Getting a Maltese passport photo right the first time saves you a wasted trip to the Passport Office. In Malta, travel documents are issued by Identità (formerly Identity Malta Agency), and every photo must follow the 35 × 45 mm European standard with a plain light background and a clearly visible face. Applications are commonly refused for oversized heads, uneven lighting, shadows behind the subject, tinted glasses, or pictures older than six months. Because the Maltese passport is biometric and read at borders across the EU and beyond, precise framing genuinely matters. This page explains the exact Identità requirements and lets you generate a compliant photo in seconds.
Why upload here
Trimming a photo to 35×45 mm by hand almost always throws off the head-height ratio Identità expects. Uploading here does the technical work for you, so the picture is framed correctly the first time.
Your photo is cut to an exact 35×45 mm ratio, no rulers or guesswork.
Head size and eye line are positioned to Maltese and ICAO standards.
Width, height and resolution are set for both print and digital use.
Busy backgrounds are replaced with an even, light neutral tone.
Download a ready-to-print layout for any Maltese photo lab or home printer.
Everything runs in your browser, with nothing to install or learn.
The specifications below reflect the standards used by Identità for the Maltese biometric passport. Digital images should meet the same framing rules as printed photos.
| Requirement | Malta specification |
|---|---|
| Photo size | 35 mm × 45 mm (width × height) |
| Width | 35 mm |
| Height | 45 mm |
| Background | Plain, uniform light grey or white; no shadows, patterns or objects |
| Head size (chin to crown) | Approximately 32–36 mm, filling about 70–80% of the frame height |
| Head height (chin to top of hair) | Around 34.5 mm |
| Resolution | Sharp and in focus; 600 dpi for print, no pixelation or compression artefacts |
| File format | Digital: JPEG, PNG or WebP. Print: good-quality glossy or matte photo paper |
| Glasses rules | Best removed; if medically required, no glare, no tint, frames clear of the eyes |
| Expression rules | Neutral face, mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight at the camera |
| Photo age | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Digital / submission rules | Adults: live facial image captured at the Passport Office. Printed photos needed for minors under 14 and Maltese citizens abroad without a Maltese ID card |
Identità, previously known as the Identity Malta Agency, is the government body responsible for issuing Maltese identity documents, including the biometric passport. The main Passport Office operates from Gattard House in Blata l-Bajda, with services also offered in Gozo through the Ministry for Gozo.
Malta issued its first biometric passport on 30 September 2008, aligning the country with EU legislation and the United States Visa Waiver Program. Fingerprint collection was later introduced in 2010 under EU regulation, which is why the modern application flow now revolves around capturing live biometrics rather than accepting studio prints for most adults.
The Maltese process is built around an in-person appointment. Applicants book a slot, attend the Passport Office with the required documentation, and have their facial image, fingerprints and signature captured on site.
1. Book an appointment through the Identità booking system.
2. Prepare documents such as identity records and any previous passport.
3. Attend in person so live biometrics can be recorded.
4. Collect the passport once processing is complete.
Whether the image is captured live or submitted as a print, the framing standard is the same. Your face should be centred and undistorted, lit evenly with no strong shadows across the features or on the wall behind you.
Children are where printed photos matter most in the Maltese system. For minors under 14, two identical printed photographs are typically required, taken on a white background and printed on good-quality photo paper.
From around age 14, minors attend the Passport Office in person so that live facial biometrics, fingerprints and a signature can be captured, usually accompanied by a parent.
This is where Malta differs from many countries. Rather than posting a print with an application, adults and older minors have their photo taken on the spot. Printed photos are reserved for a few situations:
Even if you fall outside these groups, generating a compliant 35×45 mm photo first is a smart way to check that your appearance, lighting and framing will pass before you sit for the live capture.
Maltese passports follow the ICAO Doc 9303 machine-readable travel document standard, shared across the European Union. That standard is what allows the passport to be read reliably at automated eGates throughout the Schengen area and at borders worldwide.
Consistent head size, sharp focus, even lighting and a neutral background are not cosmetic preferences; they are what facial-recognition systems need to match your live face to the stored image. A photo that drifts from these rules can slow you down at the border even after it has been accepted on paper.
Yes. A modern phone camera is more than capable of producing an Identità-ready image when you get a few basics right, then let the tool handle the technical crop and background.
Use the rear camera at portrait quality; avoid the wide selfie lens, which distorts the face.
Face a window in soft daylight so light falls evenly, with no shadows on your face or the wall.
Stand about half a metre in front of a plain white or light grey wall.
Have someone shoot from roughly 1.5 metres away at eye level, framing head and shoulders.
If a print is needed, use photo paper; the tool exports a correctly sized layout.
Selfie-lens distortion, uneven light, tilting the head, and smiling with the mouth open.
Travellers often assume one photo works everywhere. It does not. The Maltese and American standards differ in shape, head size and how the image is submitted.
| Aspect | Malta | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 35 × 45 mm (rectangular) | 2 × 2 in / 51 × 51 mm (square) |
| Head size | Chin to crown 32–36 mm (~70–80% of height) | Chin to crown 25–35 mm (~50–69% of height) |
| Background | Plain light grey or white | Plain white or off-white |
| Submission format | Live capture at the office for most adults; prints for minors under 14 | Printed 2×2 in photo, or digital upload for online applications |
| Compliance basis | ICAO / EU standard, rectangular format | ICAO-aligned but square US format |
Five quick steps take you from a plain snapshot to a compliant Maltese passport photo.
Add a clear, front-facing photo taken against a light wall.
The image is trimmed to the exact 35×45 mm Maltese ratio.
The backdrop is cleaned to an even light neutral tone.
Head height, eye line and sharpness are checked against Identità rules.
Save a single digital photo or a print-ready sheet.
Most refusals trace back to a short list of avoidable issues. Watch for these before you submit or sit for capture.
Don't risk a second trip to the Passport Office or a refused print. Upload a photo and get an Identità-ready 35×45 mm Maltese passport picture, correctly framed and print-ready, in just a few seconds.
Your image opens directly inside Passport Photo Maker with the Malta template selected automatically.
