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Spain ID card photo requirements

The 26 × 32 mm photo rules set by Boletín Oficial del Estado for the Spain ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Spain ID card photo?

A DNI photo is in colour, 26 mm wide and 32 mm high (the regulation writes 32 x 26 mm), against a uniform plain white background. Face the camera with your head uncovered and eyes open; religious or medical headwear is allowed if your face shows from hairline to chin. The photo may be up to two years old. Some police offices take the photo automatically when you renew without changing any details.

The Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) is the identity card of Spanish nationals. The Policía Nacional issues it for the Ministry of the Interior, and every Spaniard aged over 14 who lives in Spain must have one. Since 2 April 2025 the rules are set by Royal Decree 255/2025, which repealed the 2005 decree. Both a first DNI and a renewal are done in person at a police Unidad de Documentación, normally with an appointment.

Each application needs one recent colour photograph of 26 x 32 mm on a uniform plain white background. The office also records the index fingerprints of applicants aged six and over and a digitised signature, and stores a facial image on the card's chip. Where a Unidad de Documentación has an automated Módulo de Expedición Múltiple for renewals without changes of data, the photo may be taken there, even if you bring your own.

Spain ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Boletín Oficial del Estado:[1]

Print size26 x 32 mm (1.02 x 1.26 in); the regulation writes it as 32 x 26 mm
Digital sizeNo digital file: bring a print, or the office camera takes it where one is installed
BackgroundUniform, smooth white
ColourColour
Photo ageNo more than 2 years old
Pixels when printed307 × 378 px at 300 dpi · 614 × 756 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
26 mm32 mm
26 × 32 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: uniform.

Key requirements

  • Up to two years old

    The Policía Nacional accepts a DNI photo taken in the last two years. It must still represent you faithfully, and photos that make identification confusing can be refused.

  • Head uncovered, forehead clear

    Royal Decree 255/2025 asks for a fully uncovered head. No garment may cover the forehead, and a fringe is accepted only if your eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin remain visible. Your ears do not have to show.

  • Eyes open

    Keep your eyes open. Glasses you wear to see may stay on if your eyes can be seen through them.

  • Discreet hair accessories

    A headband, hairpin or hair tie that holds your hair back is allowed if it is discreet.

  • White, even background and frontal pose

    The picture is taken from the front against a uniform, smooth white background, in colour.

  • Office camera for some renewals

    At offices equipped with the Módulo de Expedición Múltiple, a renewal without data changes may use a photo taken there automatically. Not every office has it, so bring a compliant print.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a colour photo 26 mm wide and 32 mm high.
  • Keep your forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin visible.
  • Keep your eyes open and visible through any glasses.
  • Use a discreet clip or band if you hold your hair back.
  • Bring a print to renewals even if the office may take its own.

Don't

  • Do not use a photo more than two years old.
  • Do not cover your forehead with a hat, scarf or other garment.
  • Do not wear dark glasses unless the visual-impairment exception applies.
  • Do not let a fringe hide your eyebrows or eyes.
  • Do not use a photo that no longer looks like you.

Sample photos

How a Spain ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 26 × 32 mm 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

Prescription glasses may stay on, as long as your eyes are open and can be seen through them. Dark lenses are banned for most people.

The exception is for blind people and people with a serious defect in one or both eyes. They may wear dark glasses in the DNI photo if the condition is permanent or long-lasting and the glasses are worn habitually.

Headwear and religious dress

The DNI regulation asks for a fully uncovered head. The Policía Nacional accepts headwear worn for religious or medical reasons, such as a hijab or a medical head covering, provided the oval of the face is completely uncovered from the hairline to the chin: forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth. It must not hinder identification.

Hair accessories such as headbands, hairpins and hair ties must be discreet. The forehead may not be covered by any garment.

Babies and children

A DNI is compulsory from age 14 for residents of Spain, but younger Spanish children can have one. A minor applies in the presence of a parent, guardian or person authorised by them, who brings their own identity document. The regulation sets no separate photo standard for children.

Children under six give no fingerprints. A DNI issued before the fifth birthday is valid for two years, so young children need a new photo more often than adults.

You hand in a printed photo at the Unidad de Documentación; there is no upload step. If you have a digital image, it can be cropped to 26 x 32 mm and printed, for example on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Some offices have an automated Módulo de Expedición Múltiple for renewals where none of your details change. There the photo may be taken by the machine even though you brought one, so your print may not be used.

Where to submit the photo

Book a cita previa, then attend in person at a Unidad de Documentación of the Policía Nacional; the regulation also allows exceptional issue without an appointment. For a first DNI, documents such as your Civil Registry entry are gathered electronically unless you object. You also need a census certificate (empadronamiento) issued in the last three months, or a consular certificate of residence if you live abroad.

Renewal can be done in the last 180 days of validity. You bring the card being renewed and a new photo, and your fingerprints are taken again. The fee can be paid at the office by cash or card, or online when you book.

How to get your Spain ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Spain ID card: 26 × 32 mm print, uniform background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: up to two years old; head uncovered, forehead clear; eyes open; discreet hair accessories.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. You hand in a printed photo at the Unidad de Documentación; there is no upload step. If you have a digital image, it can be cropped to 26 x 32 mm and printed, for example on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Book a cita previa, then attend in person at a Unidad de Documentación of the Policía Nacional; the regulation also allows exceptional issue without an appointment.

Make this photo online

Spain ID card photo FAQ

It is 26 mm wide and 32 mm high. Royal Decree 255/2025 writes the size as 32 por 26 milímetros, height first. The photo must be in colour with a uniform, smooth white background.

Up to two years old, according to the Policía Nacional. It must still represent you faithfully, and the office can reject a photo that makes identification confusing, for example after a big change in appearance.

Yes, if you wear it for religious or medical reasons. The oval of your face must be fully uncovered from the hairline to the chin, showing forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth, so that identification is not hindered.

Yes, ordinary glasses are allowed if your eyes are open and visible through them. Dark glasses are only allowed for blind people or people with a serious, permanent or long-lasting eye condition who wear them habitually.

Yes. Royal Decree 255/2025 requires a photo at renewal. At offices with the automated Módulo de Expedición Múltiple, a renewal without data changes may use a photo taken on the spot, even if you bring one. Bring a compliant print anyway, because not every office has the equipment.

No. The Policía Nacional says the ears do not have to be visible. What must be visible is the face from the hairline to the chin. A fringe is allowed only if it leaves your eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin in view.

Both documents use a 26 x 32 mm colour photo on white. If you apply for the passport on the same day you get or renew your DNI, the passport office needs no extra photo.

Related photo specifications

Other Spain documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 26 × 32 mm

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Official sources

  1. Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 255/2025, por el que se regula el Documento Nacional de Identidad boe.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). DNI: primera inscripción dnielectronico.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). DNI: renovación dnielectronico.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). Pasaporte: requisitos para la obtención dnielectronico.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 896/2003 on the ordinary passport boe.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). Passport requirements dnielectronico.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). DNI fees dnielectronico.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). Passport fees dnielectronico.es. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Boletín Oficial del Estado before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Spain ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/spain/id-card-photo

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