Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport photo requirements
The photo rules set by Sysselmesteren på Svalbard (Governor of Svalbard) for the Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport photo requirements?
Residents of Svalbard hold a Norwegian passport, and the Governor of Svalbard (Sysselmesteren) in Longyearbyen takes the photo in a biometric kiosk when you attend, so you bring no print. Photos from a photographer or photo booth are not accepted for the passport. Book a time online up to 30 days ahead. Only an emergency passport (nødpass) needs your own colour photo; the police example shows the head covering about 70% of the image.
Svalbard is part of the Kingdom of Norway, and Norwegian citizens who live there hold the ordinary Norwegian passport. They apply to the Governor of Svalbard (Sysselmesteren på Svalbard), the government's highest representative on the archipelago, whose office is in Longyearbyen. An electronic booking is mandatory: you book a time on the police website, up to 30 days ahead, and you collect the finished passport from the Governor. The Governor's page speaks of Norwegian citizens resident on Svalbard and does not mention Jan Mayen.
You do not bring a photo for an ordinary passport. The Governor's page says that when you apply for a new passport the office takes the picture with the biometric kiosk when you attend, and that a passport photo from a photographer or a photo booth must not be used in the passport and is not accepted. The national ID card works the same way: the passport office takes the photo. The police checklist that the page links adds that this covers everyone, babies and children included.
The exception is the emergency passport (nødpass), valid for one journey only. For that the Governor's page says you must bring your own approved passport photo, and the police page on emergency passports asks for a colour photo made by a photographer or in a photo booth that meets the requirements for facial photos. None of the pages read gives a print size, so this page explains what the kiosk camera and the police quality sheet expect.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Sysselmesteren på Svalbard (Governor of Svalbard):[1]
| Print size | No print for an ordinary passport: the Governor takes the photo. No size is published for an emergency-passport photo |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload and no print: the photo is captured at the office in a biometric kiosk |
| Background | Evenly lit; the police kiosk photographs against a white screen. No colour is published for an emergency-passport print |
| Colour | Colour for an emergency-passport photo (the police ask for "et passfoto i farger") |
| Photo age | Must show you as you look today; no number of months is published |
| Print quality | Emergency passport: taken by a photographer or in a photo booth; no paper or dpi rule is published |
Key requirements
- The kiosk at the Governor's office
For a new passport, and for the national ID card, the photo is taken in the biometric kiosk when you attend your appointment in Longyearbyen. The police describe the same machine for every applicant, babies included. Your face is captured digitally, so there is nothing to print, crop or upload beforehand.
- Outside photos are turned away
The Governor says a photo from a photographer or photo booth must not be used in the passport and that the office does not accept it. Do not pay for prints before an ordinary passport appointment; the only passport that asks you to bring a photo is the nødpass.
- A nødpass needs your own photo
The emergency passport is valid for one journey only. The Governor's page tells you to bring your own approved passport photo, and the police page asks for a colour photo from a photographer or photo booth that meets the facial-photo requirements. No size is given on either page, so ask the office what it expects.
- Whole face, both ears and eyebrows
The passport regulation requires the photo to meet the ICAO quality standard, including background, lighting and expression, with the whole face shown and both eyes, eyebrows and ears visible. In the police example of a correct photo the head covers about 70% of the image.
- Neutral, straight and level
The police quality sheet asks for a neutral expression with a closed mouth, a gaze towards the camera lens and a face photographed straight from the front. The face and the background must both be evenly lit.
- A clear frame
Scarves, bags and outerwear come off before the photo. Hair that covers an ear is shown as a fault, so pull it behind the ears. Glasses and headwear are not to be used, apart from the headwear exceptions below.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a time online before you go to the Governor's office.
- Bring your old passport, even if it has expired.
- Take off scarves, bags and outerwear before the photo.
- Pull your hair back so both ears and eyebrows show.
- Keep your mouth closed and look into the lens.
- Bring your own colour photo only for an emergency passport.
Don't
- Do not bring a photographer's or photo booth picture for an ordinary passport.
- Do not wear glasses in the photo.
- Do not let headwear cover your face or eyebrows.
- Do not smile broadly or look away from the lens.
- Do not appear in a baby's photo; support the child from the side.
- Do not bring a sleeping baby: the eyes must be open.
Glasses
Glasses are not allowed. The Norwegian passport regulation says glasses and headwear must not be used, and the police quality sheet repeats it, so you take your glasses off in front of the kiosk camera at the Governor's office.
Headwear and religious dress
Headwear is normally not allowed. The regulation lets you wear it for religious or other special reasons, such as illness, when it is expected that you will wear similar headwear at future checks. It must not cover any part of the face or more of the head than necessary, and the police sheet adds that it must not be so tight that it changes the natural shape of the face.
With such headwear the requirement that the ears show is waived, but the whole face and both eyebrows must still be visible.
Babies and children
Children are photographed at the office like adults, in the same kiosk and under the same requirements. The police say a baby is photographed in front of a white screen: a parent either holds the baby in front of it, or holds a portable white screen against the chest and the baby against that. The baby's eyes must be open, so come when the child is awake.
Only the child may appear in the picture; the police sheet shows an adult in the frame as a fault and suggests supporting the child from the side or using the white board between child and adult. For a child under 18 both guardians must attend in person to consent, though not at the same time or office, and the child need not come if you are only giving consent.
Printed and digital photos
For an ordinary passport or ID card there is nothing to print or upload. The office captures the photo digitally at your appointment, and a print from a photographer or photo booth is refused.
For a nødpass you bring a print. The police ask for a colour photo taken by a photographer or in a photo booth, and no size or paper rule is published on the pages read. A cropped print from a photo counter is not what either page describes, so confirm with the Governor's office before relying on one.
Where to submit the photo
Apply at the Governor of Svalbard in Longyearbyen. Book a time on the police website; the Governor's page says time can be booked up to 30 days ahead and that everyone who needs a passport must use this system. Bring the old passport even if it has expired, or other valid identification with a national ID number and a photo if you have no passport. The passport is collected from the Governor, and the page, updated on 12 June 2026, says delivery takes four to five weeks.
For an emergency situation, the page says an emergency passport is possible and that it must be handed back to the police, a passport office or border control after the journey. The Governor's page does not mention Jan Mayen, so ask the office if you live or work there.
How to get your Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport: evenly lit background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the kiosk at the Governor's office; outside photos are turned away; a nødpass needs your own photo; whole face, both ears and eyebrows.
- Prepare a print or digital file. For an ordinary passport or ID card there is nothing to print or upload. The office captures the photo digitally at your appointment, and a print from a photographer or photo booth is refused. For a nødpass you bring a print.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply at the Governor of Svalbard in Longyearbyen. Book a time on the police website; the Governor's page says time can be booked up to 30 days ahead and that everyone who needs a passport must use this system.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport photo FAQ
Not for an ordinary passport or the national ID card. The office takes your photo with the biometric kiosk when you attend. You bring your own approved photo only if you apply for an emergency passport (nødpass).
No. The Governor says a passport photo from a photographer or photo booth must not be used in the passport and is not accepted. The kiosk photo is taken at the appointment.
You bring your own approved passport photo. The police page for emergency passports asks for a colour photo taken by a photographer or in a photo booth that meets the requirements for facial photos. The pages read give no size, so check with the office.
No. The passport regulation says glasses and headwear must not be used, and the police quality sheet lists glasses among the things not to wear. You take them off at the kiosk.
Electronically, on the police website. The Governor of Svalbard says time can be booked up to 30 days ahead and that everyone who needs a passport must use this booking system.
In the same kiosk, in front of a white screen. A parent holds the baby in front of it, or holds a portable white screen on the chest with the baby against it. The baby must be awake with open eyes, and the parent must not show in the picture.
The passport office. The Governor of Svalbard says the passport office takes the picture for the ID card, just as it does for the passport.
The Governor's page speaks only of Norwegian citizens resident on Svalbard and does not mention Jan Mayen, so ask the office directly if you live or work on Jan Mayen.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Åland Islands passport photo 36 × 47 mm
- Denmark passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Estonia passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Faroe Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Finland passport photo 36 × 47 mm
- Guernsey passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Iceland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ireland irish Passport Card photo
- Ireland passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Isle of Man passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Svalbard and Jan Mayen photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Sysselmesteren på Svalbard (Governor of Svalbard). Pass og ID-kort sysselmesteren.no. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Huskeliste: Dette må du ha med til pass- og ID-kontoret politiet.no. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Nødpass politiet.no. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Nyfødte og babyer politiet.no. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Norwegian Police (Politiet). Kvalitetskrav til ansiktsfoto i pass og nasjonale ID-kort (PDF) politiet.no. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Justice and Public Security, via Lovdata. Forskrift om pass og nasjonalt ID-kort (pass- og ID-kortforskriften), § 2-6 lovdata.no. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Sysselmesteren på Svalbard (Governor of Svalbard) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Svalbard and Jan Mayen passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/svalbard-and-jan-mayen/passport-photo