Croatia passport photo
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The requirements
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height, chin to crown | 31.5-36 mm Ministry template for the 35x45 mm format, applicants over 11 years: head height measured from the chin 31.5 mm minimum and 36 mm maximum, head width from the base of one ear to the other 17.5 mm minimum and 25 mm maximum. The head should take about two thirds of the picture, must be centred, and the distance between the pupils must be at least 8 mm, ideally 10 mm. |
| Background | Plain single colour light background with no pattern and no shadow, and enough contrast against the face and hair. The instructions say neutral and preferably white in one place and light, ideally light grey, in another. |
| 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. |
| Photo age | 6 months |
| Also required |
|
The measurements come from the interior ministry template linked on the passport page; it dates from 2013 and is still the file the ministry serves today. The same PDF also carries a 30x35 mm template, which belongs to the identity card and other e-documents, so do not confuse the two: the passport page asks for 35x45 mm. The two background sentences in that document do not agree, one saying neutral and preferably white and the other light and ideally light grey, so white is used here as the primary value with light grey kept as an accepted alternative. Croatians who apply through the e-Gradani portal supply no photo at all, since the biometrics captured for the identity card are reused.
Applying in Croatia
A Croatian passport application asks for one photograph of 35 by 45, and the interior ministry publishes a checking template with more measurements on it than most authorities provide. The face runs 31.5 to 36 from the chin, and the head is measured across as well, 17.5 to 25 mm from the base of one ear to the base of the other. There is also a minimum distance between the pupils of 8 mm, with 10 mm called ideal, which is the practical test of whether the picture carries enough detail.
The same template carries a second frame, and confusing the two is the commonest Croatian mistake. A 30 by 35 mm layout appears alongside the passport one, and it belongs to the identity card and other e-documents. The passport page asks for 35 by 45, so read the template header before you cut. The template itself dates from 2013 and it is still the file the ministry serves today.
If you apply through e-Gradani you attach no photograph at all. The system reuses the photo, the fingerprints and the signature already stored from your identity card, which turns the whole question off for anyone whose card is current. As of September 2026 the regular procedure is 42.47 euro with a 30 day period, an expedited application is 54.42 euro through the Zagreb police administration and 61.72 euro elsewhere, and home delivery is 46.45 euro.
Why photos get rejected here
Cutting to the identity card template by mistake
The ministry's PDF holds two frames, and the smaller 30 by 35 mm one is for the identity card and other e-documents. A passport photograph trimmed to it is the wrong size and the wrong proportion at once.
A head that is the right height and the wrong width
Croatia measures both. The width from the base of one ear to the base of the other has to sit between 17.5 and 25 mm, so a face turned slightly, which narrows that measurement, can fail while the height is perfect.
The skull edge pushed outside the head oval
Tall hair may run outside the frame, but the edge of the skull, where it would be if the person had no hair, must stay inside the maximum head oval. Volume on top tempts you to place the whole head too high.
The classic profile or half profile pose
The head must be frontal, not tilted to the side, forward or back, and the template names the profile and half profile as rejected. A photographer used to portrait sittings will produce one unless told what the picture is for.
Eyes not level with the horizontal axis
The template draws the eye line and requires the eyes to sit on it, open and clearly visible, with hair not crossing the eyes, the nose or the mouth. A slight lean of the head tilts that line without looking wrong.
Textured or marked photo paper
The print must be on high quality glossy smooth paper with no surface texture, free of scratches, stamp marks, stains and fold lines. A photograph carried loose in a wallet usually fails on at least one of those.
What helps
Check whether e-Gradani removes the job entirely
If your identity card is current, the online route reuses its photo, fingerprints and signature, and no photograph is attached to the passport application.
Read the template header before cutting
The ministry serves one PDF with two frames. The passport takes 35 by 45; the smaller frame belongs to the identity card.
Keep the shoulders square
Croatia measures the head width as well as the height, so a small body turn shows up as a measurement failure rather than as a style choice.
Shoot close enough for an 8 mm pupil distance
That figure, with 10 mm called ideal, is a detail requirement. A picture cropped in from far away can hit every other number and still be too soft between the eyes.
Price the hurry against where you file it
The expedited fee differs by office as of September 2026: 54.42 euro through the Zagreb police administration and 61.72 euro elsewhere, against 42.47 for the regular 30 day route.
Say what the photo is for
The ministry's own advice is to tell the photographer it is for a biometric passport. That is a cheap way to avoid a portrait sitting that produces a beautiful, unusable picture.
Babies and young children
Croatia publishes a separate frame for children under eleven and it is a genuine relaxation. The same 35 by 45 photograph is used, but the head may be smaller: at least 22.5 mm from the chin rather than 31.5, with the same 36 ceiling. What does not bend is the company and the pose. The child must be alone in the photograph, with the face fully visible and the eyes open, which rules out a hat, a dummy in the mouth and an adult hand or arm anywhere in frame. Since the passport template also demands a level eye line, a child photographed lying down needs the camera square above them rather than off to one side.
Glasses
Glasses may be worn, on the condition that the eyes are exactly recognisable. The template spells out what defeats that: reflections on the lenses, tinted lenses, sunglasses, and a rim or frame that covers any part of the eyes. The frame clause catches heavy upper rims that sit on the eyebrow line, which look correct in a mirror and cross the eye area in a straight-on photograph. Because Croatia also measures the head width from ear base to ear base, wide arms on a pair of glasses can obscure the very point that measurement is taken from, so thin arms photograph better here than elsewhere.
Head covering
Head coverings are not allowed except on religious grounds, and then the face must stay recognisable from the bottom of the chin to the forehead with no shadow falling on it. The shadow condition is written into the same sentence as the visibility one, which makes it a requirement rather than a note: an edge pinned close above the brow throws a line across the forehead under overhead light, and that alone can fail the photograph. Nothing in the ministry template asks for a written declaration or a certificate. Because the head width is measured at the base of the ears, a covering that comes forward over them needs setting back.
Applying online
Croatia has an online route but not a photo upload. An application filed through the e-Gradani system attaches no photograph, because the system reuses the photo, fingerprints and signature stored when your identity card was issued. Everyone else brings one print to the police administration. Fees as of September 2026: 42.47 euro for the regular procedure with a 30 day period, 54.42 euro expedited through the Zagreb police administration and 61.72 euro expedited elsewhere, with the shortened period given as 48 hours in Zagreb and three working days otherwise. Home delivery is 46.45 euro.
Questions about Croatia photos
Why does the ministry photo template show two different sizes?
Because one PDF covers several e-documents. The larger frame is the passport photograph; the smaller 30 by 35 mm one belongs to the identity card and is not interchangeable with it.
Do I attach a photo if I apply through e-Gradani?
No. The online route reuses the photo, fingerprints and signature already stored from your identity card, so nothing is attached to the passport application.
What does a Croatian passport cost, and what does the faster route buy?
As of September 2026, 42.47 euro for the regular 30 day route. Expedited is 54.42 euro through the Zagreb police administration and 61.72 elsewhere, with 48 hours in Zagreb and three working days otherwise.
Why does Croatia measure the width of the head as well as the height?
The template fixes both, 17.5 to 25 mm from the base of one ear to the base of the other. It catches a face turned slightly away from the camera, which the height measurement alone would not.
Two Croatian texts disagree on the background. Which should I use?
One says neutral and preferably white, the other light and ideally light grey. White satisfies both readings, which is why our spec keeps it as the primary value and light grey as an accepted alternative.
Should I tell the photographer it is for a biometric passport?
Yes, and the ministry says so. A studio that treats the sitting as a portrait will turn the shoulders and light the face for flattery, both of which the template rejects.
Where these numbers come from
Official sourceEvery measurement on this page comes from the issuing authority's own published requirements.
- Putovnica (passport)checked September 2, 2026
- Upute za pripremu fotografija za e-dokumente (instructions for preparing photographs for e-documents, PDF)checked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers