra, for one, says it cannot receive applications for national ID cards.
The passport regulation (pass- og ID-kortforskriften, section 2-6) says that a facial photo of the applicant shall be taken that can be used for biometric comparison. The police put it plainly: do not bring your own photo for an ordinary passport or ID card, because they photograph you when you arrive for your appointment, and that applies to everyone, babies and children included. The embassy in Ottawa likewise says it must take every applicant's picture with its own biometric equipment.
The exception is the emergency passport (nødpass), a temporary handwritten passport for one journey, issued when you cannot wait for an ordinary one. For this you must bring your own photo. The rules below therefore tell you what the camera at the office expects, and what an emergency passport print must look like.
Norway passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Norwegian Police (Politiet):[1]
| Print size | Ordinary passport: no print, the photo is taken at the office. Emergency passport abroad: 35 x 45 mm (Ottawa) or about 36 x 47 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: the police or embassy photograph you, and an emergency passport needs a printed photo |
| Head height | Face covers 70-80% of the image height (Ottawa); the police example shows the head at about 70% |
| Background | Evenly lit; the police use a white screen, and embassies ask for a light or plain white background |
| Colour | Colour (stated for emergency passport photos) |
| Photo age | Must show you as you look today; most embassies want emergency passport photos under 3 months old (Ottawa: 6 months) |
| Print quality | Emergency passport in Norway: taken by a photographer or in a photo booth. Tel Aviv: physical prints, not digital |
| 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:
High resolution (minimum of 600 DPI), without stains, damage, blur, pixelation or digital editing
Key requirements
- Police camera for ordinary passports
For an ordinary passport or national ID card the police take your photo when you attend the appointment, for adults, children and babies alike. The police tell applicants not to bring a photo of their own.
- Emergency passport needs a print
For a nødpass in Norway the police require a colour passport photo, taken by a photographer or in a photo booth, that meets the facial photo requirements. You apply in person, no earlier than seven days before departure.
- ICAO quality, whole face
Section 2-6 of the regulation requires every photo, whether taken at the office or handed in, to meet the ICAO quality standard for background, lighting and expression. The whole face must be shown, with both eyes, both eyebrows and both ears visible.
- No glasses
The regulation says glasses and headwear must not be used. Glasses come off for the photo, whatever the lens type.
- Neutral, straight on, evenly lit
The police quality sheet asks for a neutral expression with the mouth closed, the gaze directed at the camera lens and the face photographed straight from the front. Both the face and the background must be evenly lit.
- Clear the frame
Scarves, bags and outerwear are taken off before the photo. Hair over an ear is shown as a fault: pull it back behind your ears so both are fully visible.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book an appointment online before going to the passport and ID office.
- Pull your hair back so both ears are visible.
- Keep your mouth closed and look straight into the lens.
- Bring a colour print from a photographer or photo booth for a nødpass.
- Check the photo size on your embassy's emergency passport page.
- Bring babies to the appointment awake, with their eyes open.
Don't
- Do not bring your own photo for an ordinary passport or ID card.
- Do not wear glasses, even clear ones.
- Do not let headwear cover your face or eyebrows.
- Do not keep a scarf, bag or coat on in front of the camera.
- Do not offer a digital file for an emergency passport abroad.
Sample photos
How a Norway 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are not allowed. The passport regulation says glasses and headwear must not be used, and the police quality sheet repeats it, so you take your glasses off in front of the camera at the passport office.
Embassies give the same instruction for emergency passport photos: the pages for Iran, the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel all say glasses must be removed. The Ottawa embassy's general ICAO summary mentions only tinted glasses and heavy frames, but the Norwegian regulation is stricter, so leave glasses off for a nødpass photo too.
Headwear and religious dress
Headwear is normally not allowed. The regulation lets you wear it for religious or other special reasons, such as illness, when there is reason to assume you will wear similar headwear at future checks. It must not cover any part of the face or more of the head than necessary, and the police add that it must not be so tight that it changes the natural shape of your face.
With such headwear the requirement for visible ears is waived, but the whole face and both eyebrows must still show. The police example of a fault is a scarf drawn over part of the face and the eyebrows, which has to be loosened and pulled back.
Babies and children
Children follow the same rules as adults and are photographed at the office in the biometric kiosk; there is no lower age limit for a passport. The police use the same machine for babies, in front of a white screen: a parent either holds the baby in front of the screen or wears a portable white board on the chest and holds the baby against it. The baby's eyes must be open, so come when the child is awake.
Only the child may appear in the picture. The police show a parent's hands around a baby as a fault and suggest supporting the child from the side or using the white board between child and adult. Embassies record only a photo for children under 10, add a signature from age 10 and fingerprints from age 12.
Printed and digital photos
For an ordinary passport there is nothing to print or upload: the photo is captured digitally at the office or embassy and goes straight into the application. The regulation lets the National Police Directorate set rules for handing in a photo only for a temporary (emergency) passport, or when the technical equipment cannot be used.
For a nødpass in Norway, bring a colour photo taken by a photographer or in a photo booth. Abroad, missions set the details: Tel Aviv wants two physical photos of about 35 x 40 mm, not digital; the embassies for Iran, the UAE, Jordan and Saudi Arabia ask for two photos of about 36 x 47 mm, under 3 months old; Ottawa asks for two 35 x 45 mm photos on plain white; Brussels asks for one.
Where to submit the photo
In Norway, book a time online and attend a police passport and ID office, or a passbuss stop on its published route; the police booking search lists offices by postcode or place. Emergency passports are issued only at some passport and ID offices, and the police also handle them at airports. You must attend in person, at the earliest seven days before you travel.
Abroad, apply in person at a Norwegian embassy, because your photo, fingerprints and signature are recorded there. Some embassies travel to their consulates to take applications, as Canberra tries to do for Perth and New Zealand once a year. You may also apply in Norway or at another Norwegian embassy.
How to get your Norway passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Norway passport: 35 × 45 mm print, evenly lit background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: police camera for ordinary passports; emergency passport needs a print; iCAO quality, whole face; no glasses.
- Prepare a print or digital file. For an ordinary passport there is nothing to print or upload: the photo is captured digitally at the office or embassy and goes straight into the application.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Norway, book a time online and attend a police passport and ID office, or a passbuss stop on its published route; the police booking search lists offices by postcode or place.
Norway passport photo FAQ
No, not for an ordinary passport or national ID card. The police photograph you when you attend your appointment, and Norwegian embassies abroad capture the photo with their own biometric equipment. The police explicitly tell you not to bring your own picture. You need a printed photo only for an emergency passport (nødpass).
The police in Norway set no size; they ask for a colour photo from a photographer or photo booth that meets the facial photo requirements. Embassies differ: Ottawa asks for 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), the embassies for Iran, the UAE, Jordan and Saudi Arabia for about 36 x 47 mm, and Tel Aviv for about 35 x 40 mm. Check the page of the mission where you apply.
No. The passport regulation says glasses must not be used, and the police quality sheet lists them among the things that must not appear. You take them off at the passport office, and embassies give the same instruction for emergency passport photos.
Yes. Babies and children are photographed at the appointment like adults, on the same machine and in front of a white screen, with a parent holding the baby or using a portable white board. The baby must be awake with open eyes, and the police suggest waiting until the child is a little bigger if no trip is planned soon.
No. The rules require a neutral facial expression with the mouth closed, and the police quality sheet marks a photo without a neutral expression as a fault. Look straight into the camera lens with both eyes open.
Yes. Both ears must be fully visible, along with both eyes and eyebrows. The police show hair over an ear as a fault and tell you to pull it behind your ears. The only exception is religious or medical headwear, where the ears may be covered as long as the whole face and both eyebrows show.
Yes. The embassy records your photo during the appointment: only a photo for children under 10, a photo and signature from 10, and photo, fingerprints and signature from 12. That is why you must attend in person. If the capture fails, for example with a small child, you may have to come back for a new appointment.
Not in Norway, where the police require the photo to be taken by a photographer or in a photo booth. Abroad, embassies ask for physical prints: Tel Aviv states that digital photos are not accepted, and Ottawa's summary rules out digital editing. Ask the mission before relying on a print of your own picture.
Related photo specifications
Other Norway documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
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
- Iceland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ireland irish Passport Card photo
- Ireland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Isle of Man 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 Norway photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Huskeliste: Dette må du ha med til pass- og ID-kontoret politiet.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Nødpass politiet.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Nyfødte og babyer politiet.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Om pass og ID-kort politiet.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Directorate (Politidirektoratet). Kvalitetskrav til ansiktsfoto i pass og nasjonale ID-kort (PDF) politiet.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Justice and Public Security, via Lovdata. Forskrift om pass og nasjonalt ID-kort (pass- og ID-kortforskriften), § 2-6 lovdata.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Canberra. Applying for passport norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa. Passport norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Brussels. Passport for adults norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Brussels. Emergency Passport norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Tel Aviv. Emergency passport norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Tehran. Emergency Passport norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Amman. Passports norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Passport norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Royal Norwegian Embassy in Riyadh. Passport and consular services norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Norwegian Police (Politiet) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Norway passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/norway/passport-photo