National passport (Russia): 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo, head 31.5–36 mm from chin to crown.
| Document | Photo size | Head, chin to crown | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| National passport | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 31.5–36 mm | rg.ru |
| International passport (5-year) | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 31.5–36 mm | legalacts.ru |
| International passport — photo file for the Gosuslugi application form | 827 × 1063 px | 70–80% of the photo height | gosuslugi.ru |
| Military ID (soldiers, sergeants) — black and white | 2.5 × 3.5 cm | — | consultant.ru |
| Reserve officer's military ID — black and white | 3 × 4 cm | — | consultant.ru |
| International driving permit | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | — | legalacts.ru |
| Visa | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 31.5–36 mm | kdmid.ru |
Photo requirements depend on the document. The internal passport and the 5-year international passport take printed 35 × 45 mm photos. The new-type 10-year international passport takes no printed photos: you are photographed at the MVD office, and an application through Gosuslugi carries the photo as an attached file. The end of the article lists the documents for the international passport and for replacing the passport at 20 and 45.
Photo for a Russian internal passport
45 mm
35 mm
- Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta
- Size: The size of the photo must be 35 x 45 mm, while the distance from the top of the head to the chin should not be more than 80% of the frame height. The free space above the head should be 5 ± 1 mm.
- General requirements: In the photo for the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, a person is depicted strictly from the front and looks straight with a neutral facial expression and a closed mouth. You cannot be photographed wearing lenses that change the natural color of the eyes. Filters are not allowed. It is forbidden to be photographed in uniform. You cannot be photographed in outerwear or in scarves that cover part of the chin.
- Eyeglasses: You can only be photographed in glasses without tinted lenses. In addition, the frame should not cover the eyes.
- Head coverings: A head covering is allowed only for religious reasons and provided that it does not hide the oval of the face.
- Background: The background must be white, even, without stripes, spots, foreign objects or shadows.
- Submit a recent colour or black-and-white photo, taken within 6 months.
Photo for a 5-year Russian international passport
45 mm
35 mm
- Source: Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 186 of 31.03.2021, p. 89
- Size: The size of the photo must be 35 x 45 mm, while the distance from the top of the head to the chin should not be more than 80% of the frame height.
- General requirements: In the photo for the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, a person is depicted strictly from the front and looks straight with a neutral facial expression and a closed mouth. You cannot be photographed wearing lenses that change the natural color of the eyes. Filters are not allowed. It is forbidden to be photographed in uniform. You cannot be photographed in outerwear or in scarves that cover part of the chin.
- Eyeglasses: You can only be photographed in glasses without tinted lenses. In addition, the frame should not cover the eyes.
- Head coverings: A head covering is allowed only for religious reasons and provided that it does not hide the oval of the face.
- Background: The background must be white, even, without stripes, spots, foreign objects or shadows.
- Gosuslugi: When you apply on Gosuslugi, the photo is uploaded with the application as a file meeting the same requirements. For the 5-year passport you also bring 3 printed photos (2 for children under 14). The uploaded photo is not printed in the passport — it stays in your personal file. For the 10-year passport no printed photos are needed: you are photographed at the MVD office.
- Submit a recent colour or black-and-white photo, taken within 6 months.
Photo for the passport application on Gosuslugi
1063 px
827 px
- Source: Gosuslugi, which photo the international passport needs
- When you need it: When you apply for an international passport through Gosuslugi, the photo is uploaded as a file. For the new-type passport no printed photos are needed — an MVD officer photographs you at the appointment. For the old-type passport you also bring printed 3.5 × 4.5 cm photos: 3 for adults and children from 14, 2 for children under 14.
- Where the photo ends up: The photo from the application does not appear in the passport — it stays in your file.
- Face and glasses: Face uncovered, looking into the lens, neutral expression, a photo that matches your age. If you always wear glasses, wear them in the photo, with no glare on the lenses and the frame not hiding your eyes. No sunglasses.
- Background and light: A white background without other objects or shadows. Good lighting is needed — daylight is best.
- Head covering: No headwear and no service uniform. If your religion requires covering your head, the oval of your face must be clearly visible.
- If the application is returned: Fill in the application again and upload a new photo. Gosuslugi suggests having it taken at a photo studio and asking for a digital copy.
- Gosuslugi publishes no pixel size for the file. The generator makes an 827 × 1063 px JPEG in the 35 × 45 mm proportions of the printed photo, on a white background.
Photo for a Russian national driving licence
- Source: Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 80 of 20.02.2021, p. 277
- Who takes the photo: You do not bring a photo. When you get or replace a national driving licence, you are photographed at the traffic police (GIBDD) office or at the MFC. A photo of your own is needed only for an international driving permit — see the next section.
Photo for a Russian international driving permit
45 mm
35 mm
- Source: Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 80 of 20.02.2021, p. 28.11
- When it is needed: The photo is handed in together with the application for an international driving permit.
- Size: A colour or black-and-white photograph, 35 × 45 mm, on matte photo paper.
Photo for a Russian military ID
35 mm
25 mm
- Source: MoD order No. 700, military registration instruction
- Size: The military ID of soldiers, sailors, sergeants, petty officers and warrant officers takes 25 × 35 mm. The reserve officer's military ID takes 30 × 40 mm.
- Requirements: A black-and-white photo on a white background, on matte photo paper, head and shoulders, face clear and strictly frontal, no headwear. If you always wear glasses, wear them, with untinted lenses. The photo must match your age on the day you apply.
- The generator turns the photo black and white automatically. Print it on matte photo paper.
Photo for a student card, pass and other documents
40 mm
30 mm
- Source: Order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education No. 68 of 10.02.2026
- Size: A student card, record book, pass, medical book, personal file and other internal documents have no single state size — the organisation sets it. The federal student card sample was cancelled in 2026, so the university now decides. 3 × 4 cm is the most common request.
- Stamp corner: Some organisations ask for a photo "with a corner" — a white area in a bottom corner where the stamp goes, so it does not cover the face. In the generator choose "Other" as the country, set the size and turn the corner on, right or left.
- Colour and background: Colour or black and white, and which background, is also up to the organisation. With no rules given, a colour photo on a plain light background, face straight on, no headwear, will do. For your own size the generator can make the photo in colour or in black and white.
- Check the size, colour and whether a corner is needed where you hand in the documents. Passports, visas and the military ID take no corner.
Photo for a visa to the Russian Federation
45 mm
35 mm
- Source: Russian Foreign Ministry
- Size: A 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo (either black and white or color) showing a clear frontal view of the face.
- Eyeglasses: The photo must not show tinted glasses.
- Head coverings: Head covering is allowed only for religious reasons and provided that it does not hide the oval of the face and the foreign citizen is depicted in such a head covering in the photograph in the passport.
Which documents a Russian international passport needs
- Source: MVD Orders No. 186 (5-year passport, paras. 29–31) and No. 996 (10-year, paras. 28, 34–35, 43.7, 100, 108)
- Adults: The passport application and your Russian internal passport. On paper, an adult's 5-year passport application is submitted in two copies and the 10-year one in one; through Gosuslugi it is electronic. If you hold a valid international passport, you show it too.
- Men aged 18–27: If you have one: a military ID marked that you completed conscript or alternative service, or that you are unfit or of limited fitness; graduates of a university military department bring their reserve officer's military ID. The military commissariat issues it.
- Children: A legal representative applies for the child and shows their own passport.
- under 14 — the application in one copy and a document proving the child's Russian citizenship; if the birth was registered abroad, the birth certificate issued there
- 14 to 18 — the application (two copies for the 5-year passport, one for the 10-year) and the child's internal passport
- Photos: 5-year passport: 3 printed photos of 35 × 45 mm (2 for children under 14). 10-year passport: no printed photos — the MVD office photographs you and scans your fingerprints (from age 12). An application through Gosuslugi carries the photo as an attached file.
- State fee: 5-year passport 2,000 ₽ (1,000 ₽ for a child under 14), 10-year passport 6,000 ₽ (3,000 ₽ for a child). Amounts per art. 333.28 of the Tax Code as amended on 04.08.2026.
- Where to apply: Through Gosuslugi, at an MFC or at the MVD migration office.
Which documents you need to replace a Russian passport at 20 and 45
- Source: MVD Order No. 773 of 16.11.2020, paras. 27.4, 27.8, 98, 227
- Documents: To replace the passport at 20 or 45 you submit:
- the replacement application — through Gosuslugi, at an MFC or at the MVD office
- the passport being replaced
- 2 printed photos of 35 × 45 mm — needed even when you apply through Gosuslugi, since the passport is issued after a visit with the original documents
- military registration documents — if you are registered, for the stamp in the passport
- Marriage and children's certificates: The marriage and children-under-14 stamps are optional. The regulation asks for the certificates only if they were issued abroad.
- Deadline: You have 90 calendar days from your 20th or 45th birthday to apply, and the old passport stays valid for that time. The new passport is issued no earlier than the day after the birthday.
- State fee: 300 ₽; 1,500 ₽ if the passport was lost or damaged. Amounts per art. 333.33 of the Tax Code as amended on 04.08.2026.
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