Spain TIE card photo requirements
The 26 × 32 mm photo rules set by Ministerio del Interior for the Spain TIE card, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Spain TIE card photo?
The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) needs one recent colour photo, carné size, on a white background. Spain's immigration regulation ties the photo to the DNI rules, which set 26 x 32 mm (width x height), a uniform plain white background, a frontal pose and an uncovered head, with no dark glasses. You hand the print in at your police appointment. The residence card for a family member of an EU citizen needs three such photos.
The Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE) is the card that documents a foreign national's legal stay in Spain. Anyone granted a visa or permit to stay more than six months must request it in person within one month of entering Spain, or of the permit being granted or taking effect. The Dirección General de la Policía issues it through the Unidad de Documentación at the Oficina de Extranjería or the police station of your province. The TIE proves your status, not your identity, so you still need your passport.
The Ministry of the Interior asks for one recent colour photo, carné size, with a white background, for a first card, a renewal, a duplicate and a change of data. Royal Decree 1155/2024, the immigration regulation, is more precise for long-term residents: their renewal photo must meet the requirements of the DNI regulation. Those rules give a size of 26 x 32 mm, a uniform plain white background and a frontal pose with the head uncovered.
Spain TIE card photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministerio del Interior:[1]
| Print size | Carné size; the DNI rules the regulation refers to set 26 x 32 mm (1.02 x 1.26 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: hand in a printed photo at the police appointment |
| Background | White; the DNI rules ask for a uniform, smooth white background |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Recent |
| Pixels when printed | 307 × 378 px at 300 dpi · 614 × 756 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- One photo for every TIE procedure
A first card, a renewal, a replacement after loss or theft, and a change of situation or data each need one recent colour photo, carné size, on a white background.
- DNI photo rules apply
For long-term and long-term EU residence cards, Royal Decree 1155/2024 requires a renewal photo that follows the DNI regulation. That means 26 x 32 mm in colour, a uniform smooth white background, taken from the front with the head fully uncovered.
- Three photos for EU family cards
The residence card for a family member of an EU citizen, requested on form EX-19, needs three recent colour photos, carné size, on a white background.
- No dark glasses or covering garments
The DNI rules exclude dark glasses and any garment that could prevent or hinder identification, so hats and caps are out.
- Apply in person within a month
You hand in the photo yourself. The deadline is one month from entering Spain or from the permit being granted or taking effect, and failing to meet TIE obligations can lead to a penalty.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring one recent colour photo, 26 x 32 mm, on white.
- Bring three photos for an EU family member residence card.
- Book your appointment through the Administraciones Públicas electronic office.
- Take your passport, the EX-17 form and the fee receipt.
- Apply within one month of arrival or of your permit taking effect.
Don't
- Do not wear dark glasses in the photo.
- Do not wear a hat, cap or other covering that hinders identification.
- Do not use a coloured or patterned background.
- Do not reuse an old photo for a renewal or duplicate.
Sample photos
How a Spain TIE 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The Interior page for the TIE says nothing specific about glasses. Because the regulation sends TIE photos to the DNI rules, follow those: no dark lenses, eyes open, and eyes visible through any prescription glasses. Under the DNI rules, dark glasses are allowed only for blind people or those with a serious, lasting eye condition who wear them habitually.
Headwear and religious dress
The DNI rules that TIE photos follow ask for a fully uncovered head and no garment that could hinder identification. For the DNI, the Policía Nacional also accepts headwear worn for religious or medical reasons when the face is visible from the hairline to the chin. The TIE pages themselves publish no separate headwear rule, so make sure the full face oval shows if you wear a religious covering.
Babies and children
Minors apply with their legal representative, who must prove that role and bring an original, valid identity document, or with a person authorised by that representative. No separate photo rule for children is published, so a child's photo is the same carné-size colour print on white.
Printed and digital photos
The TIE takes a printed photo; you do not upload anything. If you have a digital image, it can be cropped to 26 x 32 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, which gives several copies for the three-photo EU family card as well.
Some procedure pages give only the general wording, "recent, in colour, white background, carné size". Using the DNI dimensions satisfies both that wording and the stricter DNI reference in the regulation.
Where to submit the photo
Book a cita previa through the Administraciones Públicas electronic office, then go to the Unidad de Documentación at the Oficina de Extranjería or the police station of the province where you live. Bring the TIE application form (EX-17), your passport or travel document, the photo, the fee receipt (form 790 code 012) and any papers your case requires, such as your visa or the decision granting the permit.
The card is issued and handed over at the police station that handled your file. Holders who leave under a voluntary return programme give the card back at the Spanish consulate in their country.
How to get your Spain TIE card photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Spain TIE card: 26 × 32 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one photo for every TIE procedure; dNI photo rules apply; three photos for EU family cards; no dark glasses or covering garments.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The TIE takes a printed photo; you do not upload anything. If you have a digital image, it can be cropped to 26 x 32 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, which gives several copies for the three-photo EU family card as well.
- Submit the photo with your application. Book a cita previa through the Administraciones Públicas electronic office, then go to the Unidad de Documentación at the Oficina de Extranjería or the police station of the province where you live.
Spain TIE card photo FAQ
Official pages call it carné size. Royal Decree 1155/2024 refers TIE photos to the DNI rules, which set 26 mm wide by 32 mm high in colour, so a 26 x 32 mm print on a uniform white background meets both.
One recent colour photo for a first card, a renewal, a duplicate or a change of data. The residence card for a family member of an EU citizen, requested on form EX-19, needs three.
Yes, in practice. For long-term residence cards the regulation says the photo must meet the DNI photo requirements: colour, 26 x 32 mm, uniform smooth white background, taken from the front with the head uncovered and no dark glasses.
Yes. The Ministry of the Interior lists a recent colour photo on white for renewals, alongside your passport and the fee receipt. If you have moved, also bring a census certificate (empadronamiento) issued less than three months earlier.
No. The NIE is your foreigner identity number and needs no photo. The TIE is the physical card for non-EU nationals staying more than six months; it shows your NIE and requires a photo.
At your appointment at the Unidad de Documentación in the Oficina de Extranjería or police station of your province, together with the EX-17 form, passport and fee receipt. You must attend in person.
Related photo specifications
Other Spain documents
- Passport photo 26 × 32 mm
- 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
Other documents nearby
- Spain NIE card photo 26 × 32 mm
- Austria bicycle passport photo 25 × 30 mm
- Austria e-card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Denmark seafarer's discharge book photo 35 × 45 mm
- United Kingdom Blue Badge (disabled parking permit) photo
- United Kingdom PASS proof-of-age card photo 45 × 35 mm
Also 26 × 32 mm
- China ID card photo 26 × 32 mm
- China Social Security card photo 26 × 32 mm
- All Spain photo specifications
- Other documents: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 26 × 32 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Ministerio del Interior. Tarjeta de identidad de extranjero interior.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de la Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (artículos 178, 185 y 209) boe.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto 255/2025, por el que se regula el Documento Nacional de Identidad (artículo 6) boe.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Policía Nacional, sede electrónica. Extranjería: tarjeta residencia de larga duración sede.policia.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Policía Nacional, sede electrónica. Extranjería: tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la UE sede.policia.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Policía Nacional, sede electrónica. Extranjería: tarjeta inicial o renovación residencia o residencia y trabajo sede.policia.gob.es. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Policía Nacional (Portal DNIe). DNI: primera inscripción dnielectronico.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 TIE card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/spain/tie-card-photo