Swiss Passport & ID Card Photo: requirements and cropper
Crop a photo to the official Switzerland spec and check the head height as you go — free, and entirely in your browser.
Crop a photo to the Switzerland spec
Drag the two markers. Put the blue one on the very top of the head — including hair — and the red one on the bottom of the chin. Every measurement below is calculated from that, because Switzerland measures head height as 29–34 mm crown to chin, not the face.
Your photo
Result
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Full requirements
| Printed photo size | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 29–34 mm, crown to chin |
| Background | Monochrome, uniform, neutral, without shadow, with clear separation between the background and the head |
| How recent | Taken within the last 12 months |
| Glasses | The eyes must not be obscured by the frames and there must be no lens reflection. Tinted or dark glasses are prohibited except for a medically necessary visual impairment. |
| Head coverings | Generally prohibited. Exceptions only for documented medical or religious reasons, and the face must remain visible from chin to hairline with no shadow. |
| Expression & pose | Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open, level and clearly visible. Head straight and facing the camera with the nose aligned to the vertical centreline. No hand or object in front of the face. |
| Children & infants | Children under 11: minimum face height is reduced to 23 mm. Some requirements may be waived for small children or people with disabilities. |
| Not published | digital dimensions, file size, file format, minimum resolution, copies required — the official source does not state these, so nothing is shown rather than a number we made up. |
Source: Bundesamt für Polizei fedpol — Kriterien für die Annahme von Fotos für Pässe und Identitätskarten — read 2026-07-26.
How to take and crop the photo
- Take or choose a photo shot straight on, from about arm's length or further, in even light with no shadow falling on the face or the wall behind it. Phone selfies taken close up distort the face and are a common rejection reason.
- Stand far enough from the wall that you cast no shadow on it. The background needs to be monochrome, uniform, neutral, without shadow, with clear separation between the background and the head — the tool fills only the area outside your photo's edges, it does not replace the wall behind you.
- Drop the photo into the tool above. Nothing is uploaded; the file is read directly by your browser.
- Drag the blue marker to the very top of the head, including hair, and the red marker to the bottom of the chin. This is the measurement every official spec is written against.
- Check the head-height readout. It should sit between 29 mm and 34 mm; the panel turns green when it does.
- Download the photo, or generate a print sheet if you need physical copies.
Why Switzerland photos get rejected
Drawn from the official guidance rather than guesswork. Most rejections are not about dimensions at all:
- Face height outside 29–34 mm, or below 23 mm for children under 11
- Photo more than one year old
- Shadowed or non-neutral background
- Head tilted or turned, or the nose not centred
- Tinted glasses or lens reflections
- Textured or glossy paper, creases, or visible pixelation
Background and other notes
A swiss passport & id card photo is 35 × 45 mm. The head must measure 29–34 mm from the crown of the head to the bottom of the chin. The background must be monochrome, uniform, neutral, without shadow, with clear separation between the background and the head. The photo must have been taken within the last 12 months.
Switzerland allows a photo up to 12 months old — twice the six-month window used across the EU and Schengen states. The photo paper must have a smooth, non-textured surface with no visible pixel structure, rounded corners, creases or dirt marks.
File size and disclaimer
This is not official advice. img-fix is not affiliated with any government or immigration authority. The figures on this page were read from Bundesamt für Polizei fedpol — Kriterien für die Annahme von Fotos für Pässe und Identitätskarten on 2026-07-26, and requirements change without notice. Check the official source before you submit.
Switzerland photo questions
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The cropping, resizing and compressing all happen inside this page, using your browser's own image APIs. There is no server to upload to — the site is static files. Open your browser's network tab, use the tool, and you can watch nothing leave.
It also keeps working with your Wi-Fi switched off once the page has loaded.
What size is a swiss passport & id card photo?
35 × 45 mm, according to Bundesamt für Polizei fedpol — Kriterien für die Annahme von Fotos für Pässe und Identitätskarten. Within that, the head must measure 29 mm to 34 mm from crown to chin.
Can this tool change my background?
No, and that is deliberate. Background replacement means guessing where your hair ends, and the guess is visible — a halo or a chewed-up fringe is exactly the kind of artefact that gets a photo rejected as digitally altered. Switzerland requires monochrome, uniform, neutral, without shadow, with clear separation between the background and the head, so photograph yourself against a matching wall.
The fill colour setting only paints the area outside your photo's edges when the required crop is larger than the image you supplied.
How recent does the photo have to be?
Taken within the last 12 months. Reusing the photo from your previous passport is a standard rejection reason.
Can I wear glasses?
The eyes must not be obscured by the frames and there must be no lens reflection. Tinted or dark glasses are prohibited except for a medically necessary visual impairment.
Are head coverings allowed?
Generally prohibited. Exceptions only for documented medical or religious reasons, and the face must remain visible from chin to hairline with no shadow.
Do the rules differ for babies and children?
Children under 11: minimum face height is reduced to 23 mm. Some requirements may be waived for small children or people with disabilities.
Will a photo from this tool definitely be accepted?
Nobody can promise that, and any site that does is selling you certainty it does not have. A photo is judged on framing, background, lighting, expression, sharpness and how recent it is. This tool handles the geometry and the file size precisely; the rest is down to how the photo was taken. The requirements here were read from Bundesamt für Polizei fedpol — Kriterien für die Annahme von Fotos für Pässe und Identitätskarten on 2026-07-26 — check the source before you submit, because rules change.
Related specifications
Same print size — 35 × 45 mm
- French Passport & CNI Photo 35 × 45 mm · head 32–36 mm · plain light-coloured — light blue or light grey. white is explicitly not allowed.
- German Passport & ID Photo 35 × 45 mm · head 32–36 mm · solid
- Indian Passport Photo 35 × 45 mm · plain white
- Irish Passport Photo 35 × 45 mm · completely plain light grey · max 9 MB
- Italian Passport Photo 35 × 45 mm · head 70–80% · white
- Japanese Passport Photo 35 × 45 mm · head 32–36 mm · white is recommended; a plain light blue is also accepted
Comparing print sizes across every country in one place is easier on the passport photo size comparison page.