Switzerland passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Federal Office of Police fedpol for the Switzerland passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Switzerland passport photo?
You usually bring no photo for a Swiss passport. The cantonal passport office, or the Swiss representation abroad, captures your face, fingerprints and signature at an appointment, and several cantons say you cannot bring your own picture. Where a canton accepts a digital photo, the federal chart applies: 35 x 45 mm without border, face 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, plain neutral background, not older than one year.
Swiss passports are issued by the cantons, not at a federal counter. In Switzerland you apply online, by telephone or at the passport office of your canton of residence, and you then attend an appointment where the office records your biometric data. The Federal Office of Police (fedpol) sets the photo rules that every canton applies, in a one-page chart called the Fotomustertafel, the list of accepted photos.
In most cantons the photo is made for you. Zurich states that the passport office records your photo, fingerprints and signature at the appointment and that you cannot bring your own picture. Bern asks you not to bring a passport photo, Thurgau and Basel-Stadt say the photo is made on site, and Geneva photographs you in booths at its office. Fedpol adds that some cantons let you bring a digital photograph; you must say so when you apply, and it brings no fee reduction. An Aargau leaflet from February 2025 says the issuing authority may allow it, so ask your passport office before you prepare anything.
Swiss citizens living abroad apply online and are invited to the Swiss representation responsible for them, which records the face image and signature, plus fingerprints for a passport. This page covers the ordinary passport. The emergency passport (Notpass), issued only in urgent and justified cases, is a separate document.
Switzerland passport 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 | No upload: the office captures your image; no pixel size is published |
| Head height | 29 to 34 mm from chin to top of head; at least 23 mm for children under 11 |
| Eye line | Nose on the template's vertical centre line; both eyes open, level and clearly visible |
| Background | Single-colour, uniform and neutral; no shadows; head clearly separated from it |
| Colour | Colour or black and white; the passport prints it in greyscale |
| Photo age | Not older than one year |
| Print quality | Smooth gloss or semi-matt photo paper, no creases, square corners, no visible pixels |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
einfarbig, einheitlich und neutral
Key requirements
- Captured at your appointment
After you apply online or by telephone, the passport office gives you an appointment and records your face, fingerprints and signature. Zurich says you cannot bring your own photo, Bern asks you to leave your passport photo at home, and Thurgau, Basel-Stadt and Geneva make the picture on site, in Geneva at no extra cost.
- Digital photo only if your canton says so
Fedpol states that some cantons allow you to bring a digital photograph. You must tell the office when you apply, and it does not lower the fee. Zurich, Bern, Thurgau and Basel-Stadt all tell applicants they do not need to bring a photo, and Zurich adds that it is not possible.
- Face size and head position
The face must measure 29 to 34 mm from chin to the top of the head, and hair may exceptionally cross the edge of the photo. For children under 11 the minimum is 23 mm. Keep the head upright, not tilted, turned or leaning, with the nose on the vertical centre line of the template.
- Neutral face, mouth closed
Sit upright with straight shoulders and look into the camera. Both eyes are open and level, the expression is neutral and the mouth is closed. A hand, an object such as a pipe, or another person must not cover any part of the face.
- Even light, plain background
The image has to be sharp, contrasty and evenly lit, with no shadows on the face, natural skin tones, no red eyes and no reflections on the skin. The background is single-coloured, uniform and neutral, shows no shadow of the person and is clearly separate from the head.
- Recent, no uniform
The chart says a photograph may not be older than one year and may not show a person in uniform. It accepts colour and black and white, because the passport reproduces the picture as a greyscale image.
- Appointments abroad
If you live abroad you apply online, and the Swiss representation invites you to have your data recorded there. The Foreign Ministry's application page lets you name another processing centre, such as a different representation or a cantonal passport office, if you want the appointment elsewhere.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book the biometric appointment before you travel to the office.
- Ask your passport office whether it accepts a digital photo.
- Bring your existing passport and ID card, as Zurich and Basel-Stadt ask.
- Look straight into the lens with your mouth closed.
- Keep your hair away from your eyes and face.
- Take your child along, because children are photographed too.
Don't
- Do not bring a paper photo unless your canton asks for one.
- Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses.
- Do not wear a hat, headband or glasses pushed up on your head.
- Do not open your mouth or pull an expression.
- Do not wear a uniform.
- Do not apply without checking your canton's own page.
Sample photos
How a Switzerland passport 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
Glasses are allowed if the frames do not cover your eyes and the lenses do not reflect. Tinted lenses and sunglasses are not accepted. People with a visual impairment may wear darkened lenses. The chart also requires both eyes to be open, level and clearly visible when you wear glasses.
Headwear and religious dress
Headwear is in principle not allowed. A headband, a conspicuous hair band or glasses pushed onto the head are refused as well. The chart makes exceptions only for proven medical or religious reasons, for example nuns or members of a community that requires a head covering in public. The face must then be recognisable at least from the lower edge of the chin to the hairline, and the covering must not cast shadows on it.
Babies and children
Children are photographed at the appointment like adults, and Basel-Stadt notes that this applies from birth. For children under 11 the face needs to measure at least 23 mm from chin to crown. The chart also relaxes the rules for small children and people with a disability: not every requirement must be met, and deviations in looking at the camera, a neutral expression and head size are accepted.
The Foreign Ministry adds that minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when their biometric data is recorded. Where divorced parents share custody and only one of them attends, the other parent must present written authorisation.
Printed and digital photos
None of the cantonal pages checked for this guide asks for a printed passport photo. The office captures a digital image, and fedpol allows a self-made digital photograph only in cantons that say so, announced at the time of application. No pixel size or file format is published for applicants.
If your canton does accept a digital photo, it is held to the same chart as the captured image: 35 x 45 mm without border, face 29 to 34 mm, taken within the last year. A digital photo can be cropped and resized to that format, but the chart rules out a visible pixel structure, so start from a sharp original.
Where to submit the photo
In Switzerland: the passport office of your canton of residence, after applying online, by telephone or at the office. Zurich, for example, takes the application only online or by telephone and does not accept applications at its counter. Some cantons add enrolment centres that they run with municipalities.
Abroad: the Swiss representation where you are registered, after an online application. The Foreign Ministry says that once your personal data is verified, an appointment for the data capture is confirmed, usually within a week.
How to get your Switzerland passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Switzerland passport: 35 × 45 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: captured at your appointment; digital photo only if your canton says so; face size and head position; neutral face, mouth closed.
- Prepare a print or digital file. None of the cantonal pages checked for this guide asks for a printed passport photo. The office captures a digital image, and fedpol allows a self-made digital photograph only in cantons that say so, announced at the time of application.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Switzerland: the passport office of your canton of residence, after applying online, by telephone or at the office. Zurich, for example, takes the application only online or by telephone and does not accept applications at its counter.
Switzerland passport photo FAQ
Usually not. Zurich, Bern, Thurgau, Basel-Stadt and Geneva all make the picture at the appointment, and Zurich says bringing your own is not possible. Fedpol notes that some cantons let you bring a digital photograph; if yours does, tell the office when you apply.
35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) without border, with the face measuring 29 to 34 mm from chin to the top of the head. For children under 11 the face must measure at least 23 mm. The federal chart also asks for a photo that is not older than one year.
Yes, if the frames do not cover your eyes and the lenses do not reflect or carry a tint. Sunglasses are not accepted. Darkened lenses are allowed only for people with a visual impairment.
Only for proven medical or religious reasons. The face must remain visible from the lower edge of the chin to the hairline, with no shadows on it. Headbands, conspicuous hair bands and glasses pushed up onto the head are not accepted.
The chart asks for a single-coloured, uniform and neutral background, with no shadow cast by the person and a clear separation between head and background. It names no particular colour.
No. The federal chart says small children and people with a disability do not have to meet every requirement. Deviations in looking at the camera, in a neutral expression and in head size are accepted.
Apply online. After your application is reviewed, you are invited to the Swiss representation responsible for you, which records your face image and signature, plus fingerprints for a passport. You can ask to attend another representation or a cantonal passport office instead.
Related photo specifications
Other Switzerland documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
Passports nearby
- Austria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belgium passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- France passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Germany passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Luxembourg passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Monaco passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Netherlands 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 Switzerland photo specifications
- Passports: 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.
- 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.
- Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA. Applying for an identity document schweiz-vereinigtestaaten.eda.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Zurich. Pass und Identitätskarte beantragen (Passbüro) zh.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Bern. Neuen Ausweis beantragen pass-id.sid.be.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Geneva. Réponses aux questions fréquentes (documents d'identité suisses) ge.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Thurgau, Migrationsamt. Pass und Identitätskarte (Passbüro Thurgau) migrationsamt.tg.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Basel-Stadt. Ich brauche einen neuen Pass / eine neue Identitätskarte bs.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Canton of Aargau. Merkblatt Pass 22 - Identitätskarte - Provisorischer Pass (February 2025) ag.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 passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/switzerland/passport-photo