Driving licence (Germany): 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo, head 31.5–36 mm from chin to crown.
| Document | Photo size | Head, chin to crown | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving licence | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 31.5–36 mm | berlin.de |
| Visa | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 31.5–36 mm | bmi.bund.de |
| Visa for children aged 5 and over | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 31.5–36 mm | bmi.bund.de |
Since 1 May 2025 you no longer bring the photo yourself for every German document. Which document follows which rule:
- Identity card: no photo you bring — the office takes it, or a photographer sends it through the certified cloud
- Passport: no photo you bring — the same route applies
- Electronic residence permit: no photo you bring — the same route applies
- Driving licence: bring a printed photo — a biometric 35 × 45 mm picture
- Visa: bring a printed photo — a biometric 35 × 45 mm picture for the mission abroad
How the photo reaches the authority (since 1 May 2025)
- Source: Federal Ministry of the Interior
- No more paper photos: Since 1 May 2025 a paper photograph may no longer be handed in inside Germany for a passport, an identity card, an electronic residence permit or a travel document for foreigners. The photo has to reach the authority in electronic form.
- At the authority: The office can take the photo on the spot and pass it straight into your application. With the Bundesdruckerei PointID system that costs €6 per photo across the country; a municipality using another supplier's system may charge a different amount. Ask your office in advance whether it already has the equipment — while it does not, you can still have the photo taken by a photographer.
- At a photo service provider: A registered photo service provider — a photo studio or a drugstore — uploads the new photo to an encrypted cloud certified to the specifications of the Federal Office for Information Security. You are handed a printout with a Data Matrix code (much like a QR code); the office scans it to download the photo. Without that printout the staff cannot find your photo.
- Photos you make yourself: A photo you took or edited yourself may no longer be used for these documents. The rule is aimed at morphing — software that blends several faces into a single image. For most other documents a self-made photo is still accepted.
- Applying abroad: German missions abroad still accept a conventional paper photograph of 45 × 35 mm, portrait format and without a border, until they have photo equipment of their own. The photo cloud that photographers use works inside Germany only.
- Visas: Visa applications are not affected: a German mission still expects a printed biometric photograph of 35 × 45 mm, taken within the last 6 months.
Driving licence: a paper photo is still required
- Source: Landkreis Tübingen driving licence authority
- Excluded from the digital rule: The driving licence is excluded from the change because the legislator has not provided a digital photo for it. You therefore still need an ordinary printed biometric photo, and you bring it to the licensing authority yourself.
- A Data Matrix code cannot be used: A photo a photographer uploaded to the photo cloud, which you received as a printout carrying a Data Matrix code, cannot be used by the licensing authority. Ask for an ordinary printed photo as well in that case.
- Requirements for the image: The requirements for the image itself are the same as for identity documents: size, face height, background, lighting and image quality are in the next section.
Exchanging a German driving licence: deadlines and what to bring
- Source: The Federal Government of Germany
- Every licence issued before 2013: Every driving licence issued before 19 January 2013 is being exchanged for the EU card licence. The deadlines are staggered: by year of issue for a card licence, by year of birth for the old paper one.
- Deadlines by year of issue: What counts is the year your card licence was issued. The deadline for 1999 to 2001 passed on 19 January 2026 — anyone who missed it should exchange now.
- 2002 to 2004 — by 19 January 2027
- 2005 to 2007 — by 19 January 2028
- 2008 — by 19 January 2029
- 2009 — by 19 January 2030
- 2010 — by 19 January 2031
- 2011 — by 19 January 2032
- 2012 to 18 January 2013 — by 19 January 2033
- Paper licences: Licences issued up to 31 December 1998 go by the holder's year of birth instead. For everyone born before 1953 the deadline falls on 19 January 2033.
- What to bring: A valid identity card or passport, a biometric passport photo, your current licence and a fee of about 25 euros. You hand the photo in printed — as the section above explains, the digital requirement does not cover driving licences.
- If you miss the deadline: Forgetting to renew the licence in time is a regulatory offence and carries a warning fine of ten euros.
Photo for documents in Germany
- Source: Federal Ministry of the Interior
- Size: A photo taken inside Germany for an identity document is digital and in colour, so it has no paper format. The printed size of 45 × 35 mm, portrait format and without a border, applies to the driving licence, to an application at a German mission abroad and to a visa.
- General requirements: The photo shows the face from the tip of the chin to the top of the head, and both halves of the face are clearly recognisable. The head is centred in the photo and straight. The expression is neutral, the gaze goes straight into the camera and the mouth is closed. Only the person being photographed may be in the picture.
- Head size: The face takes up 70 to 80% of the height of the photo. For children it takes up 50 to 80%: up to the age of 10 minor deviations are allowed, and up to the age of 6 further exceptions to head position, expression and visibility of the eyes are accepted.
- Lighting: The face is evenly lit all over, with no reflections. Harsh shadows, a face that is too dark and red eyes make the photo unusable.
- Photo quality: The face is sharp and rich in contrast throughout. Colours, and the skin tone in particular, are reproduced true to life. Retouching, filters, soft focus and too low a resolution are not accepted.
- Background: The background is a single colour, free of shadows, and clearly contrasts with the face and the hair. A patterned background, or one without contrast, is not accepted.
- Eyeglasses: The eyes are clearly visible and not covered. The frame must not hide the eyes, hair must not fall over them, and the lenses must not be too dark or cause reflections.
- Head coverings: Head coverings are only allowed for religious reasons. The face must then be visible from the lower edge of the chin to the forehead, with no shadows on it.
- Exceptions: Other exceptions are allowed only on medical grounds that are long-term or permanent — for example paralysis of parts of the face, asymmetry, or an inability to hold the mouth closed at rest.
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