Dutch Passport Photo Requirements
A Dutch passport photo is 35 x 45 mm, head 26 to 30 mm, on light grey, light blue or white, unedited and printed on photo paper at 400 dpi or more.
Dutch passport photo requirements: the photo is 35 x 45 mm, your face measures 26 to 30 mm from chin to crown (age 11 and up), and the background is plain light grey, light blue or white. It must be in colour, unedited, no more than 6 months old, and printed on smooth, high-quality photo paper at a minimum of 400 dpi. The same rules cover the Dutch ID card.
Every rule in this guide comes from the Dutch central government's page Eisen pasfoto paspoort en ID-kaart on rijksoverheid.nl, read for this guide on 13 November 2026. The page is in Dutch; the translations here are ours. For what most countries have in common, see passport photo requirements explained.
Dutch passport photo size and spec at a glance
| Size | 35 mm wide x 45 mm high, fixed |
| Face length | Chin to crown: 26 to 30 mm from age 11; 19 to 30 mm for children up to 10 |
| Face width | 16 to 20 mm, measured between where the ears join the head |
| Background | Light grey, light blue or white; plain, one colour, no gradient, clearly contrasting with your head |
| Not a copy; printed on smooth, high-quality photo paper at a minimum of 400 dpi | |
| Image | In colour, sharp, undamaged and not edited; even light with no shadows or reflections |
| Age | No more than 6 months old on the day you apply |
The page gives no pixel size and no file size, because you hand in a printed photo, not a file.
Why the head is smaller than you might expect
From age 11, your face must measure 26 to 30 mm from chin to crown, which is roughly 58 to 67% of the photo's 45 mm height. That is smaller than some other 35 x 45 mm countries ask for: France sets 3.2 to 3.6 cm, as covered in French passport photo requirements. A photo framed for one of those countries can show too large a face for a Dutch passport, even though the paper size is identical.
The head also has to be fully in the frame and centred. For children up to 10, the range is wider, 19 to 30 mm.
What does the 400 dpi rule mean for a home photo?
At 35 x 45 mm, 400 dpi works out to about 551 x 709 pixels, so a file printed at that size without upscaling needs at least that many. Rijksoverheid's page doesn't say who has to take the photo, but it does say the print must be on smooth, high-quality photo paper, must not be a copy, and must not be edited. Plain printer paper doesn't meet the first rule, and a print of a print breaks the second. PPI vs DPI explains the difference between the pixels in a file and the dots a printer lays down.
That rule is why this guide doesn't send you to our passport photo maker for a Dutch passport. Its standard 35 x 45 mm page always saves 413 x 531 pixels, which is about 300 pixels per inch at that size, short of the 400 the Dutch page asks for. A photographer or photo booth that works to the Dutch spec is the reliable route.
"Not edited" is not defined further on the page. Skip retouching, beauty filters and swapped backgrounds.
Background: white is allowed
Light grey, light blue and white are all accepted, as long as the background is a single plain colour with no gradient and stands out clearly from your hair and face. That puts the Netherlands closer to Italy, which wants white (see Italian passport photo requirements), than to France, which forbids it. If your hair is very light, a light grey or light blue background gives the contrast the rule asks for. More on how countries differ here in passport photo background colours.
Pose, glasses and head coverings
Look straight into the camera with a neutral expression and your mouth closed. Keep your head upright, eyes level and shoulders straight, and make sure the light is even, with no shadow on your face or the background.
Glasses are your choice. If you wear them, your eyes must be fully visible, the lenses clear, with no distracting reflection or shadow. Smiling and glasses in passport photos covers why these two rules trip people up.
Your head must be uncovered, and a cap is not allowed. There are two exceptions. A head covering worn for religious or philosophical reasons is permitted if it is plain, one colour, and contrasts with the background. You may also wear one if you have lost hair through medical treatment or illness. Beards, wigs, make-up, facial piercings and tattoos, and earrings are all allowed.
Questions people ask
What are the rules for a baby or young child?
Children under 6 don't have to meet the pose and expression rules, and anyone supporting the child must not be visible. A child's eyes still have to be open. The face-length range for children up to 10 is 19 to 30 mm. Baby and infant passport photos has practical tips for getting the shot.
Can I reuse the photo from my last passport?
Rijksoverheid says preferably not, and in any case the photo can be no more than 6 months old when you apply.
I can't meet every rule for medical reasons. What then?
The page says the issuing authority may ask for a medical statement if it has doubts. Ask your municipality before you have the photo taken.
I live outside the Netherlands. Where do I apply?
Rijksoverheid lists Dutch embassies and consulates, and some border municipalities, for people living abroad. Netherlands Worldwide, the government's service for Dutch nationals abroad, keeps country pages on where to get a photo that meets the Dutch requirements.
Is this the photo I need for a visa to visit the Netherlands?
No. These rules are for Dutch passports and ID cards. A short-stay visa for the Netherlands is a Schengen visa, covered in Schengen visa photo requirements. The Schengen visa photo maker crops your photo to the 35:45 shape with a box you can drag and resize, then saves a 413 x 531 pixel JPG without uploading anything. Check your visa centre's checklist before you submit.