Belgium passport photo
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The requirements
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height, chin to crown | 31-36 mm Length of the face from chin to crown between 31 mm and 36 mm, which the specification states as 70 to 80 percent of the height of the photo. The head must be fully shown and centred; for people with a lot of hair the whole head of hair may not fit. |
| Background | Light coloured, even and single-coloured background with no gradient and enough contrast between head and background |
| Glasses | Allowed, as long as the eyes are fully visible with no glare and no tint. |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open. |
| Head covering | Only for religious or medical reasons, and the face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead. |
| Ears | No |
| Photo age | 6 months |
| Also required |
|
Belgium publishes one photo matrix that covers the passport, the Kids-ID, the electronic identity card and residence documents for foreign nationals, so the same numbers apply to all of them. The face height band, 31 mm to 36 mm, is slightly wider at the bottom than the German 32 mm to 36 mm even though both describe it as 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Belgium is unusually explicit that the municipality must refuse a photo that does not comply, and that a black and white print is not acceptable for a passport.
Applying in Belgium
Belgium publishes one photo matrix and uses it for four different documents: the passport, the Kids-ID, the electronic identity card for Belgians and residence documents for foreign nationals. One set of numbers therefore covers a whole household's paperwork. The face runs from 31 to 36 from chin to crown, stated as 0.7 to 0.8 of the photo height, in a 35 by 45 frame on a light #E6E6E6 background.
It is also unusually direct about who decides. The foreign ministry states that the municipality must refuse a photograph that does not comply, which turns the counter into a checkpoint rather than a formality. Two things follow: a photograph that is close is not good enough, and the four points the ministry highlights are the ones to check last. Neutral expression, head and shoulders straight, a completely free face with the forehead, chin and the roots of the ears visible, and clearly visible eyes.
The speed is priced in tiers that are worth knowing before you need them. As of September 2026 an ordinary passport through your municipality is 65 euro for an adult and 35 euro for a minor, delivered within five working days. The urgent procedure is 240 or 210 euro for the next working day if requested before 15:00. The super urgent route delivers within four and a half hours, at 300 or 270 euro through a municipality, or 350 and 320 at the Brussels counter.
Why photos get rejected here
A coat or scarf standing above the shoulders
Belgium explains why: raised collars and scarf ends read as an object in the background, and the municipality must refuse the photo. Taking the outer layer off before the shot is the whole fix, and it is the failure people are least likely to predict.
A slightly open mouth
The expression must be neutral with the mouth closed. A broad smile is out, and the matrix also refuses a mouth that is only slightly open. Teeth must not be visible at all.
A black and white print
Colour is compulsory for a Belgian passport photograph. This catches classic studio portraits and any photo booth set to monochrome, and the picture is refused on that ground alone.
Hair or a shadow over the roots of the ears
The face must be completely free, with the forehead, the chin and the roots of the ears visible. The ears themselves do not have to show, which is a distinction worth reading carefully: it is the area where the ear meets the head that matters.
A reflection or a shadow on the lenses
Glasses are allowed only if the eyes are fully visible through completely transparent lenses with no disturbing reflection and no shadow. Otherwise the matrix says the glasses must be removed, which is a firmer instruction than most authorities give.
A print below 400 dpi, or a copy
The photo must be printed on high quality smooth photo paper at at least 400 dpi, undamaged, not a copy and not edited. A scan or a photograph of an existing print fails on two of those at once.
What helps
Take the coat and the scarf off first
Before you frame anything. Anything sticking up above the shoulder line is treated as background clutter, and the municipality has to refuse it.
Use one photo session for the whole household
The same matrix covers the passport, the Kids-ID, the electronic identity card and residence documents. Photographs made to it work for all four.
Print in colour on smooth photo paper
At least 400 dpi, smooth surface, colour. Ordinary office paper and matt textured photo paper both fail on material rather than on the picture.
Check the mouth, not the smile
People concentrate on not smiling and leave the lips slightly parted. The matrix refuses that as well, so check the mouth is properly closed in the frame you keep.
Decide the speed before you go to the counter
Ordinary is five working days, urgent is the next working day if requested before 15:00, and super urgent is four and a half hours. The urgent route is offered for the 34 page book only.
Expect a municipal surcharge
The published figures are what the municipality owes Foreign Affairs. Municipalities may charge an additional fee on top, so the counter price can be higher than the tariff table.
Babies and young children
Belgium relaxes the rules for an applicant younger than six, and it names exactly which ones. Under posture, the eyes on a horizontal line, the head not tilted and the shoulders straight are all waived. Under expression, the neutral look, looking straight into the camera and the closed mouth are waived too. Everything else still applies: the frame, the face height band, the colour requirement, the background and the print quality. One rule stays firm and is often broken, which is that if a support is needed for the head it must not be visible in the photograph. The Kids-ID uses the same matrix, so one session covers both documents.
Glasses
Glasses may be worn on one condition, stated as a whole: the eyes must be fully visible through completely transparent lenses, with no disturbing reflection and no shadow. If that cannot be achieved, the matrix does not hedge, it says the glasses must be removed. Two parts of it are stricter than they look. Completely transparent excludes photochromic lenses that have darkened slightly in daylight. And the shadow clause covers the shade a thick frame casts across the eye in overhead light, which is a different problem from a reflection and needs a different fix, moving the light lower rather than sideways.
Head covering
A head covering is accepted on religious or medical grounds, within the same rule that governs everything else about the Belgian photograph: the face must be completely free, with the forehead, the chin and the roots of the ears visible. That is a more specific area than the usual chin to hairline formula, because it names the roots of the ears, so a covering pinned across the temples fails even when the whole face is showing. Nothing in the matrix asks for a written declaration. Since the municipality is required to refuse a photograph that does not comply, it is worth checking the temples in the frame before you go.
Applying online
Belgium has no photograph upload. The print is handed in at your municipality, or at an embassy or consulate if you live abroad, and the municipality is required to refuse one that does not comply. Consular applications are priced and timed differently: as of September 2026 a 34 page book is 75 euro for an adult and 35 for a minor, a 66 page book is 240 and 210, with delivery in about two weeks. The Brussels super urgent counter at Kolonienstraat 1 takes card payment only.
Questions about Belgium photos
Can my municipality refuse the photo I bring?
It has to. Belgian guidance states that the municipality must refuse a photograph that does not comply, so a picture that is nearly right is not accepted on goodwill.
Why does Belgium ask for the roots of my ears rather than my ears?
The requirement is that the face is completely free, with the forehead, the chin and the roots of the ears visible. The ears themselves may be covered; the point where they meet the head may not.
How fast can I get a Belgian passport, and what does it cost?
As of September 2026: five working days at 65 euro for an adult, the next working day at 240 euro if requested before 15:00, or four and a half hours at 300 euro through a municipality.
Why does the guidance tell me to take off my coat and scarf?
Because anything standing up above the shoulders reads as an object in the background, and a background object is a ground for refusal.
Does the same photo work for a Kids-ID and an identity card?
Yes. One Belgian matrix covers the passport, the Kids-ID, the electronic identity card and residence documents for foreign nationals.
Are the published Belgian fees the whole price?
Not necessarily. Those amounts are what the municipality owes Foreign Affairs, and municipalities are allowed to add a fee of their own on top.
Where these numbers come from
Official sourceEvery measurement on this page comes from the issuing authority's own published requirements.
- Kwaliteitseisen pasfoto (quality requirements for the passport photo)checked September 2, 2026
- Voorschriften voor de foto's voor paspoorten, Kids-ID, elektronische identiteitskaarten en verblijfsdocumentenchecked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers