Spain passport photo requirements
The 26 × 32 mm photo rules set by Ministerio del Interior for the Spain passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Spain passport photo?
A Spanish passport photo is 26 x 32 mm (width x height), in colour, against a uniform plain white background. Spain's rules write it as 32 x 26 mm, height first. Face the camera with the whole oval of your face visible, from eyebrows to chin, and wear no dark glasses or anything that hides your identity. Print it at high resolution on good photo paper. Consulates abroad can set other sizes, such as 30 to 40 mm wide in Germany.
Spanish passports are issued by the Policía Nacional at its Unidades de Documentación, the same police offices that issue the DNI, and abroad by Spain's embassies and consulates. You must attend in person, after booking an appointment by phone on 060 or online, and hand in one recent colour photo. The rule comes from Article 4 of Royal Decree 896/2003, which asks for a photo of 32 x 26 mm. Spanish texts give the height first, so the print is 26 mm wide and 32 mm high.
If you obtain or renew your DNI on the same day, the passport office does not ask for a separate photo. Outside Spain the size depends on the consular office. The Spanish Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate General in Düsseldorf ask for prints 30 to 40 mm wide and 40 to 53 mm high. The Consulate General in Nador accepts roughly 26 x 32 mm with a width of up to 40 mm, and the Consulate General in New York takes 26 x 32 mm or 2 x 2 inch photos.
Spain passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministerio del Interior:[1]
| Print size | 26 x 32 mm (1.02 x 1.26 in) in Spain, written 32 x 26 mm in the decree; some consulates use other sizes |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: hand in a printed photo at your appointment |
| Background | Uniform, smooth white |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Recent (no limit set in Spain); under 6 months at the consulates in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Nador |
| Print quality | High resolution on good-quality photographic paper |
| Pixels when printed | 307 × 378 px at 300 dpi · 614 × 756 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Whole face oval visible
The Policía Nacional requires the photo to show the oval of your face clearly, which it defines as eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin. The consular sheets in Germany add that the face, eyebrows included, must be clear of hair.
- Plain white background
Royal Decree 896/2003 asks for a uniform, smooth white background. The Düsseldorf consulate also asks for no shadows behind you.
- Taken from the front
Face the camera directly. The consulates in Berlin and Düsseldorf refuse half-profile shots, a downward gaze, and closed or half-closed eyes.
- Nothing that hides your identity
Dark glasses are not allowed, and neither is any other garment that could prevent your identification, such as a hat or cap.
- A proper photographic print
The photo must be high resolution and printed on good-quality photographic paper. The Nador consulate states that a digital photo printed on ordinary paper is not accepted.
- Size depends on where you apply
In Spain the size is 26 x 32 mm. Consular sections publish their own sheets, and the German ones ask for a larger photo with the head (face and hair) filling 50% of it and at least 5 mm of margin at the top and sides.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a cita previa at a Unidad de Documentación before you go.
- Use a 26 x 32 mm colour print for applications made in Spain.
- Check your consulate's photo sheet if you apply abroad.
- Show your eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin clearly.
- Print on good-quality photographic paper at high resolution.
- Renew your DNI on the same day if you want to skip the passport photo.
Don't
- Do not wear dark glasses.
- Do not wear a hat, cap or anything else that hinders identification.
- Do not print a digital photo on plain paper.
- Do not bring a booth photo to the Spanish Embassy in Berlin.
- Do not use the half-profile pose some German documents allow.
Sample photos
How a Spain passport 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The Spanish rule bans dark lenses: both the decree and the Policía Nacional exclude glasses with dark glass. Clear prescription glasses are not banned by that wording, but the photo must still show your eyes clearly as part of the face oval.
Consulates in Germany are stricter. Berlin accepts only clear lenses with no reflections and a thin frame that does not cover the centre of the eye or the eyelid; Düsseldorf adds that the frame must not cast a shadow on the face. Thick or decorative frames are refused there, and if your glasses do not meet these points you must take them off for the photo.
Headwear and religious dress
Royal Decree 896/2003 rules out any garment that could prevent identification, so hats, caps and hoods are out. The decree does not mention religious head coverings by name. Consular offices spell it out: Nador accepts a religious veil as long as the whole face is perfectly defined, and the New York consulate accepts garments that leave the oval of the face visible. Düsseldorf asks for an uncovered head with no hat, cap or ornament that stops identification.
Babies and children
Children need the same kind of photo; there is no separate size for minors. A child must attend the appointment in person, and everyone who holds parental authority must consent to the passport. A minor without a DNI also brings a literal birth certificate issued no more than six months earlier.
The consular photo sheets give practical advice for babies. In Berlin and Düsseldorf the person holding the child, and their hands, must not appear in the picture, and the consulates recommend photographing a baby lying on a plain white surface with no shadows. Nador recommends laying the baby on a white sheet.
Printed and digital photos
A Spanish passport application takes a physical photo, not an upload. You hand the print in at the appointment together with your DNI. If you start from a digital image, it can be cropped to 26 x 32 mm, or to the size your consulate uses, and printed at high resolution on photographic paper, for example on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
For consulates in Germany, crop to between 30 x 40 mm and 40 x 53 mm instead, keeping the 3:4 shape and leaving at least 5 mm above the head and at each side. The Berlin and Düsseldorf sheets ask for professional quality and colour prints with a glossy or matte finish.
Where to submit the photo
In Spain, you apply at any Unidad de Documentación of the Policía Nacional after booking an appointment by phone on 060 or online. Bring your valid DNI, the photo and your current passport if you have one, which is cancelled when the new one is issued. Physical presence is compulsory, including for children.
Spaniards living abroad apply at the embassy or consulate where they are registered; Berlin, Nador and New York all require registration in the consular register first. Nador takes the index fingerprints of applicants over 12 at the consulate, and notes that ordinary passports are made centrally in Madrid by the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre, so apply well before you travel.
How to get your Spain passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Spain passport: 26 × 32 mm print, uniform background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: whole face oval visible; plain white background; taken from the front; nothing that hides your identity.
- Prepare a print or digital file. A Spanish passport application takes a physical photo, not an upload. You hand the print in at the appointment together with your DNI.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Spain, you apply at any Unidad de Documentación of the Policía Nacional after booking an appointment by phone on 060 or online. Bring your valid DNI, the photo and your current passport if you have one, which is cancelled when the new one is issued.
Spain passport photo FAQ
For applications made in Spain it is 26 mm wide and 32 mm high. Royal Decree 896/2003 writes this as 32 x 26 mm, listing the height first. Consulates can differ: Berlin and Düsseldorf ask for 30 to 40 mm wide by 40 to 53 mm high, and the New York consulate also accepts 2 x 2 inch prints.
The size, colour and white background match, and if you renew your DNI on the same day the passport office needs no extra photo. The DNI rules are more detailed, for example on religious headwear and on photos up to two years old. The passport decree only says the photo must be recent.
Dark glasses are not allowed. Clear glasses are not ruled out by the Spanish decree, but your face oval, eyes included, must be clearly visible. If you apply at a consulate in Germany, lenses must be clear and free of reflections and the frame thin, or you must remove them.
The decree does not say who must take the photo; it sets the result. It must be recent, in colour, 26 x 32 mm, against a uniform white background, taken from the front and printed at high resolution on good photographic paper. Consulates in Germany ask for professional quality, and the Berlin embassy does not accept booth photos.
In Spain the decree just says recent, without a time limit. Several consulates set one: Berlin, Düsseldorf and Nador refuse photos more than six months old. If in doubt, use a new photo that matches how you look now.
The Spanish Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate General in Düsseldorf publish their own sheets: 30 to 40 mm wide, 40 to 53 mm high, with the outline of the head (face and hair) filling 50% of the photo and at least 5 mm of margin at the top and sides. They warn that German passport photos differ on this point, so tell your photographer.
No, as long as both are done on the same day. The Policía Nacional states that a photo is not needed for the passport when you have obtained or renewed your DNI that day.
Related photo specifications
Other Spain documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 26 × 32 mm
- Driving licence photo 26 × 32 mm
- Gun licence photo 26 × 32 mm
- NIE card photo 26 × 32 mm
- TIE card photo 26 × 32 mm
Passports nearby
- Albania passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Croatia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cyprus passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Gibraltar passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Greece passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Italy passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Malta passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Portugal passport photo
- San Marino passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 26 × 32 mm
- China ID card photo 26 × 32 mm
- China Social Security card photo 26 × 32 mm
- All Spain photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 26 × 32 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Ministerio del Interior. Pasaporte: procedimiento de expedición interior.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 896/2003, por el que se regula la expedición del pasaporte ordinario (texto consolidado) boe.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). Pasaporte: requisitos para la obtención dnielectronico.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Embajada de España en Berlín, Sección Consular. Solicitud de pasaporte (mayores de edad) y fotografías para el pasaporte español exteriores.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Consulado General de España en Düsseldorf. Fotografías para el pasaporte español exteriores.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Consulado General de España en Nador. Expedición de pasaportes ordinarios exteriores.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación. Pasaportes: requisitos y procedimiento para obtenerlo (Estados Unidos) exteriores.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministerio del Interior before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Spain passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/spain/passport-photo