Sweden · Passport Photo
Sweden Passport Photo Size: The Exact 35×45mm Specification
A Swedish passport photo is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, with the head measuring 32–36 mm from chin to crown on a plain, even light background.
It is a precise biometric document checked against rules set by the Swedish Police Authority (Polismyndigheten). Most refused photos fail for the same handful of reasons: the head sits too large or too small in the frame, the background carries shadow or texture, or the photo is too old to reflect current appearance. Since the police photograph you on the spot for the passport itself, this guide covers everything around that process — Schengen visa applications, national ID card preparation, and embassy submissions abroad — where a correctly sized 35×45 mm photo is still required from you.
Sweden Photo Spec
Sweden Passport Photo Size (Quick Answer)
The Sweden passport photo size is 35 mm × 45 mm (3.5 × 4.5 cm), on a plain white or light grey background, with the head 32–36 mm from chin to crown — roughly 71–80% of the frame height. At 300 DPI that equals 413 × 531 pixels with a 7:9 portrait ratio, taken within the last 6 months.
| 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 |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 32 – 36 mm |
| Head coverage | Approximately 71 – 80% of frame height |
| Background | Plain white or light grey, even, no shadow |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Issuing authority | Swedish Police Authority (Polismyndigheten) |
| Passport photo capture | Taken by the police in person at a Passexpedition |
Why Use the Tool Instead of Cropping It Yourself
Automatic Crop
The tool maps your photo straight onto the 35×45mm frame instead of you guessing pixel ratios in an image editor. See the crop guide.
Biometric Head Framing
Your head is measured and positioned to land inside the 32–36mm chin-to-crown range Sweden's biometric standard expects. See head size rules.
Correct Dimensions, Every Time
Output is locked to 35×45mm at print resolution, so there's no risk of submitting an off-size photo.
Even, Compliant Background
Shadows, clutter, and uneven tone behind you are automatically replaced with a plain light background. See background rules.
Printable Photo Sheet
Get a ready-to-print sheet sized for standard photo paper if your application or embassy needs a physical copy.
No Photoshop Required
Everything — cropping, background, sizing — happens in the browser. No design software, no manual measuring.
Sweden Passport Photo Visual Reference
Sweden uses the same 35 × 45 mm European biometric frame as Germany, France, the Netherlands and every other Schengen state. The diagram below marks the frame proportions, the head-height band and the pixel equivalent at 300 DPI.
Sweden Passport Photo Requirements
These specifications reflect the standard EU/Schengen biometric photo format that Sweden's passport and travel documents follow. Each rule links to the detailed standard in the passport photo rules library.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Photo Size | 35mm × 45mm (3.5 × 4.5 cm) |
| Width | 35mm (413 px @ 300 DPI) |
| Height | 45mm (531 px @ 300 DPI) |
| Aspect Ratio | 7 : 9 portrait |
| Background | Plain white or light grey, even lighting, no shadows or patterns — see background colour rules |
| Lighting | Even and diffuse, no shadow on the face or the wall behind — see shadow rules |
| Head Size | 32mm–36mm from chin to crown — see head size rules |
| Head Coverage | Approximately 71–80% of frame height — see face size requirements |
| Eye Line | Roughly 30–36 mm up from the bottom edge, both eyes open and visible — see eyes requirements |
| Hair | Must not fall across the eyes or obscure the outline of the face — see hair rules |
| Ears | Not mandatory under the EU standard, but the face outline must be clear — see ears visibility rules |
| Head Coverings | Not permitted except for documented religious or medical reasons, with the full face visible — see head covering rules |
| Resolution | 300 DPI minimum, sharp, no pixelation or compression artefacts — see resolution rules |
| File Format | JPEG for digital submissions; matte or glossy photo paper for prints |
| Colour | 24-bit colour, sRGB, natural skin tones, no filters or beautification |
| Glasses Rules | Clear lenses only, no glare, no tint; eyes fully visible — see glasses rules |
| Expression Rules | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open, facing forward — see smile rules |
| Photo Age | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Digital Submission Rules | Varies by use case — see the pixel and file size section below |
Pixels, File Size & Format
Physical millimetres mean nothing to an upload form — portals check pixels and kilobytes. Where you submit a 35 × 45 mm photo digitally, such as a Schengen visa application or a national ID pre-check, these are the values that matter.
| JPEG quality | Typical size at 413 × 531 | Suitability |
|---|---|---|
| 100 (maximum) | 180 – 320 KB | Exceeds the usual 240 KB Schengen ceiling |
| 90 | 90 – 160 KB | Safe for Schengen and EU portals |
| 85 (recommended) | 45 – 100 KB | Safe, with no visible quality loss |
| 60 or lower | Under 35 KB | Risk of visible compression around the eyes |
Why you cannot enlarge a small photo
Upscaling a 207 × 266 pixel image to 413 × 531 does not add detail — it interpolates, and the result is soft around the eyes and hairline. Automated checks measure sharpness, so an upscaled file fails even when the pixel count reads correctly. Shoot wide and crop down instead; any phone camera from the last five years clears the requirement.
Need to hit a specific limit? The compress to 240 KB guide covers the Schengen ceiling, and the digital passport photo requirements guide covers pixel and format rules across portals. If your phone saves HEIC files, convert first with the HEIC to JPEG guide.
Polismyndigheten: Passport Authority Overview
Passports for Swedish citizens are issued by the Swedish Police Authority (Polismyndigheten), not a separate civil registry. Passport offices, known as Passexpeditioner, sit inside police stations across the country and at select Swedish embassies and consulates abroad. Because passport issuance is handled by national police, the same visit that produces your passport also captures your fingerprints, since Swedish passports issued since October 2005 are biometric documents.
This is one reason Sweden's process differs from countries where you upload a photo before your appointment: here, the photo is one part of a wider in-person identity and biometric check that the police themselves carry out at the passport office terminal. Residence and visa matters for non-citizens are handled separately by the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), where you do normally supply your own photo.
How the Swedish Passport Application Works
Every applicant — adults, teenagers, and children alike — must appear in person at a passport office. There is no mail-in or fully digital path for a standard Swedish passport. The typical visit covers:
- Booking an appointment in advance through the police's online booking system
- Bringing valid proof of identity (an existing Swedish passport, national ID card, or driving licence)
- Having your photo and fingerprints captured directly at the passport office terminal
- Paying the application fee on-site by card
- Collecting the finished passport at a passport office once it's ready, typically within one to two weeks domestically
Because the photo for the passport itself is taken by Polismyndigheten staff, a self-prepared photo isn't submitted for that specific step. Where a prepared 35×45mm photo matters is everything adjacent: Schengen visa applications, Sweden visa photo submissions, national ID card pre-checks, employer or student ID documentation, and passport applications submitted through certain embassies abroad that do accept a supplied photo.
Child Passport Photo Requirements
Children, including infants, must also appear in person at a Swedish passport office, and all legal guardians must provide written consent for applicants under 18. The 35 × 45 mm size, background and 32–36 mm head-height band apply to minors exactly as they do to adults — there is no smaller format for infants. What changes is a narrow set of expression and eye rules:
- Only the child should appear in the frame — no parent's hand, arm, car seat, toy, or pacifier visible
- A neutral expression is preferred, though infants are generally allowed to have closed eyes
- The child should face forward with the head positioned centrally, same as an adult photo
- Clothing should contrast with the plain light background so the outline of the head and shoulders is clear
- No shadow may fall on the wall behind the head — lay the child on a plain light sheet in soft indirect daylight and shoot from directly above
- Shoot wide and crop down; cropping tightly in-camera on a small face leaves too few pixels once the 7:9 frame is applied
Positioning, lighting and timing technique for babies and toddlers is covered in the baby passport photo at home guide. The two checks that fail most often on child photos are covered in eyes requirements and shadow rules.
Can I Take My Sweden Passport Photo at Home?
For the official Swedish passport itself, no — the photo is captured by Polismyndigheten at the passport office. But for a Schengen visa, an ID card pre-check, or an embassy application that does accept a submitted photo, a home-taken photo can absolutely work if you follow a few rules.
Phone Camera Requirements
Use the rear camera on your phone rather than the front-facing one — it typically captures sharper detail and avoids the slight distortion of selfie lenses. Ask someone else to take the photo for you rather than using a tripod selfie timer where possible. Switch off portrait mode, background blur and skin smoothing, which alter facial geometry and are detected by automated checks.
Lighting
Face a window or other soft, even light source so both sides of your face are lit equally. Avoid overhead lighting that casts shadows under the eyes or chin, and avoid direct flash, which tends to wash out detail and create red-eye.
Background
Stand about a meter in front of a plain, light-colored wall, and keep at least half a metre of clearance so no shadow falls behind your head. You don't need the background perfectly even — the tool replaces it automatically once you upload your photo.
Distance From Camera
Keep roughly one meter between you and the camera, with the lens at eye level. Standing too close distorts facial proportions; standing too far makes it harder to crop the head to the correct 32–36mm range.
The mistakes that most often spoil a home-taken photo are listed in the common rejection reasons section below.
Printing a 35×45 mm Swedish Photo
If a physical copy is needed for an embassy appointment or a paper application, print at full resolution on photo paper rather than regular printer paper, which blurs fine detail and is refused outright by most authorities.
| Setting | Specification |
|---|---|
| Print resolution | 300 DPI minimum — disable fit-to-page scaling, which changes the physical size |
| Paper | Glossy or matte photo paper, 200–250 gsm. Plain copier paper is refused |
| Copies per 4 × 6 inch sheet | Six 35 × 45 mm photos with cutting margins |
| Copies per A4 sheet | Around twenty |
| Colour management | sRGB. Turn off printer auto-enhance and colour correction |
| Cutting | Guillotine or steel rule for square edges. Do not cut inside the printed border |
| Handling | Let ink dry fully. Do not staple, fold or glue the photo face |
Printer settings 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.
Sweden Compared to Other Passport Photo Standards
Sweden follows the EU/Schengen biometric format. The United States and China each use their own distinct standards, and none of the three are interchangeable.
| Specification | Sweden | United States | China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 35mm × 45mm | 2in × 2in (51mm × 51mm) | 33mm × 48mm |
| Aspect ratio | 7 : 9 | 1 : 1 | 11 : 16 |
| Pixels @ 300 DPI | 413 × 531 | 600 × 600 | 390 × 567 |
| Head Size | 32–36mm chin to crown | 25–35mm (1–1⅜in) chin to crown | 28–33mm chin to crown |
| Background | Plain white or light grey | Plain white or off-white | Plain white only |
| Submission Format | In-person capture at passport office; printed photo for select embassy/visa uses | Printed photo or digital upload, depending on application type | Two printed photos plus one digital file |
| Compliance Basis | Aligned with the Schengen biometric standard across the EU | Set independently by the US Department of State | Set by the National Immigration Administration of China |
Full specifications for the other two standards are in the US passport photo and China passport photo guides, with the China visa photo page covering the traveller version. Every national standard is indexed in the passport photo requirements by country hub.
How to Create a Sweden Passport Photo
- Upload your photo. Choose a clear, well-lit photo from your phone or computer using the upload tool above.
- Let the tool crop it. Your photo is automatically resized and cropped to the 35×45mm frame with the head positioned inside the 32–36mm range.
- Fix the background. Any background clutter, shadow, or color is replaced with a plain, even light background.
- Verify the result. Check the preview against the dimension and head-size guides before downloading.
- Download. Save a 413 × 531 pixel digital file for online submissions or a print-ready sheet for physical copies.
Ready now? Open the Passport Photo Maker and get a 35×45 mm file in under a minute.
Common Rejection Reasons for Sweden-Style Passport Photos
These are the failures that recur most often, whether the photo goes to a visa portal, an embassy, or an ID pre-check. The full cross-country breakdown is in passport photo rejection reasons.
- Incorrect dimensions — photo isn't sized to the 35×45mm frame; see the crop guide
- Wrong background — patterned, dark, or uneven backgrounds; see background rules
- Head too large — exceeds the 36mm chin-to-crown maximum
- Head too small — falls under the 32mm chin-to-crown minimum; see head size rules
- Shadows on the face or background from harsh or one-sided lighting; see shadow rules
- Glasses glare obscuring the eyes; see glasses rules
- Hair across the eyes or eyebrows breaking facial-landmark detection; see hair rules
- Smiling or an open mouth — a neutral expression with closed lips is required; see smile rules
- Photo older than six months and no longer reflecting current appearance
- Poor lighting — over- or under-exposed images
- File size out of range — a maximum-quality JPEG often exceeds the 240 KB Schengen ceiling
- Digital editing issues — visible filters, retouching, portrait blur, or smoothing
Frequently Asked Questions
Size & Specification
What size does a Sweden passport photo need to be?
35mm wide by 45mm high, with the head measuring 32–36mm from chin to crown — roughly 71–80% of the frame height. This is the standard EU/Schengen biometric photo format.
What is the Sweden passport photo size in pixels?
A 35 × 45 mm Swedish photo equals 413 × 531 pixels at 300 DPI, and 826 × 1062 pixels at 600 DPI, with a 7:9 portrait ratio. Files below 300 DPI print pixelated at 35 × 45 mm and fail the sharpness check on Schengen visa uploads.
What file size should a Swedish 35x45 photo be for online upload?
Schengen visa portals typically cap the file at 240 KB. A 413 × 531 pixel JPEG saved at quality 85 usually lands between 45 KB and 100 KB, which is comfortably inside that limit while staying sharp. Always confirm the ceiling shown by the specific portal you are using.
What background color is required for a Sweden passport photo?
A plain, light, even background — typically white or light grey — with no shadows, patterns, gradients, or objects behind you. Shadow falling on the wall behind the head is one of the most common causes of refusal.
The Swedish Process
Does the Swedish Police Authority take my passport photo for me?
Yes. For a standard passport, Polismyndigheten photographs you in person at the Passexpedition using their own terminal, so you don't submit a printed photo for that step.
Why would I need a Sweden passport photo tool if the police take the photo?
A correctly sized 35×45mm photo is still required for Swedish national ID card pre-checks, Schengen visa applications, embassy submissions abroad, and other ID documents where you do supply your own photo.
How long is a Sweden passport photo valid for?
It should reflect your current appearance and is generally expected to have been taken within the last six months. If your appearance has changed significantly through weight change, facial surgery or substantial hair loss, use a new photo even inside that window.
Appearance & Children
Can I wear glasses in my Sweden passport photo?
Plain glasses are typically fine if there's no glare or tint and your eyes stay fully visible. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not accepted. Removing glasses altogether is the safest option, because glare is judged by an automated check.
What are the Sweden passport photo rules for a baby or child?
The same 35 × 45 mm size, plain light background and 32–36 mm head height apply to children including infants. The child must be alone in the frame with no parent's hand, toy or dummy visible. Infants are generally allowed to have their eyes closed. All legal guardians must give written consent for applicants under 18, and the child must attend the passport office in person. See the child requirements section.
What's the most common reason a Sweden passport-style photo gets rejected?
Incorrect head size relative to the frame and shadowed or uneven backgrounds, followed closely by photos older than six months.
Taking & Printing
Can I use a selfie for my Sweden passport photo?
It's not recommended. Selfies rarely meet the distance, angle, and lighting standards required, and for the actual Swedish passport, the photo is captured for you at the police passport office anyway.
How do I print a 35x45 mm Swedish photo at home?
Print at 300 DPI on glossy or matte photo paper of 200 to 250 gsm. A 4 × 6 inch sheet holds six 35 × 45 mm copies and an A4 sheet holds around twenty. Disable fit-to-page scaling, which changes the physical size, and cut with a guillotine for square edges. See the print at home guide.
Official Sources & References
- Swedish Police Authority (Polismyndigheten) — passport and national ID card services: polisen.se
- Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) — visa and residence permit photo submissions: migrationsverket.se
- European Commission — Schengen borders and visa policy: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
- ICAO Doc 9303 — Machine Readable Travel Documents biometric photograph standard: icao.int
Create Your Sweden 35×45 mm Photo Now
Upload your photo and get a properly sized 35×45mm result at 413 × 531 pixels, with the background and head framing handled automatically — ready for your visa, ID, or embassy application.