Tunisia ID card photo requirements
The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Tunisia for the Tunisia ID card, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Tunisia ID card photo?
The Tunisian national identity card (CIN) needs three photos of 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm, 1.18 x 1.57 in), taken from the front against a white or light backdrop and showing the face and the eyes. Hand them in with the signed form at the police or national guard station for your address. That is smaller than the 35 x 45 mm passport photo. A 2024 law provides for a chip card, but the Interior Ministry's January 2025 notice still asks for three prints.
The carte nationale d'identité (CIN) is issued by the specialised services of the Ministry of the Interior under Law 93-27 of 22 March 1993. Since Organic Law 2024-22 of 11 March 2024 it is compulsory for Tunisians of both sexes aged 15 and over, and children aged 12 to 15 can be given one in exceptional cases. For a minor the request is made by the father, the mother, the guardian or the person with custody.
The same law prepares a new card with an encrypted chip holding the identity photo and the right thumbprint, a machine-readable zone and an electronic certificate for identification and signing. It says the card is issued after the ministry's services take the applicant's fingerprint and identity photo, and leaves the card model, its validity and the application steps to a decree. Cards already issued stay valid until they are replaced under a programme set by order of the Interior Minister.
For now, the ministry's procedure guide asks for three photos in every case: a first card, a renewal, a change of details, and a replacement after loss, theft or damage. Its notice of January 2025 for the national campaign issuing cards to baccalaureate pupils repeats the same photo wording, so printed photos are still part of the file.
Tunisia ID card photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Tunisia:[1]
| Print size | 30 x 40 mm (3 x 4 cm; "¾ cm" in the French text, "4/3 صم" in the Arabic) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: three printed photos go with the paper form |
| Background | White or light-coloured backdrop |
| Pixels when printed | 354 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Three prints of 3 x 4 cm
Each application needs three photos of the applicant measuring 3 x 4 cm, which is 30 mm wide and 40 mm high. Tunisian passport photos are 35 x 45 mm, so a passport print is the wrong size for the card.
- Taken from the front
The ministry asks for a photo taken facing the camera (prise en face). Its wording also asks for the picture to be taken at a scale of 1/10, which it does not explain further.
- White or light backdrop
The backdrop behind you (support arrière) must be white or a light colour. The ministry names no other colour.
- Face and eyes must show
The photo must show the face and the eyes. Nothing in the ministry's text covers head size, expression, glasses or head coverings.
- One rule for every procedure
The photo wording is identical for a first card, a renewal, a change of civil status or address, and a replacement after loss. The January 2025 school campaign notice uses the same sentence.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring three identical 3 x 4 cm prints
- Face the camera directly
- Use a white or light backdrop
- Make sure your face and eyes are clearly visible
- Bring a birth certificate extract issued within the last three months
- Sign the administrative form before you hand it in
Don't
- Do not hand in 35 x 45 mm passport prints
- Do not use a dark backdrop
- Do not turn your head away from the camera
- Do not apply for a minor without a signed and certified guardian's authorisation
Sample photos
How a Tunisia ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 40 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Babies and children
The card becomes compulsory at 15. Between 12 and 15 it can be issued in exceptional cases, and the request is made by a parent, the guardian or the person who has custody. The ministry's list asks applicants under 18 for a guardian's authorisation with a certified signature, giving the reason for the card. The ministry lists four reasons, professional, educational, sporting or physical ("physique"), and does not explain the last.
The ministry has also run campaigns in secondary schools with the Ministry of Education. The one held from 8 January to 10 February 2025, for pupils who will sit the baccalaureate in 2026, asked each pupil for the same three 3 x 4 cm photos, a school attendance certificate, a nationality certificate and a recent residence certificate from the police or national guard.
Printed and digital photos
The CIN currently works with prints: three of them go in with the form and a stamp-duty receipt, and nothing is uploaded. The 2024 amendment written for the chip card says the ministry's services take the identity photo themselves before issuing a card, but the ministry has not published how photos will be handled once that card is introduced. Until it does, bring prints.
A digital photo can be cropped to 3 x 4 cm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Apply at the police or national guard station that covers the place where you live. A first application needs the signed form, a birth certificate extract from the original civil registers issued within three months, a certificate of Tunisian nationality, a residence certificate, a certificate of work or of school or university attendance, the three photos and the stamp-duty receipt. A blood group certificate is optional.
Tunisians living abroad add two copies of their foreign residence card and of their consular card. Some missions have taken applications in 2026: the embassy in London accepted CIN applications on its own premises for the first time from late April 2026, and an Interior Ministry technical team handled cards at the embassy in Abu Dhabi from 1 to 5 October 2026. Ask your own embassy or consulate whether a session is planned.
How to get your Tunisia ID card photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Tunisia ID card: 30 × 40 mm print, white or light-coloured backdrop background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: three prints of 3 x 4 cm; taken from the front; white or light backdrop; face and eyes must show.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The CIN currently works with prints: three of them go in with the form and a stamp-duty receipt, and nothing is uploaded.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply at the police or national guard station that covers the place where you live.
Tunisia ID card photo FAQ
3 x 4 cm, which is 30 x 40 mm (1.18 x 1.57 in). The Interior Ministry writes the format as ¾ cm in French and 4/3 cm in Arabic. It is smaller than the 35 x 45 mm photo used for Tunisian passports.
Three. The ministry's guide asks for three photos for a first card, a renewal, a change of details and a replacement after loss or theft, and its January 2025 campaign notice asks pupils for three as well.
White or a light colour. The ministry describes the backdrop as white or light (blanche ou claire) and names no other colour.
At 15. Organic Law 2024-22 makes the card compulsory for Tunisians of both sexes aged 15 and over, and allows it from 12 in exceptional cases, with the request made by a parent, guardian or custodian.
The chip card was created by Organic Law 2024-22 of 11 March 2024, but the ministry's January 2025 notice still asks for three printed photos. In December 2025 the Minister of Communication Technologies said the project should enter service at the end of 2026 or early in 2027.
Sometimes. The ministry's list includes copies of a foreign residence card and a consular card for Tunisians living abroad, and in 2026 the embassies in London and Abu Dhabi held application sessions. Check with your own embassy or consulate.
Not under the current procedure, which asks you to bring three prints. The 2024 amendment for the chip card says the ministry's services will take the identity photo and fingerprint before issuing the card.
Related photo specifications
Other Tunisia documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo
- Residence card photo
Identity cards nearby
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Libya ID card photo
- Morocco ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Sudan ID card photo
Also 30 × 40 mm
- Armenia ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Azerbaijan passport photo 30 × 40 mm
- Azerbaijan visa photo 30 × 40 mm
- Azerbaijan ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Belarus citizenship photo 30 × 40 mm
- Bolivia safe conduct photo 30 × 40 mm
- Botswana residence permit photo 30 × 40 mm
- Brazil ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo 30 × 40 mm
- Brazil employment record book photo 30 × 40 mm
- All Tunisia photo specifications
- Identity cards: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 30 × 40 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Tunisia. Vos démarches - Carte d'Identité Nationale services.interieur.gov.tn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Tunisia. خدمات إدارية - بطاقة التعريف الوطنية (National identity card procedures, Arabic) services.interieur.gov.tn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Tunisia. National campaign issuing identity cards to baccalaureate pupils, 2026 session (notice of 7 January 2025, Arabic) interieur.gov.tn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Tunisia. National identity card application form (imprimé) services.interieur.gov.tn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- DCAF security-sector legislation database (French text of the law). Loi organique n° 2024-22 du 11 mars 2024 (national identity card) legislation-securite.tn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- La Presse de Tunisie. Diaspora : dépôt des demandes de cartes d'identité désormais possible à l'ambassade lapresse.tn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tuniscope. Embassy in Abu Dhabi: Interior Ministry technical team for identity cards (Arabic) tuniscope.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- La Presse de Tunisie. La date de lancement de la carte d'identité et du passeport biométriques enfin annoncée lapresse.tn. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Tunisia before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Tunisia ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/tunisia/id-card-photo