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Spain photo specifications

Photo sizes and rules for 7 documents issued in Spain, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.

Based on 10 official sources · last checked Official sources

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At a glance

Spain's police-issued documents share one format: the passport, the DNI identity card and the TIE residence card all take a 26 x 32 mm colour photo on a plain white background. The NIE number needs no photo. The driving licence also uses 26 x 32 mm, and driver medical centres take it when you renew there. Visa photos follow the consulate: Los Angeles asks for passport-size, Chicago about 2 x 2 inches. Gun licence applications list no photo.

Overview

A Spanish passport photo is one recent colour print, 26 mm wide and 32 mm high, on a uniform plain white background, and there is no digital version: you hand the print in at a police appointment. Most Spanish identity documents come from the Policía Nacional: the passport and the DNI at its Unidades de Documentación, and the TIE for foreign residents at immigration offices and police stations. The driving licence is issued by the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), firearms licences by the Guardia Civil, and visas by Spanish embassies and consulates, which in many countries receive applications through BLS International.

For the police documents you bring a printed photo to an in-person appointment; nothing is uploaded. Spanish rules write the size as 32 x 26 mm, height first. The DGT asks for an original, current colour photo of the same size with a plain background, and a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores can take it on the spot when you renew there. Consulates set their own visa photo rules, and when they issue passports to Spaniards abroad some use larger sizes, such as 30 to 40 mm wide in Germany.

Photo specifications by document

Passports

Spain Passports
DocumentPrint sizeDigital sizeBackground
Passport26 × 32 mm—Uniform, smooth white

Visas and travel authorisations

Spain Visas and travel authorisations
DocumentPrint sizeDigital sizeBackground
Visa35 × 45 mm—White or light: white at Los Angeles, Houston…

Identity cards

Spain Identity cards
DocumentPrint sizeDigital sizeBackground
ID card26 × 32 mm—Uniform, smooth white

Driving licences

Spain Driving licences
DocumentPrint sizeDigital sizeBackground
Driving licence26 × 32 mm—Light, plain and uniform

Licences and permit cards

Spain Licences and permit cards
DocumentPrint sizeDigital sizeBackground
Gun licence26 × 32 mm—Not stated for the European Firearms Pass

Other documents

Spain Other documents
DocumentPrint sizeDigital sizeBackground
NIE card26 × 32 mm—No photo for the NIE
TIE card26 × 32 mm—White

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Both take a recent colour photo, 26 mm wide and 32 mm high, against a uniform white background, and if you get or renew your DNI on the same day the passport needs no extra photo. The DNI accepts photos up to two years old; the passport rule only says recent.

No. An NIE request needs form EX-15, the fee and supporting documents, but no photo. A photo is needed only for the TIE, the residence card that non-EU nationals staying more than six months must obtain.

The DGT asks for an original, current colour photo of 32 x 26 mm (26 mm wide) with a plain background, taken from the front with the head uncovered and no dark glasses. Religious veils are accepted if the face is fully visible from hairline to chin. If you renew at a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores, the centre takes the photo there. Since 6 November 2024 the DGT no longer asks again for photos it already holds.

Each Spanish consulate publishes its own rule. Los Angeles asks for a recent colour passport-size print on white, glued to the form, with applications lodged in person at BLS International. Chicago's sheet says about 2 x 2 inches and shows a 35 x 45 mm sample with a face height of 32 to 36 mm. Your facial image and fingerprints are also captured when you apply.

The Guardia Civil's document lists for licence types B to F do not include a photo. You file the application at the Intervención de Armas for your address, with a medical aptitude certificate and the fee. A photo is needed for the European Firearms Pass, which the Arms Regulation says must be carné size, taken from the front with the head uncovered.

Not for the passport, DNI or TIE: each takes a printed photo handed in at a police appointment. A digital image can be cropped to 26 x 32 mm and printed on photographic paper. Some DNI offices take the renewal photo themselves with an automated camera.

One recent colour photo, under Article 4 of Royal Decree 896/2003, and none at all if you get or renew your DNI on the same day. Consular sections abroad can ask for more: the Düsseldorf consulate's photo sheet lists two prints.

Nearby countries

Other countries in Southern Europe:

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Official sources

  1. Ministerio del Interior. Pasaporte: procedimiento de expedición interior.gob.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 255/2025, por el que se regula el Documento Nacional de Identidad boe.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. Policía Nacional, sede electrónica. Extranjería: asignación de NIE a instancia de interesado sede.policia.gob.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. Ministerio del Interior. Tarjeta de identidad de extranjero interior.gob.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. Dirección General de Tráfico, sede electrónica. Renovación de permisos y licencias de conducir próximos a caducar sede.dgt.gob.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. Guardia Civil. Solicitud de la licencia de armas tipo B: pistolas y revólveres web.guardiacivil.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 137/1993, Reglamento de Armas (ITC 5, Tarjeta Europea de Armas de Fuego) boe.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  8. Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles. Schengen visas exteriores.gob.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  9. Consulate General of Spain in Chicago. Visa photo requirements exteriores.gob.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
  10. Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 896/2003, por el que se regula la expedición del pasaporte ordinario (texto consolidado) boe.es. Checked 3 November 2026.
Cite this page

"Spain photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/spain

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