Switzerland ID card photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Federal Office of Police fedpol for the Switzerland ID card, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Switzerland ID card photo?
It depends on the card. For a Swiss ID card without a chip, requested at your commune, you may need a paper photo of 35 x 45 mm that follows the fedpol chart: face 29 to 34 mm, neutral background, under a year old, on smooth photo paper. Some communes take the photo themselves. The biometric ID card with chip, issued since 2 November 2026, is requested at the passport office, which captures the photo.
Switzerland has two kinds of identity card. The older card has no chip, and where the canton provides for it you apply for it at your commune of residence. A biometric card with a chip holding your photo and two fingerprints has been available since 2 November 2026. It is voluntary, and federal law still guarantees that a card without a chip can be requested.
The photo depends on the route. At a commune, fedpol says you need a paper photo that meets its chart, although some communes accept a digital photo or take one on site, so ask yours first. Solothurn confirms that you may bring your own photo for the chip-free card, and Zurich tells applicants to ask the residents' office whether to bring one. The biometric card follows the passport procedure: Zurich states that the passport office captures the photo and that no own photo is possible.
The chart applies to every printed photo handed to a commune, whatever the canton. Local pages can be stricter: in its guidance on renewing a parent's card at the commune, Geneva asks for a photo under six months old on a light, neutral background, printed on photographic paper.
Switzerland ID card photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Federal Office of Police fedpol:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), without border |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Paper print at a commune; some communes accept a digital file or photograph you on site |
| Head height | 29 to 34 mm from chin to top of head; at least 23 mm for children under 11 |
| Eye line | Eyes open, at the same height and clearly visible; nose on the template centre line |
| Background | Single-colour, uniform and neutral; Geneva asks for a light background |
| Colour | Colour or black and white; the card shows a greyscale image |
| Photo age | Not older than one year; Geneva asks for under six months |
| Print quality | Glossy or semi-matt photo paper, no texture you can feel, no creases, square corners |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Which route needs a print
Only the chip-free card requested at a commune uses a photo that you supply. Fedpol writes that you then need a paper photo matching its chart. The biometric card follows the passport procedure, so the office photographs you.
- Ask your commune first
Some communes accept a digital photo or take the picture on site, and some cantons let you bring one. Solothurn says communes may shoot it on the spot, and Zurich asks you to find out in advance whether a photo is needed. A digital photo brings no fee reduction.
- Print on real photo paper
The paper must be glossy or semi-matt, with no texture you can feel under a finger, such as a pearl or silk-grain finish, and made for photographic images. It may not be creased, dirty or round-cornered, and the pixel structure must not show.
- Frame the face
The picture is 35 x 45 mm without border. From chin to crown the face measures 29 to 34 mm, or at least 23 mm for a child under 11, and hair may exceptionally cross the edge. Face the camera with an upright head and the nose on the template centre line.
- Expression and lighting
Keep a neutral expression with eyes open and mouth shut. The photo should be sharp, evenly lit and well contrasted, with natural skin tones and no red eyes, shine or shadow on the face. Photographs of people in uniform are not accepted.
- Local rules can be tighter
The federal chart allows a photo up to a year old. Geneva's guidance for communes asks for less than six months, a light and neutral background, and a print on photographic paper. Check your commune's own page before ordering prints.
- A relative who cannot travel
Geneva explains that a family member can request a chip-free card for a parent who cannot travel for lasting health reasons, with a medical certificate and a power of attorney. The photo may be wider than usual and can show the parent in bed, head of the bed slightly raised, against a light and neutral sheet.
- The chip card is requested like a passport
The card with chip stores a photo and two fingerprints. You request it online, by telephone or at the passport office, and cantons may add enrolment centres run with their municipalities. Zurich states that this card can only be requested at its passport office.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Ask your commune whether to bring a paper photo or a digital file.
- Print on glossy or semi-matt photo paper.
- Keep the print flat, clean and free of creases.
- Look into the camera with a neutral expression.
- Check whether your canton wants a photo under six months old.
Don't
- Do not use pearl, silk-grain or textured paper.
- Do not hand in a print with round corners.
- Do not use a photo older than your commune allows.
- Do not wear sunglasses, a hat or a uniform.
- Do not bring your own photo for the chip card at Zurich.
Sample photos
How a Switzerland ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Spectacles must leave your eyes fully visible: the frames may not hide them and the lenses may not glare. Tinted lenses and sunglasses are out, apart from darkened lenses for people with a visual impairment.
Headwear and religious dress
No hats, headbands or conspicuous hair bands, and no glasses perched on the head. Proven medical or religious reasons are the only exceptions; the face must then show from the chin edge to the hairline without shadows.
Babies and children
Children follow the same chart, with a face height of at least 23 mm below age 11, while toddlers and people with a disability may deviate on gaze, expression and head size. Zurich lists a validity of 5 years for minors and 10 years for adults on the biometric card.
Printed and digital photos
At a commune the chart is written for paper: it speaks of photo paper, surface texture, creases and rounded corners. Fedpol adds that communes may accept a digital photo or shoot one on site. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut to size. The chart sets no pixel dimensions but rejects a visible pixel structure.
For the biometric card nothing is printed: the passport office captures the image digitally and stores it in the chip.
Where to submit the photo
Chip-free card: the residents' office of your commune, where the canton provides for it. Check its page for opening hours, documents and photo practice. The Zurich passport office takes no applications for the chip-free card.
Biometric card: the cantonal passport office, after an online or telephone application. Abroad you apply online and then attend the Swiss representation, which records the face image and signature for a chip-free card, plus fingerprints for a card with chip.
How to get your Switzerland ID card photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Switzerland ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, single-colour background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: which route needs a print; ask your commune first; print on real photo paper; frame the face.
- Prepare a print or digital file. At a commune the chart is written for paper: it speaks of photo paper, surface texture, creases and rounded corners. Fedpol adds that communes may accept a digital photo or shoot one on site.
- Submit the photo with your application. Chip-free card: the residents' office of your commune, where the canton provides for it. Check its page for opening hours, documents and photo practice. The Zurich passport office takes no applications for the chip-free card.
Switzerland ID card photo FAQ
For a chip-free card at your commune, usually yes: fedpol says you need a paper photo that meets its chart, though some communes accept a digital photo or take one on site. For the biometric card, the passport office captures the photo.
35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) without border, with the face measuring 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown. For children under 11 the face must be at least 23 mm. The same chart applies to passports.
Some communes accept one, and some cantons allow it too. Fedpol says to ask your commune. Solothurn adds that in some communes you can have the photo taken on site. Using a digital photo does not reduce the fee.
The federal chart says the photograph may not be older than one year. Geneva, in its guidance for communes, asks for a photo less than six months old on a light, neutral background, so check the rule where you apply.
Yes. The biometric card is requested like a passport, and the passport office captures the photo and fingerprints. Zurich states that no own photo is possible for it. The card has been available since 2 November 2026.
No. When applying for a chip-free card you can submit a colour or a black-and-white photo, according to fedpol, and the chart accepts both. The card itself reproduces the picture as a greyscale image.
No. The chart asks for a neutral expression and a closed mouth, and it shows an open mouth as a reason for refusal. Keep both eyes open and your face free of hair, hands and objects.
Related photo specifications
Other Switzerland documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Identity cards nearby
- Austria civil engineer ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Austria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belgium ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belgium Kids-ID photo 35 × 45 mm
- France ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Germany ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Netherlands ID card 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 Switzerland photo specifications
- Identity cards: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Federal Office of Police fedpol. Beantragen (applying for a passport or ID card) fedpol.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Federal Office of Police fedpol. Application (English version) fedpol.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Federal Office of Police fedpol. Kriterien für die Annahme von Fotos für Pässe und Identitätskarten (Fotomustertafel) fedpol.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Federal Office of Police fedpol. FAQ: Biometrische Identitätskarte (October 2026) fedpol.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Federal Office of Police fedpol. Laufende Projekte (biometric identity card) fedpol.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Swiss Federal Chancellery (Fedlex). Verordnung des EJPD über die Ausweise für Schweizer Staatsangehörige (SR 143.111), Art. 12 and annex fedlex.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Zurich, Passbüro. Bezug von Schweizer Ausweisdokumenten (1 November 2026) zh.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Solothurn, Migrationsamt. Identitätskarte so.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Geneva. Réponses aux questions fréquentes (documents d'identité suisses) ge.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Federal Office of Police fedpol before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Switzerland ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/switzerland/id-card-photo