France Passport & Visa Photos

French passport and visa photos follow the 35×45mm standard: head centred, eyes open, plain light background, no shadows on the face or the background.

The French document page below shows size, framing and background rules with the official source cited. The studio prepares a file that matches them.

Photo size and background rules

French document photos use the 35×45 mm rectangle with a 32-36 mm head band measured from the chin to the skull with hair excluded. The passport channel has the strictest background rule on this site: plain and light, grey or blue are given as examples, and white is forbidden outright.

French measurement method

Hair is excluded. The measuring line runs from the chin to the top of the skull underneath, which differs from the crown-to-chin measurement used in most of Europe, so a frame that passes elsewhere can sit a few millimetres off here.

Photo source rules

Passport and ID card applications filed in France require a photographer habilité by the interior ministry or an agréé booth; the ANTS site lists both. Visa applications and consulates abroad work to the same format standard, where a correctly prepared file is what counts.

Background rejection reasons

White is forbidden by name, and a wall with shadows or a gradient does not meet the plainness part of the same rule. The presets here output even light grey, which meets both clauses on the passport channel. The visa preset keeps the plain background its own channel accepts.

Measurement rejection reasons

A rectangle off 35×45 mm or a head outside 32-36 mm measured the French way accounts for most returns. Hair volume is the usual cause: it enlarges the visual frame without changing the official number.

Procedural rejections

In France, a photo from a non-habilité source on a passport or ID application is refused regardless of its quality, and photos older than 6 months fail everywhere. Retouched files are also rejected; the rule specifies resemblance, and edits change it.