The Dutch specification is unusually precise: 35 × 45 mm overall, with the face measuring 26–30 mm from chin to crown (ages 11+) and 16–20 mm wide from ear to ear. Backgrounds must be light grey, light blue or white — and the print resolution floor is 400 dpi. Full Government.nl rules below.
Make a Netherlands Passport Photo →Per the Dutch government (government.nl and netherlandsworldwide.nl). The same requirements apply to passports, identity cards and driving licences.
| Photo size | 35 × 45 mm (width × height), portrait |
|---|---|
| Face height | 26 – 30 mm chin to crown for ages 11 and over; 19 – 30 mm for children aged 10 and under |
| Face width | 16 – 20 mm from ear to ear |
| Background | Light grey, light blue or white — plain, one colour, one shade, with sufficient contrast against the head |
| Resolution | Minimum 400 dpi, printed on high-quality smooth photo paper |
| Head position | Head shown in full and centered; facing forward, eyes horizontally aligned, head not tilted, shoulders straight |
| Recency | Taken within the last 6 months; not a reproduction and unaltered by software |
| Glasses | Allowed — the applicant decides. Lenses must be fully transparent with no glare, frames clear of the eyes, no shadow |
| Expression | Neutral, looking straight at the camera, mouth closed |
| Head covering | Permitted only for religious or belief reasons (or medical hair loss); must be plain, one colour and contrast with the background |
The face measurement is what Dutch desks check most closely — measure it before printing.
Use a plain light grey, light blue or white wall. Even daylight on the face, no shadow on the background, no reflection on the skin.
Camera at eye level, head shown in full and centered, shoulders straight, neutral expression with the mouth closed.
Upload to IDPhotoWork — we crop to 35 × 45 mm, verify the chin-to-crown measurement sits inside 26–30 mm and export a 400 dpi-ready file.