Netherlands passport photo
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The requirements
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height, chin to crown | 26-30 mm Chin to crown 26-30 mm from age 11. For children under 11 the range is 19-30 mm. The eyes must sit on a horizontal line. |
| Background | Plain light grey, light blue or white background with no gradient |
| 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 |
|
The Dutch rules are unusual in accepting light grey, light blue or white, and in setting a head height range (26-30 mm) that is lower than the 32-36 mm used by most 35x45 mm countries. The same photo is used for the identity card and the driving licence. Warning for curators: paspoortinformatie.nl is no longer a government site, the domain now serves gambling content, so never cite it.
Applying in Netherlands
The Netherlands measures a passport photo more precisely than almost anywhere else, and it does it with a physical object. Municipalities check submitted photos against the Fotomatrix, a transparent overlay published by the Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens that the counter clerk lays over your photo to confirm the head sits inside the printed outline and the eyes fall on the marked line. If you have ever wondered why a Dutch clerk looks at a photo for so long, that is what is happening.
That overlay explains the two rules people get wrong. The head must measure 26 to 30 from chin to crown, which is noticeably smaller than the range most other countries using a 35 by 45 photo apply. A photo cropped to a French or Spanish head size is too tightly framed for the Dutch matrix. And the eyes have to sit on a horizontal line, so a head tilted even slightly puts one eye off it.
The Netherlands also fixes the width of the face, 16 to 20 mm measured from the root of one ear to the root of the other, which almost no other country specifies. The background is more forgiving than the framing: plain light grey, light blue or white are all accepted, provided there is no gradient. The same photograph serves the passport, the identity card and the driving licence, so one sitting covers three documents.
Why photos get rejected here
The head is too large for the matrix
The Dutch chin-to-crown range is 26 to 30, lower than most countries using the same print size. A photo framed to an international habit sits outside the Fotomatrix outline.
The eyes are not on a horizontal line
The matrix has a marked eye line, so a small tilt of the head that would pass elsewhere shows up immediately when the overlay is placed on the photo.
A gradient in the background
Three background colours are accepted but a gradient is not. A photo taken close to a wall with a lamp to one side produces exactly the soft falloff that fails.
Reflection on glasses
Glasses are permitted only if the eyes are fully visible, the lenses are completely clear, and there is no disturbing reflection. The reflection condition is the one that fails, and it comes from the lighting rather than the eyewear.
A patterned head covering
A head covering worn for religious, philosophical or medical reasons is accepted, but it must be plain and single-coloured. A patterned scarf that satisfies the religious condition can still fail on the pattern.
The print itself is not good enough
The requirement asks for high-grade smooth photo paper at a minimum of 400 dots per inch, and excludes a copy or an edited image. A home inkjet print fails on the material even when the framing is correct.
What helps
Frame looser than you think
The Dutch head range is smaller than the norm for this print size. If you are used to another country's proportions, the correct Dutch photo will look slightly distant to you. Trust the template rather than the habit.
Keep both eyes level
The Fotomatrix has an eye line, so square your shoulders and keep your head upright. Our tool reports a tilt before you print, which is the cheaper place to find it.
One photo covers three documents
The same photograph is used for the passport, the identity card and the driving licence, and it stays valid for 6 months. Plan the renewals together.
Know what is explicitly allowed
The published guidance accepts a beard, a wig, a new hairstyle, a long fringe that does not cover the eyes or face, a feeding tube, lipstick and make-up, facial piercings and tattoos, and earrings. A cap is not accepted, and neither is a child with closed eyes.
Children under 11 have their own range
The chin-to-crown range for a child under 11 runs from 19 mm to 30, which is much wider at the bottom end. Do not force an adult framing on a small child.
Expect a crowded few years
The Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens warns of a renewal peak running through 2028, caused by the volume of documents issued a decade earlier. Applying well before your travel date matters more during that period than it normally would.
Babies and young children
The Netherlands sets a separate head height band for children under 11: chin to crown between 19 mm and 30, against 26 to 30 from age 11. That lower bound is the important part, because a toddler's head cannot fill an adult frame at the correct distance. Under 6, children are also exempt from the posture requirements, meaning the level eyes, the untilted head and the square shoulders, and from the expression requirements, meaning the neutral gaze, looking at the camera and the closed mouth. Support is permitted as long as it is not visible, so keep the supporting hand under clothing rather than in shot. A child with closed eyes is still refused.
Glasses
Glasses are allowed, and the guidance states that the applicant may choose whether or not to wear them. Three conditions must all hold: the eyes must be fully visible, the lenses must be completely clear, and there must be no disturbing reflection or shadow. Completely clear rules out photochromic lenses that have not fully cleared indoors, which is easy to overlook on a bright day. Since reflection is produced by the light rather than by the glasses, taking them off remains the reliable way to satisfy all three at once.
Head covering
A head covering is accepted for religious, philosophical or medical reasons, and the Dutch wording includes philosophical conviction alongside religion, which is broader than most. The published conditions are that the covering must be plain and single-coloured and must contrast with the background, and that the face remains visible. A patterned scarf is therefore a problem for a reason unrelated to the reason it is being worn. The ears do not have to be visible, provided the width of the face can still be measured.
Applying online
Applications are made in person at the municipality, children included, and the photograph is submitted as a printed colour photo that the counter checks against the Fotomatrix overlay. We did not find an official route for uploading a photo yourself, so no pixel or file size figures are published on this page. The Fotomatrix is downloadable from the Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens, which makes it possible to check a photo against the same tool the clerk uses. Documents are never renewed as such: each application produces a new document.
Questions about Netherlands photos
What is the Fotomatrix?
A transparent overlay published by the Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens that municipalities lay over a submitted photo to check the head fits the printed outline and the eyes sit on the marked line. It is downloadable, so you can check a photo against it yourself.
Why is my photo rejected when it passed in another country?
Most likely the head size. The Dutch chin-to-crown range is smaller than the range other countries apply to the same print size, so a photo framed to a foreign habit is often cropped too tightly for the Dutch matrix.
Can I use a white background?
Yes. Plain light grey, light blue and white are all accepted, provided there is no gradient across the background.
Can I use the same photo for my driving licence?
Yes. The same photograph serves the passport, the identity card and the driving licence, so one sitting covers all three if they are applied for within the photo's validity.
My child is three. Does the adult head size apply?
No. For children under 11 the chin-to-crown measurement may be as small as 19 mm, and under 6 the posture and expression requirements are waived as well. A child with closed eyes is still refused.
Why is the Dutch fee published as a maximum?
Because municipalities set their own price up to a national ceiling and may charge less. The 2026 maximum tariffs are EUR 88.65 for an adult passport and EUR 80.10 for an adult identity card, with EUR 67.05 and EUR 43.20 for under-18s. Expect about five working days, though it can take up to four weeks, extendable by another four if an identity or nationality investigation is needed. Collect within three months.
Where these numbers come from
Official sourceEvery measurement on this page comes from the issuing authority's own published requirements.
- Eisen aan pasfoto in paspoort of ID-kaartchecked September 2, 2026
- Fotomatrix (RvIG model for checking face and eye position)checked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers