Sweden passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Swedish Police Authority (Polisen) for the Sweden passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Sweden passport photo?
You do not bring a photo for a Swedish passport or national ID card. The police take a digital photo at the passport office, children included, and Swedish embassies with a photo station do the same abroad. Prints are asked for mainly with emergency passports at posts without a station, for example 35 x 45 mm in colour (Dublin). The police rule: face straight on, neutral expression, light background, no headwear without religious or special reasons.
Swedish passports and national ID cards are issued by the Swedish Police Authority (Polismyndigheten) and applied for in person at a police passport office (passexpedition). The passport officer takes your photograph and two fingerprints during the visit, so there is nothing to print or upload. The police explain that photographing applicants on site keeps the image quality good and stops anyone from using another person's picture to obtain a passport.
What the photograph must show is set out in the Police Authority's regulation on passports and national identity cards (PMFS 2021:3, in force since 1 November 2021). It covers ordinary passports, extra passports, provisional passports and ID cards issued in Sweden, and it describes the digital image that the police take of the applicant. Swedes living abroad apply at a Swedish embassy, which takes the photograph at its own photo station where it has one.
The exception is the emergency (temporary) passport that a mission abroad issues for a journey home. Posts without a photo station ask for printed photos, and the number and size differ from post to post. This page therefore covers two things: what the police camera expects, and what a printed photo for an emergency passport should look like.
Sweden passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Swedish Police Authority (Polisen):[1]
| Print size | Ordinary passport: no print, taken at the office. Emergency passport at some posts: 35 x 45 mm prints (Dublin), 45 x 35 mm (Cape Town) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: the police or embassy capture a digital image on site |
| Eye line | Gaze at the camera lens; pupils clearly visible; whole head visible and centred |
| Background | Light background, face evenly lit, no shadows or disturbing elements |
| Colour | Prints: colour (Dublin, Bern); Cape Town accepts colour or black and white |
| Photo age | Prints for emergency passports: not older than 6 months (US, Cyprus, Bern posts) |
| Print quality | No print quality rule is published for ordinary passports, because the image is captured digitally at the office |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- The police take the photo
At a police passport office the passport officer photographs you and takes two fingerprints during your visit. The police tell applicants not to bring a photograph, and the same goes for children.
- Face straight on, head centred
The regulation requires the face to be shown straight from the front, with the whole head visible and centred in the image.
- Relaxed, neutral expression
The expression must be relaxed and neutral and the gaze directed at the camera lens. Exceptions may be made for infants and for applicants who cannot look at the camera for medical reasons.
- Light background, even light
The background must be light and the face evenly lit. No shadows or other disturbing elements may appear in the background.
- Pupils visible, no dark glasses
Dark glasses may not be worn unless medical reasons require them, the pupils must be clearly visible and no reflections may show in the lenses.
- Headwear only for special reasons
Headwear may not be worn. An exception may be made for someone who wears it daily for religious or other special reasons, but it may not cover or shade the face.
- Abroad: photo station or prints
Embassies with a photo station photograph you at the appointment. At a post without one, an emergency passport application needs printed photos, such as two photos not older than six months at US and Cyprus posts without a station.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Attend the passport office in person, children included.
- Look straight at the lens with a relaxed, neutral face.
- Check that your pupils are clearly visible through any glasses you wear.
- Take off a hat or cap before the photo is taken.
- Check your embassy page for the number of prints before an emergency passport appointment.
- Bring prints no older than six months where your post asks for them.
Don't
- Do not bring your own photo for an ordinary passport or ID card.
- Do not wear dark glasses unless they are medically required.
- Do not let headwear cover or shade your face.
- Do not tilt your head or look away from the camera.
- Do not assume every post takes the photo: some consulates ask for prints.
Sample photos
How a Sweden passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Ordinary glasses are not banned. The regulation says the pupils must be clearly visible, that dark glasses may not be worn unless medical reasons require it, and that reflections may not be visible in the glasses (translated from Swedish).
These conditions apply to the image the police take at the passport office. The regulation names no other glasses rules, such as frame thickness, and because the police take the photo on the spot there is nothing to prepare at home.
Headwear and religious dress
The regulation says headwear may not be worn. An exception may be made for a person who wears it in daily use for religious or other special reasons, and even then it may not cover or shade the face (translated from Swedish).
The regulation's guidance adds that an applicant who gives religious or other special reasons does not have to prove them, and it gives wearing headwear because of medical treatment as an example of a special reason.
Babies and children
Children are photographed at the passport office like adults. The police say you should not bring a photograph of your child, because photography takes place at the passport office, and the child has to attend in person. The regulation allows an exception to the rule that the gaze must be directed at the lens for infants.
At the visit the child is photographed, gives fingerprints and signs. Children under six, or children who are physically unable to, do not need to give fingerprints. A guardian's consent is also required for an applicant under 18.
Printed and digital photos
For an ordinary passport or ID card, and for a provisional passport issued in Sweden, there is no print and no file: the police capture a digital image. The same holds at embassies with a photo station, such as those in Washington, New York, San Francisco and The Hague, where the passport officer takes a digital photo and fingerprints and tells you not to bring your own.
For an emergency passport abroad, the post sets the number of prints: Dublin asks for four colour photos (35 x 45 mm), Cape Town for two recent photos (45 x 35 mm, colour or black and white), Hong Kong for three, and the US and Cyprus pages for two photos not older than six months where there is no photo station. In Switzerland, the Swedish consulates ask for two colour photos not older than six months, face straight on with the gaze at the lens, a neutral expression and a light, shadow-free background. If a post asks for prints, a photo cropped to its stated size can be printed at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
In Sweden, everyone applying goes in person to a police passport office, children included, and takes a valid Swedish ID document and the old passport or ID card if it is still valid. The photograph is taken there, at the same visit as the fingerprints.
Abroad, apply in person at a Swedish embassy that takes passport applications. Consulates are not equipped with camera stations, so check which post handles your case. If your passport is lost abroad, the police advise contacting the nearest Swedish embassy or consulate, which can issue a temporary passport for the journey home.
How to get your Sweden passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Sweden passport: 35 × 45 mm print, light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the police take the photo; face straight on, head centred; relaxed, neutral expression; light background, even light.
- Prepare a print or digital file. For an ordinary passport or ID card, and for a provisional passport issued in Sweden, there is no print and no file: the police capture a digital image.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Sweden, everyone applying goes in person to a police passport office, children included, and takes a valid Swedish ID document and the old passport or ID card if it is still valid. The photograph is taken there, at the same visit as the fingerprints.
Sweden passport photo FAQ
No. The police photograph you at the passport office when you apply, and they tell you not to bring a photograph. The same applies to the national ID card and to children. A printed photo is needed only for an emergency passport at a post without a photo station.
The police publish no print size, because they take the image themselves. For emergency passports abroad the post sets it: Dublin asks for 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) colour prints and Cape Town for 45 x 35 mm. Check the page of the post you will use.
Yes. The police regulation bans only dark glasses, unless medical reasons require them. It also requires the pupils to be clearly visible and says no reflections may show in the lenses.
Yes, if you wear it daily for religious or other special reasons. You do not need to prove the reason. The headwear may not cover or shade your face, so the face must stay fully visible from the front.
A light background, with the face evenly lit and no shadows or other disturbing elements behind you. That is the police regulation for the image taken at the passport office. Embassy posts that ask for prints give similar wording, such as a light, shadow-free background in Switzerland.
Yes. Babies are photographed at the passport office like other applicants. The rule that the gaze must be directed at the lens can be waived for infants, and children under six do not give fingerprints.
It depends on the post. Embassies with a photo station, such as Washington, New York and San Francisco, take the photo and need none. Other posts ask for prints: four in Dublin, three in Hong Kong and two at Cyprus posts without a photo station.
Not for an ordinary passport or ID card, because the police capture the image themselves and do not accept your own. For an emergency passport at a post that wants prints, ask the post whether a photo you took yourself is acceptable before relying on it.
Related photo specifications
Other Sweden documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
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
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Sweden photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Svar på vanliga frågor om pass och nationellt id-kort polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Besök passexpedition polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Sök pass och nationellt id-kort (lättläst) polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Pass och id-kort för barn och ungdomar polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Borttappat eller stulet pass/id-kort polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Passport and National ID card polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Föreskrifter och allmänna råd om pass och nationellt identitetskort (PMFS 2021:3, PDF) polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in The Hague (Sweden Abroad). Måste jag ta med mig foton? swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in Washington (Sweden Abroad). Passports for Adults swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in Washington (Sweden Abroad). Emergency Passport in the U.S. swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria (Sweden Abroad). Emergency passport swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in Dublin (Sweden Abroad). Emergency passport in Ireland swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in Nicosia (Sweden Abroad). Emergency / Temporary passport in Cyprus swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in Bern (Sweden Abroad). Provisoriskt pass swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Sweden in Hong Kong (Sweden Abroad). Emergency passport swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Sweden in London (Sweden Abroad). FAQ passports swedenabroad.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swedish Police Authority (Polisen). Passports, ID cards and e-identification polisen.se. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Swedish Police Authority (Polisen) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Sweden passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/sweden/passport-photo