Italian Passport Photo Requirements 2026: 35x45 mm Fototessera, White Background

Fast answer: Italian passport photo requirements

For Italian passport photo requirements 2026, use a recent 35 x 45 mm fototessera. The face should fill about 70-80% of the photo height, the background should be white and evenly lit for the passport/ICAO route, and the person should face the camera with a neutral expression and open visible eyes.

The same 35 x 45 mm frame also appears in CIE and many Italy visa workflows, but the route changes the final checks. A passport photo is checked by the questura or consulate. A CIE photo can be digitised by the Comune and may use a JPG on USB when that route is accepted. A visa centre can add its own copy-count or upload checklist.

If you are ready to prepare the file, open the Italy passport preset in Passlens, then use the passport photo checker before printing or exporting. If the application is a visa rather than an Italian passport, use the Italy visa photo requirements guide instead of mixing the two workflows.

Overview

Searches for Italian passport photo and Italian passport photo requirements usually mean one practical thing: a 35 x 45 mm biometric fototessera that will be accepted at the questura, consulate, or related Italian document office. The Italian passport photo follows ICAO-style rules: recent colour photo, full front view, neutral expression, open visible eyes, and a white, evenly lit background.

For Italian passport photo size searches, the short answer is 35 x 45 mm. The face should take about 70-80% of the image height, which usually lands close to the familiar 32-36 mm chin-to-crown range used across many European document-photo rules. The photo must still look natural and unedited, with no shadows, red-eye, heavy glare, or tilted head.

The same page also answers looser English phrasing such as Italian passport picture requirements, Italian passport picture size, Italy passport photo requirements, and passport photo size Italy. In practice those queries still point back to the same Italian fototessera rule set: 35 x 45 mm, correct biometric crop, and a clean submission route for the office handling the application.

Do not blend every Italian photo workflow into one rule. A passport appointment normally starts from the passport/ICAO fototessera. The CIE route is handled by the municipality and may digitise a printed photo or accept a JPG on USB when the Comune supports that route. Italy visa-photo pages often use the same 35 x 45 mm frame, but the visa application centre can add its own checklist.

Italy is also a useful example for broader searches like passport photo requirements because it shows how a familiar European size still sits inside a country-specific workflow. The questura, the comune, and consulates all expect the same basic biometric photo, but the practical steps and submission route still matter.

If your search is specifically Italian passport photo requirements 2026, the short version is simple: use a compliant 35 x 45 mm fototessera, keep the face in the right biometric zone, use a clean white passport background, and prepare the photo for the office you are actually dealing with, whether that is a questura, a comune, a consulate, or a visa centre.

If you only need the short answer, Italy uses a 35 x 45 mm fototessera with a white background, a 70-80% face zone, and the exact passport, CIE, consular, or visa route checked before export. If you are ready to make the file now, open the Italy passport preset in Passlens and then compare it with the route-specific checks below.

For Italian passport photo dimensions, Italian passport photo guidelines, and Italian passport photo specifications, keep the same practical checks together: 35 x 45 mm size, natural colour, no red-eye, no heavy glare, no tilted head, and a face that fills about 70-80% of the photo height. In inches, the outer photo is about 1.38 x 1.77 inches, but millimetres remain the cleaner reference for the official check.

If you are looking for an Italian passport photo example, use the official requirements as the example rather than copying a random image: square shoulders, full face, eyes open, mouth closed, no smile, no shadow behind the head, and a plain white or accepted light background depending on the route. A good example should look plain, not styled.

Official Italian passport photo quick answers

The official Italian passport photo answer starts with the 35 x 45 mm ICAO-style fototessera. That is the answer for Italian passport photo 35 x 45 mm official size searches, but the route still matters: choose the questura, comune, consulate, or visa-centre route before you export.

The main trap is treating “Italian passport photo” as a simple size conversion. The 35 x 45 mm frame is only the start. The background, face height, glasses, print quality, and appointment route all have to line up. A strong export should survive the exact questura passport appointment, CIE desk, consulate, or Italy visa-centre check you are facing.

Italian passport photo size: 35 x 45 mm

Italian passport photo size: quick answer

The Italian passport photo size is 35 x 45 mm, often requested as a fototessera. Some older local pages or appointment sheets describe the width differently, but current consular ICAO guidance gives 35 x 45 mm for passport and identity-card photos. If your appointment sheet gives a stricter local instruction, follow that document.

For a quick comparison, use the passport photo size by country guide. It shows how Italy fits into the wider European 35 x 45 mm family. If you need a digital file for an upload workflow, use the passport photo size in pixels guide before exporting so the physical size and pixel size stay aligned.

At common print resolutions, 35 x 45 mm is about 413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI or 827 x 1063 pixels at 600 DPI. Those pixel numbers are useful for checking an export, but the final appointment photo still needs the right face size, neutral expression, and plain white or accepted light background for the route.

Italian passport photo requirements 2026 checklist

• Photo size: 35 x 45 mm fototessera.
• Face height: about 70-80% of the photo height from chin to forehead/crown zone.
• Background: white and uniformly lit for passport/ICAO guidance; CIE municipal guidance also allows other very light uniform backgrounds.
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, full face visible.
• Glasses: clear lenses only, no heavy frames, no coloured lenses, no reflections, and no part of the eyes hidden.
• Questura route: bring the number of printed photos your appointment requires.
• CIE route: your Comune digitises the photo; some routes can accept a JPG on USB if it follows the technical rules.

Italy Fototessera Size in Simple Terms

When people search for Italy passport photo size or fototessera passaporto, they usually need the standard Italian biometric format: 35 x 45 mm. The face still needs to be sized correctly inside that frame, so the format and the crop both matter.

The same general size is used across many Italian document workflows, but passport offices still check expression, centering, background quality, and whether the face fills the right amount of the frame. That is why it helps to treat fototessera as more than just a print size.

If you also need the digital-upload side of the workflow, pair this page with the digital passport photo requirements guide. It covers the file-size, JPEG, and upload checks that matter once the crop itself is correct. For quick pixel conversions between 35x45 mm, 2x2 inch, and 50x70 mm exports, use the passport photo size in pixels guide.

CIE digital photo checks

Italian CIE guidance is useful for anyone moving between printed fototessera and digital identity-photo workflows. The municipality normally digitises the picture at the desk, but the official CIE route can also accept a JPG on USB when the office supports that method.

This does not mean every passport application is now a digital upload. Use the digital passport photo guide for upload-first routes, the passport photo size in pixels guide for export math, and the 35 x 45 mm photo size guide when you need the physical frame.

Official Specifications

The photo must be 35 mm wide and 45 mm tall. The face from chin to crown must measure between 32 mm and 36 mm. The photo must be recent, sharp, and show the full front view of the face.

Background Requirements

For an Italian passport photo, use a white, uniformly lit background. No patterns, shadows, gradients, or visible objects should appear behind the subject. If you are preparing a CIE photo, the official CIE guidance also lists several light background colours, but the safest passport answer is still plain white.

Unlike France, Italy accepts white for passport photos and MAECI consular ICAO guidance specifically calls for a white background with uniform light. The most important practical factor is uniformity: no shadows, no brightness bands, and no edge halo around the hair or shoulders.

If you are comparing Italy with France, Germany, or the UK, use the passport photo background color guide as a companion page. Italy often accepts white or very light backgrounds, but that does not mean the same answer carries over to every European passport workflow.

Clothing and Appearance

Italian biometric photo rules require a neutral expression with the mouth closed. The face must be fully visible, and the photo should reflect your everyday appearance.

Italian passport photo glasses rule: not a total ban

You may see the glasses rule summarized as “no glasses.” Official Italian ICAO guidance is more specific: clear prescription glasses can be accepted only when the eyes are fully visible, there is no reflection, the lenses are not coloured, and the frame does not cover the eyes. Removing glasses is usually the cleaner choice, but it is not the same as a total ban.

• Glasses: Clear prescription glasses can be worn only if the eyes remain fully visible, there is no glare on the lenses, the lenses are not coloured, and the frame does not cover any part of the eyes. Removing glasses is usually safer.
• Head coverings: Not allowed except for documented religious reasons. The entire face from chin to forehead must be visible.
• Expression: Neutral, with mouth closed. No smiling, no frowning.
• Eyes: Both eyes must be open and clearly visible, looking directly at the camera.
• Hair: Must not cover the eyes, eyebrows, or ears (ears visible is preferred).
• Babies and children: The child must be the only subject in the photo. For infants, eyes should be open and the mouth can be slightly open.

Free Italian passport photo maker

Use Passlens as a free Italian passport photo maker when you need the official 35 x 45 mm crop, a measured face-height check, and a print or JPG export that still matches the Italian document route. The app can prepare the photo in the browser, but you still need to follow the final questura, comune, consulate, or visa-centre route.

1. Open Passlens and select the Italy Passport preset.
2. Take a photo with even lighting and a neutral expression, or upload an existing portrait.
3. Passlens crops to 35 x 45 mm and verifies face height (32–36 mm).
4. Use background cleanup only when the result still looks clean, natural, and evenly lit.
5. Use the passport photo checker for head centering, expression, and background quality.
6. Print a measured sheet through passport photo print layouts, or export a JPG only when your CIE or related workflow explicitly accepts a digital support route.

Where to Submit

Italian passport applications are processed at the questura (police headquarters) or commissariato (police station). The CIE (electronic ID card) is issued at the comune (municipality). Appointments are required for both.

If you are checking Italy against other countries that also use 35 x 45 mm, the passport photo requirements by country guide is the fastest way to compare the crop, background, and workflow differences before you book an appointment.

If the application is for a visa rather than an Italian passport, open the Italy visa photo requirements guide before printing. Schengen and consular checklists often use the same 35 x 45 mm frame, but the copy count, appointment handling, and background wording can differ.

The fastest way to avoid a wasted questura visit is to treat the passport photo as part of the appointment checklist, not as a last-minute print. The biometric crop itself is stable, but the practical route changes depending on whether you are preparing a passport, a CIE, a visa, or a consular submission.

• Questura (passport): Book an appointment through the Agenda Online system at passaportonline.poliziadistato.it. Bring two identical photos.
• Comune (CIE): Book through your municipality’s website. The Comune digitises the photo; official CIE guidance also allows a JPG on USB when accepted by that route.
• Italy visa route: Many Italy visa-photo instructions use 35 x 45 mm, but always check the visa centre checklist for the exact upload or print rule.
• Consulates abroad: Italian citizens abroad apply through their local consulate. Processing times may be longer.

Common Mistakes

Italian authorities check photos carefully during in-person appointments. These are the most common reasons for rejection:

• Shadow behind head — The most common issue in Italian photo rejections. Stand well away from the background wall.
• Glasses with glare — Reflections that obscure the iris or pupil. It is safest to remove glasses.
• Face not centered — The head must be exactly centered horizontally and properly positioned vertically.
• Expression not neutral — Smiling, frowning, or open-mouth expressions are rejected.
• Incorrect dimensions — Using the wrong print size or incorrect face proportions.
• Poor print quality — Photos printed on regular paper or low-resolution images.
• Photo not recent — Must be taken within the last 6 months and reflect current appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Italian passport photo requirements for 2026?

Use a 35 x 45 mm biometric fototessera, keep the face at about 70-80% of the photo height, use a white uniform background for passport guidance, keep a neutral expression, and bring the number of prints required by your questura or related office. The biometric rules are stable even when the submission path changes.

Can I wear glasses in my Italian passport photo?

You can wear clear prescription glasses only if the eyes are clearly visible, there is no flash reflection, the lenses are not coloured, and the frame does not hide any part of the eyes. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not allowed. Removing glasses is usually the safest approach.

Is the photo the same for passport and CIE?

They are closely related, but do not treat them as identical workflows. Both start from the same 35 x 45 mm identity-photo frame, while the CIE municipal guidance explains how the Comune digitises the photo and can accept a JPG on USB when that route is supported. For a passport, follow the questura or consular passport checklist.

Do I need to book an appointment for the questura?

Yes, an appointment is mandatory for passport applications. Book through the Agenda Online system at passaportonline.poliziadistato.it. In major cities like Rome and Milan, appointments can be booked out weeks in advance, so plan ahead.

What should I bring to a questura passport appointment?

At minimum, bring the compliant 35 x 45 mm fototessera prints required by the appointment instructions, your supporting identity documents, and the booking confirmation. The exact administrative paperwork varies, but the photo itself still needs to meet the Italian biometric rules before the questura will accept it.

Can I use a fototessera from a photo booth (cabina fotografica)?

Yes, approved photo booths that produce biometric-standard photos are widely available in Italy, often found in metro stations and post offices. However, the quality varies, and they do not always produce compliant results. Using Passlens gives you more control over the outcome.

Can I use the same fototessera for passport, CIE, and other Italian ID workflows?

Often yes, because the underlying biometric photo is the same 35 x 45 mm fototessera. But the safest approach is still to check the exact document route, because the passport, CIE, visa, and consular workflows can differ on how many prints you need, whether the submission is digital, and where the photo is checked.

How many photos do I need?

For a passport application, you need two identical photos. For the CIE, one photo is typically sufficient as it is captured digitally at the comune. Always bring extras as a precaution.

Sources

• Ministero degli Affari Esteri — Linee guida foto ICAO
• Polizia di Stato — Passaporto online
• Ministero dell Interno — Modalita di acquisizione delle foto CIE