Réunion assport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA) for the Réunion assport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Réunion assport photo?
Residents of Réunion hold the French passport, whose photo is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) with the face 32 to 36 mm tall. The background must be plain and light, such as light blue or light grey, and white is banned. Keep your head bare with a neutral expression. The picture must be under 6 months old and made by an authorised professional or in an approved booth. The town hall in Réunion will not take it for you.
Réunion is a French department, so its residents apply for the ordinary French passport. Applications are filed at a town hall (mairie). The prefecture's passport page says you may use the town hall of your choice, and service-public adds that it must be one equipped with a passport registration station. An online pre-application on the national ANTS site is possible beforehand, but it does not replace the visit: supporting documents are handed in and fingerprints are taken at the counter.
The photo is your job. For Réunion, service-public answers the question "can the photo be taken at the counter?" with a flat no: you must supply it. The passport itself is made in mainland France and sent back to the town hall where you applied, so the prefecture lists poor photo quality among the faults that stretch the wait. One compliant print is all the file needs.
Réunion assport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA):[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: bring one printed photo to the town hall |
| Head height | 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair excluded |
| Background | Plain, light colour such as light blue or light grey; white is forbidden |
| Colour | Colour photo strongly recommended |
| Photo age | Taken less than 6 months ago and a true likeness |
| Print quality | Sharp, no folds or marks; not over- or underexposed; no shadow on the face or background |
| 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:
The photo must be taken by an authorised professional or in a booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior. (translated from French)
Key requirements
- You bring the photo
Service-public lists Réunion with Guadeloupe and Martinique as places where the answer to "can the counter take my photo?" is no. In Mayotte and French Guiana the counter may step in when no professional photographer exists, but not here. Arrive with the print in hand.
- Professional or approved booth
The picture must be taken by an authorised professional or in a booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior. Service-public links to an ANTS search tool that lists authorised photographers and booths. A photo that fails the norm is rejected and the passport is not issued.
- Face 32 to 36 mm
Measure from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, ignoring hair. Service-public gives 3.2 to 3.6 cm, which it equates to 70 to 80 % of the height of the photo.
- Light backdrop, no white
The background must be uniform and light. Light blue and light grey are the examples given. White is forbidden.
- Straight head, neutral face
Face the lens with the head straight, fix your gaze on it, keep the mouth closed and the expression neutral. Both eyes must be open and fully visible, hair must stay off the face and the ears must be uncovered.
- Even, sharp print
The print must be sharp, without folds or marks, correctly contrasted, neither over- nor underexposed and free of cast shadows on the face or behind it. Colour is strongly recommended.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a slot at an equipped town hall or annexe of your choice.
- Arrive with one printed photo from an authorised professional or approved booth.
- Check that the face measures 32 to 36 mm on the print.
- Ask for a light grey or light blue backdrop.
- Do the online pre-application on the ANTS site first to shorten the visit.
- Plan to return to the same town hall to collect the passport.
Don't
- Do not expect the town hall staff to photograph you.
- Do not use a white background.
- Do not wear a hat, scarf or headband.
- Do not smile or open your mouth.
- Do not keep thick frames, tinted lenses or reflective lenses on.
- Do not hand in a photo older than 6 months.
Sample photos
How a Réunion assport 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
You do not have to wear glasses for the picture, and service-public says so plainly. If you keep them on, the frame must not be thick or hide the eyes, and the lenses must be untinted, uncoloured and free of reflections. Taking them off is the simplest way to keep a glare off the print.
Headwear and religious dress
The head must be bare. Service-public gives a hat, a scarf and a headband as examples of what is refused, and its photo page sets out no exception for religious or medical reasons. A fringe is accepted only if it leaves the eyes clear. Earrings and piercings are tolerated when the features of the face stay easy to read.
Babies and children
The service-public photo page has no separate rule for children, so a baby's picture follows the same measurements and expression rules as an adult's. A minor's passport is valid for 5 years, and the child must attend the counter together with a legal representative, who brings their own identity document. The prefecture reminds families that even newborns who travel need a valid identity document of their own.
Printed and digital photos
You hand over one printed photo. In its reply of 23 September 2026 on the government feedback site, France Titres described the e-photo code as a paid alternative to a paper photo, yet said that extending it to passport and identity card applications was still under study. Do not plan on giving a code at a Réunion town hall.
Because the photo must come from an authorised professional or an approved booth, a picture you take yourself does not meet the rule, however carefully it is printed.
Where to submit the photo
File at any equipped town hall or town hall annexe on the island, whatever commune you live in. The prefecture warns that some of them fix appointments for filing and that waits can be longer in certain communes, so check the delay before you book flights. Collection must happen at the town hall where you applied, because the passport is sent there.
If you must leave soon, the prefecture says to show proof of the travel date, such as a plane ticket, to the town hall so that it can flag the file, while giving no guarantee for very short notice. A temporary emergency passport is a separate, exceptional route, requested by email under the prefecture's procedure rather than at the town hall.
How to get your Réunion assport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Réunion assport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: you bring the photo; professional or approved booth; face 32 to 36 mm; light backdrop, no white.
- Prepare a print or digital file. You hand over one printed photo.
- Submit the photo with your application. File at any equipped town hall or town hall annexe on the island, whatever commune you live in. The prefecture warns that some of them fix appointments for filing and that waits can be longer in certain communes, so check the delay before you book flights.
Réunion assport photo FAQ
It is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high (1.38 x 1.77 in), the same as everywhere in France. The face must measure 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair excluded. Réunion has no local photo rule of its own on the prefecture page.
No. Service-public states that in Réunion you must supply the photo. Counter capture exists only in some other territories, and only where no professional photographer is available, so book your photo before the appointment.
No official page offers an exception. Service-public requires the photo to be taken by an authorised professional or in a booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior, and a non-compliant photo is rejected.
No. White is expressly forbidden. The background must be uniform and light, with light blue and light grey given as examples, and there must be no shadow behind your head.
No. The prefecture says to use the town hall of your choice, and service-public says the place does not depend on your home. You must collect the passport at the same town hall, though, because that is where it is sent.
Only in exceptional cases. The prefecture's sheet limits it to humanitarian or medical grounds and to particular professional reasons, describes it as non-biometric with one year of validity, and says it does not replace the ordinary passport. The sheet states no photo rules for it.
It can. The prefecture says incomplete or complex files may take longer, and it names a problem with the quality of the photograph among the causes. Service-public adds that a photo that does not meet the norm is rejected and the passport is not issued.
Check the expiry date early. The prefecture notes that some destinations demand validity beyond your return date, and its 2023 notice names Madagascar, which asks for at least six months. Confirm the current rule with the destination's embassy.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Comoros passport photo
- Djibouti passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Eritrea passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ethiopia passport photo 30 × 40 mm
- Kenya passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Malawi passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mauritius passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mayotte passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mozambique passport photo
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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
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- All Réunion photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Quelle photo fournir pour un titre d'identité (passeport, carte d'identité...) ? service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Carte d'identité / Passeport : la photo peut-elle être prise au guichet ? service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Passeport d'un majeur : première demande service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Passeport d'un mineur : première demande service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Préfecture de La Réunion. Passeports et carte nationale d'identité reunion.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Préfecture de La Réunion. Vérifiez la validité de vos documents d'identité : anticipez à l'approche de vos voyages ! reunion.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Préfecture de La Réunion. Renouvellement de votre carte nationale d'identité ou de votre passeport : pensez-y ! reunion.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Préfecture de La Réunion. Conditions de délivrance d'un passeport temporaire d'urgence reunion.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Services Publics+ (reply from France Titres - ANTS). Coût financier injustifié et gaspillage imposé pour les photos de passeport (reply of 23 September 2026) plus.transformation.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Réunion assport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/r-eunion/passport-photo