Italy Passport Photo Maker — Correct 35×45mm Fototessera Online
Italy Passport Photo Size (Quick Answer)
An Italian passport photo must be 35 mm wide by 45 mm high (3.5 × 4.5 cm), on a plain white background, with the head 32–36 mm from crown to chin. At 300 DPI that is 413 × 531 pixels. Glasses are not permitted at all, including clear prescription lenses.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Photo size | 35 × 45 mm (3.5 × 4.5 cm / 1.38 × 1.77 in) |
| Pixels @ 300 DPI | 413 × 531 px |
| Aspect ratio | 7 : 9 portrait |
| Background | Plain uniform white |
| Head height (crown to chin) | 32 – 36 mm, about 70–80% of frame height |
| Eye line from bottom edge | Approximately 30 – 36 mm |
| Glasses | Not permitted since 2018 — all eyewear removed |
| Copies required | Two identical photographic prints |
| Age of photo | Within the last 6 months |
| Issuing authority | Polizia di Stato — Ufficio Passaporti at each provincial Questura |
Anyone applying for or renewing an Italian passport — at a Questura in Italy or at a consulate abroad — needs a photo that meets the Polizia di Stato's fototessera specification. Italy is also stricter than many EU countries on eyewear: since 2018, even clear prescription glasses must come off, a rule that surprises applicants used to more relaxed standards elsewhere. Because this photo's data feeds directly into Italy's electronic passport chip, getting the size, background, and framing right before your Agenda Online appointment avoids a wasted trip and a second print run.
Italy Passport Photo Visual Reference
The diagram below marks the measurements a Questura officer checks: the 35 × 45 mm frame, the 32–36 mm crown-to-chin head height, and the plain white background.
Italy's Photo Rules: Why 35×40mm Isn't the Right Size
Beyond the size itself, Italy's rules are unusually firm on two points. First, the background must be genuinely uniform white — textured walls or off-white tones are routinely rejected at the Questura counter, not just flagged for review. See the background colour rules for what counts as uniform, and the shadow rules for the lighting setup that avoids a shadow behind the head. Second, glasses of any kind, including clear prescription lenses, have been disallowed since Italy aligned its passport rules with stricter ICAO-style facial recognition standards in 2018 — the glasses rules page covers how this compares with other countries. Both rules exist for the same reason: the photo isn't just a printed image, it's the source data for the biometric chip embedded in every Italian passport.
Create Your Italy Passport Photo Online
Most rejected Italian passport photos aren't poor quality — they're the wrong size, have a slightly uneven background, or still show a pair of glasses the applicant forgot to remove. Because the photo doubles as biometric input, exact framing matters as much as the dimensions: a head a few millimetres outside the 32–36mm crown-to-chin range can be enough to trigger a request for a retake.
📷 Drag and drop a photo here, or click to upload
JPEG or PNG · we'll handle the rest
Passport Photo Maker detects your face, crops it automatically to Italy's 35 × 45mm fototessera size, and centres your head within the correct proportion. It replaces the background with a clean, uniform white, checks resolution against print-quality standards, and lays out a print-ready sheet with two identical copies — the number most Questura appointments require.
Create My Italy Passport PhotoItalian Passport Photo Requirements at a Glance
Every row below must pass for the photo to be accepted. Each rule links to the detailed standard in the passport photo rules library.
| Specification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Photo Size | 35mm × 45mm (3.5cm × 4.5cm) — the fototessera standard |
| Width | 35mm (413 px @ 300 DPI) |
| Height | 45mm (531 px @ 300 DPI) |
| Aspect Ratio | 7 : 9 portrait |
| Background | Plain white, evenly lit, no shadows, patterns, or gradients — see background colour rules |
| Lighting | Even and diffuse, no shadow on the face or wall — see shadow rules |
| Head Size | 32–36mm crown to chin, occupying roughly 70–80% of frame height — see head size rules |
| Face Coverage | 70–80% of frame height — see face size requirements |
| Eye Line | Approximately 30–36mm from the bottom edge, both eyes open — see eyes requirements |
| Hair | Must not fall across the eyebrows or eyes — see hair rules |
| Ears | Both earlobes visible where hair allows — see ears visibility rules |
| Headwear | Not permitted except religious headwear leaving the full face visible — see head covering rules |
| Resolution | Minimum 300 DPI for a sharp print |
| File Format | Colour JPEG for digital tools; two identical photographic prints for in-person submission |
| Glasses Rules | Not permitted — all eyewear, including clear prescription lenses, must be removed |
| Expression Rules | Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open, head forward with no rotation or tilt |
| Clothing | Everyday clothing contrasting with the white background; no uniforms |
| Age of Photo | Taken within the last 6 months and a true likeness of current appearance |
Appointment booked? Get a correctly sized fototessera in under a minute.
Create Italy Passport Photo →Italian Passport Photo Size in Pixels and Other Units
Italian offices publish the specification in millimetres, but online tools and digital submission systems work in pixels. These are the equivalent values for the same physical 35 × 45 mm fototessera.
Anything below 300 DPI prints soft at fototessera size and is refused for insufficient resolution rather than wrong dimensions. Upscaling a small image to 413 × 531 does not help — interpolation invents pixels rather than detail, and the softness around the eyes is exactly what the biometric check measures. Shoot wide and crop down instead; the crop guide explains how the 7:9 ratio and the head-height band are applied together, and resolution rules covers DPI and compression thresholds.
If you are preparing a digital file rather than a print — for a consular upload or a Carta d'Identità Elettronica application — the digital passport photo requirements guide covers pixel, format and file-size rules across portals. To hit a specific kilobyte limit use the compress to 240 KB guide or reduce file size guide, and if your phone saves HEIC files, convert first with the HEIC to JPEG guide.
Italy Compared With Neighbouring and EU Standards
Italy shares the 35 × 45 mm frame with most of Europe, so the size itself travels well. What differs between countries is the background shade and the head-height band — which is why a photo prepared for one country is not automatically valid for another.
| Country | Photo Size | Background | Head Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 35 × 45 mm | Plain white | 32 – 36 mm |
| France | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Germany | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Spain | 35 × 45 mm | Plain white | 32 – 36 mm |
| Austria | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Switzerland | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Slovenia | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Greece | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Malta | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Croatia | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Portugal | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| Netherlands | 35 × 45 mm | Light grey | 32 – 36 mm |
| United Kingdom | 35 × 45 mm | White, cream or light grey | 29 – 34 mm |
| United States | 51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in) | Plain white | 25 – 35 mm |
| China | 33 × 48 mm | Plain white | 28 – 33 mm |
Note the two exceptions worth remembering: the United States uses a square 2 × 2 inch photo, and China uses 33 × 48 mm — its visa photo uses the same 33 × 48 mm size. Neither can be substituted for an Italian fototessera.
Polizia di Stato & the Questura: Who Issues Italian Passports
The Polizia di Stato — Italy's State Police — issues Italian passports domestically through the Ufficio Passaporti housed inside each provincial Questura, while Italian consulates handle applications for citizens living abroad. Unlike a dedicated civilian passport agency, the Questura is the same body responsible for broader public security and identity verification, which is why passport appointments, photo checks, and fingerprinting (where applicable) all happen under one roof.
Photo compliance matters at every stage of this process: the fototessera you submit is scanned and embedded into the passport's biometric chip, so an officer reviewing your application checks it as carefully as your supporting documents. A photo that's undersized, has a tinted background, or still shows glasses is one of the few issues that can stop an otherwise complete application at the counter rather than later in processing.
Italy's Biometric Standards & Why Glasses Are Banned
Italian passports are biometric documents built to ICAO Document 9303 specifications, the same international standard that underpins e-passports worldwide. What sets Italy apart from many peer countries is how strictly it applies the eyewear rule: where some nations still allow clear, glare-free prescription glasses, Italy has required their complete removal since 2018, reasoning that even non-reflective lenses can subtly distort how the facial recognition algorithm reads eye position and shape.
This extends to other framing details too — both earlobes should ideally be visible, hair should not fall across the eyebrows or eyes, and the head must face forward without any rotation or tilt. None of these are arbitrary aesthetic preferences; each one maps to a measurement the biometric matching system relies on when your passport is later checked against your face at a border.
Booking Your Questura Appointment & Submitting Your Photo
Passport applications in Italy require a mandatory appointment booked through the Agenda Online system at passaportonline.poliziadistato.it, or in some areas through Poste Italiane; walk-ins generally aren't accepted. In major cities like Rome and Milan, slots can book out weeks ahead, so it's worth securing your appointment before finalising your photo. Bring two identical 35 × 45mm prints along with your supporting documents and proof of the relevant passport tax payment — the Questura will not accept a single photo or a digital file in place of physical prints at most offices.
How to Create an Italy Passport Photo
- Take or select a photo without glasses. Face an even light source and keep a neutral, mouth-closed expression. Stand at least 50 cm clear of the wall so no shadow falls behind your head.
- Upload it to Passport Photo Maker. The tool detects your face and measures it against the 35 × 45mm fototessera template.
- Let the tool crop and centre your photo. Your head lands within the 32–36mm range and the background switches to clean, uniform white.
- Review the compliance check. Confirm size, background, and framing pass before printing — this mirrors what an officer checks at the Questura.
- Print two identical copies. Use genuine photographic paper at a print shop or kiosk, then bring both to your Agenda Online appointment.
Italian Passport Photos for Babies, Infants and Children
Italian minors need their own passport rather than being added to a parent's document, so every child — including a newborn — requires a compliant fototessera. The 35 × 45 mm size, plain white background and 32–36 mm head height apply exactly as they do to adults. There is no smaller format and no reduced head-height band for infants.
Same size, same head height
35 × 45 mm frame with the head filling 70–80% of the height. No age exemption applies to dimensions or framing.
Child alone in the frame
No toys, dummies, supporting hands, car seat or other people may appear. Support the child from behind a plain white sheet.
Expression flexibility
Officers generally allow some latitude on the neutral-expression rule for very young children, but the face must still be fully visible and forward-facing.
No shadow behind the head
Lay the child on a plain white sheet in soft indirect daylight and shoot from directly above. Overhead side lighting creates the shadow that fails the background check.
Hair off the face
Hair must not fall across the eyes or obscure the outline of the face. See the hair rules.
Still two prints
A child's application needs the same two identical photographic prints as an adult's, and the 6-month recency rule matters more because appearance changes fast.
Positioning, lighting and timing technique for infants and toddlers is covered in the baby passport photo at home guide. The eyes requirements and shadow rules pages cover the two checks that fail most often on child photos.
Photographing a child? Upload the shot and let the tool apply the fototessera crop.
Create Child Photo →Printing Your Italian Fototessera
Italy is one of the countries where printing is genuinely part of the specification: most Questura offices require two identical physical prints and will not accept a digital file. Home inkjet prints on plain paper are commonly refused, so the paper matters as much as the crop.
| Print resolution | 300 DPI — disable fit-to-page and auto-scaling, which change the physical size |
|---|---|
| Paper | Genuine photographic paper, 200–250 gsm, glossy or matte. Plain office paper is refused |
| Copies needed | Two identical prints for most Questura appointments |
| Copies per 10 × 15 cm sheet | Six 35 × 45 mm photos with cutting margins |
| Copies per A4 sheet | Around twenty, though you only need two |
| Cutting | Guillotine or steel rule for square edges. Do not cut inside the printed border |
| Colour management | sRGB. Turn off printer auto-enhance, skin smoothing and colour correction |
| Handling | Let ink dry fully. Do not staple, fold or glue the photo face |
Printer settings, paper choice and cutting technique are covered in full in the print passport photo at home guide, and multi-copy sheet layout in the print sheet guide.
Common Reasons Italian Passport Photos Get Rejected
Each item below links to the detailed rule so you can confirm the exact tolerance before your appointment. The full cross-country breakdown is in passport photo rejection reasons.
- Wrong dimensions — most often a 35×40mm crop, or a size borrowed from another country's template. See the crop guide.
- Glasses still worn — including clear prescription lenses, which Italy disallows entirely. See the glasses rules.
- Background not uniformly white — textured walls, beige tones, or visible shadows. See the background colour rules.
- Shadow behind the head — standing too close to the wall, or a single side light source. See the shadow rules.
- Head size out of range — crown-to-chin measurement falling outside 32–36mm. See the head size rules.
- Hair across the eyes or eyebrows — Italian guidance is specific that the eye region must be unobstructed. See the hair rules.
- Ears obscured — both earlobes should be visible where the hairstyle allows. See the ears visibility rules.
- Non-religious headwear — hats and caps are refused; religious headwear must leave the full face visible. See the head covering rules.
- Only one print submitted — most Questura appointments expect two identical copies.
- Printed on plain paper — genuine photographic paper is expected; inkjet on office paper is commonly refused.
- Photo older than 6 months — common with renewal applicants reusing an old passport photo.
- Low resolution or visible compression — soft, pixelated prints that don't hold up at fototessera size. See the resolution rules.
- Head rotation or tilt — Italian guidance is specific that the face must be fully forward-facing.
- Filters or retouching — portrait blur and skin smoothing alter facial geometry and are detected by biometric validation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Size & Specification
What is the Italy passport photo size?
The Italian passport photo size is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, also written 3.5 × 4.5 cm or 1.38 × 1.77 inches. At 300 DPI it equals 413 × 531 pixels with a 7:9 portrait ratio. This is the fototessera standard, and the same size applies to the passport, the electronic identity card and Schengen visa photos.
Is the Italian passport photo 35×40mm or 35×45mm?
35×45mm. The 35×40mm figure that circulates online doesn't match the fototessera standard used for Italian passports, ID cards, or Schengen visas — using it will produce a photo the wrong shape for your application.
What head size does an Italian passport photo need?
The head must measure 32 to 36 mm from crown to chin, filling roughly 70 to 80 percent of the 45 mm frame height. The eye line should sit approximately 30 to 36 mm up from the bottom edge. A head a few millimetres outside that band is enough to trigger a retake request at the counter.
What is the Italian passport photo size in pixels?
At 300 DPI the 35 × 45 mm fototessera equals 413 × 531 pixels. At 600 DPI it equals 826 × 1062 pixels. Files below 300 DPI print soft at fototessera size and are refused for insufficient resolution rather than wrong dimensions.
Appearance & Compliance
Can I wear glasses in an Italian passport photo?
No. Italy has required glasses-free passport photos since 2018, including clear prescription lenses, so the facial recognition system can read the eyes without any obstruction. This is stricter than several other EU states, which still permit glare-free prescription glasses.
What background is required for an Italian passport photo?
A genuinely uniform plain white background with no shadows, patterns, gradients or texture. Italy is firm on this point: textured walls and off-white or beige tones are routinely refused at the Questura counter rather than merely flagged for review.
What should I wear for an Italian passport photo?
Everyday clothing that contrasts with the white background — avoid white or very pale tops that blend into the backdrop. Uniforms aren't allowed, and headwear is only permitted for religious reasons, provided your full face stays visible.
How recent must an Italian passport photo be?
No older than 6 months, and it needs to be a true likeness of your current appearance — a reused old photo will raise questions if you've changed noticeably since it was taken.
Children & Submission
What photo is required for a child's Italian passport?
The same 35×45mm size, plain white background and 32–36 mm head height as an adult photo, since Italian children need their own passport rather than being added to a parent's. Some flexibility on expression is generally allowed for very young children, but no toys, dummies, supporting hands or other people may appear in frame. See the child and infant section.
How many Italian passport photos do I need to submit?
Two identical prints for most Questura appointments. Consulates abroad sometimes follow the same rule, but it's worth checking with your specific consulate beforehand. Most offices will not accept a single photo or a digital file in place of physical prints.
Which authority issues passports in Italy?
The Polizia di Stato, through the Ufficio Passaporti at each provincial Questura, or through Italian consulates for citizens applying from abroad. Appointments are booked through the Agenda Online system.
Taking & Printing
Can I take my own Italy passport photo at home?
Yes, as long as the result meets the 35×45mm fototessera spec with a plain white background and even lighting. Print on genuine photographic paper — home-inkjet prints on regular paper are often refused.
How do I print an Italian passport photo at home?
Print at 300 DPI on genuine photographic paper of 200 to 250 gsm. A 10 × 15 cm sheet holds six 35 × 45 mm copies and an A4 sheet holds around twenty, though you only need two. Cut with a guillotine for square edges and do not trim inside the printed border. See the print at home guide.
Create Your Italy Passport Photo Now
Upload a photo and get a Polizia di Stato–ready 35×45mm fototessera — correctly sized, glasses-free, and background-corrected before your Questura appointment.
Start My Italy Passport PhotoOfficial Sources & References
- Polizia di Stato — passport information and photo requirements: poliziadistato.it
- Agenda Online — passport appointment booking system: passaportonline.poliziadistato.it
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) — consular services for citizens abroad: esteri.it
- European Commission — Schengen borders and visa policy: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
- ICAO Doc 9303 — Machine Readable Travel Documents biometric photograph standard: icao.int
Related Passport Photo Guides
- Passport Photo Maker — Main Tool — create a 35×45mm fototessera online
- Passport Photo Requirements by Country — every national standard in one hub
- Passport Photo Rules & Standards — background, head size, eyes, hair and shadows
- Italy Visa Photo Requirements — same 35×45mm size, different submission route
- Schengen Visa Photo Requirements — for applicants visiting Italy
- 35×45mm Photo Size Tool — full unit and pixel conversions
- EU Passport Photo Requirements — the shared European biometric standard
- France Passport Photo Requirements — neighbouring country, light grey background
- Austria Passport Photo Requirements — neighbouring country guide
- Switzerland Passport Photo Requirements — neighbouring country guide
- Slovenia Passport Photo Requirements — neighbouring country guide
- Spain Passport Photo Requirements — plain white background, like Italy
- Germany Passport Photo Requirements
- Greece Passport Photo Requirements
- Malta Passport Photo Requirements
- Croatia Passport Photo Requirements
- Portugal Passport Photo Requirements
- Netherlands Passport Photo Requirements
- Crop Guide — applying the 7:9 ratio and head-height band
- Print at Home Guide — paper, settings and cutting
- Baby Passport Photo at Home — technique for infants and toddlers
- Digital Photo Requirements — pixel, format and file size rules
- China Passport Photo and China Visa Photo — the 33×48mm exception