Greek passport photo size explained
A Greek passport photo is a vertical rectangle of 40×60 mm, or 4×6 cm. The official Greek passport portal, passport.gov.gr, publishes the technical specifications for the passport photo, and a related download is available on the same site. A print made in a different format for another document will not match these dimensions.
Inside the 40×60 mm frame, the head takes up most of the height. In our template the head size is about 34 mm from the chin to the top of the head, inside the accepted range of 31 to 35 mm. The face is 20 to 25 mm wide, and the eyes sit about 32 mm above the bottom edge of the photo (the accepted range is 30 to 39 mm). Getting these proportions right matters: a head that is too small, or too close to the top edge, puts the photo outside the accepted ranges.
Head size and position in the photo
The head must be centred, straight and facing the camera. Leave a little space above the hair so the top of the head does not touch the edge of the passport photo. Shoulders should be visible and level in the passport photo. A tilted or turned head changes these measurements and can put the photo outside the ranges in the Greek passport specifications. Our online tool measures the head size and the eye line in your photo and crops it to the correct 40×60 mm size automatically.
Background colour
The background of a Greece passport photo should be plain, even and light. This is the part of the passport photo that home pictures most often get wrong. Our maker uses a light grey background (#eeeeee), which keeps the face clearly separated from the background without the harsh contrast of pure white. There should be no shadows behind the head, no patterns, no objects and no other people in the photo. A white wall at home often looks grey or yellow on camera, and side light leaves a shadow next to the face; the AI replaces the background, so you do not need a special wall.
Face, expression and pose
The passport photo follows the ICAO biometric standard. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and both eyes open, looking straight into the camera. Hair should not cover the eyes or the outline of the face. Take off glasses to avoid glare and reflections on the lenses. Your whole face must stay inside the frame, and the photo must show your natural skin tone: no beauty filters, no retouching that changes your appearance, and no heavy editing.
Photo quality
A Greek passport photo must be a recent colour photo. It should be sharp and in focus, with even light on the face; a blurry, grainy, overexposed or too dark passport photo is likely to be refused. For a printed photo, use 300 DPI so the 40×60 mm print stays sharp. Print on good photo paper and do not fold, bend or staple the photo. A scan of an old photo or a photo of a printed photo loses detail and usually fails the quality check.
Printed or digital passport photo
The Greek passport photo from our maker is suitable for online submission and for printing. You get a digital photo file that you can upload when an online form asks for it, and a print-ready version at 300 DPI that you can print at home or at a photo shop and cut to 40×60 mm. The application asks for two recent passport-sized photographs, so print two identical copies of the same passport photo.
How to apply for a Greek passport
A Greek passport is issued to Greek citizens. To apply, you need a valid Greek identity card or a previous passport. The application usually includes:
- A completed application form, available at the passport office or on the official website.
- A valid Greek identity card or your previous passport.
- Two recent passport photos that meet the ICAO standard.
- Proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or naturalization certificate, if it applies to you.
- A receipt for the passport fee.
You submit the application at a passport office in Greece or at a Greek consulate abroad; some regions also allow online applications through the official government portal. The fee depends on the type of passport and the age of the applicant. Processing generally takes about 10 to 15 working days, and you are notified when the Greek passport is ready to collect. Bring your identity document when you collect it.
Passport photos for children
Minors need their own passport to travel internationally, and the application requires consent from both parents or legal guardians. A child's passport photo follows the same 40×60 mm size and the same background, head size and expression rules as an adult photo. Babies and small children are easier to photograph lying on a plain light sheet or sitting in a car seat covered with a light cloth; take the photo from straight above or in front, and make sure no hands or toys are in the frame. Take several shots and choose the passport photo where the child looks straight at the camera with a neutral face. A Greek passport for a minor is valid for 5 years.
Renewal and lost passports
A Greek passport for an adult is valid for 10 years. You can renew it before it expires, and the renewal follows the same process as a first application, so you need two new passport photos. The application asks for recent photos, so do not reuse the passport photo from your previous application; take a new one that shows how you look today. If your passport is lost or stolen, report it to the local authorities right away and then apply for a replacement passport with new photos.
About the Greek passport
The Greek passport is a biometric travel document with an electronic chip that stores the holder's personal data, fingerprints and facial image. It measures 125×88 mm and usually has 32 pages, with security features such as watermarks, holograms and microprinting. The passport follows the ICAO standard, and your passport photo is part of that biometric record, so its size, head position and background need to match the official specifications.
How to take a passport photo with your phone
You do not need a studio to make a passport photo for the Greek application. A modern phone camera is sharp enough, and the online maker does the cropping and the background for you. Follow these steps for a passport photo that passes the check on the first try:
- Stand or sit about an arm's length from the camera, or ask someone to take the passport photo from 1–1.5 metres away.
- Keep the phone at eye level and straight, not tilted up or down, so the face is not distorted.
- Use the main camera rather than the wide front lens if someone can help you; a selfie also works if you hold the phone steady.
- Turn off portrait mode, beauty filters and any effects that change your skin or face.
- Take a few shots and upload the sharpest one. The AI checks each passport photo and tells you what to fix.
Taking a passport photo alone or with help
You can take the passport photo alone, but a second person makes it easier. A helper can stand back a little, hold the phone level with your eyes and check that your shoulders are straight while you look into the lens. If you take the passport photo by yourself, lean the phone against a stack of books at eye level and use the timer, so your arm stays out of the frame and the camera does not shake. Either way, upload the result to our maker: it crops the passport photo to 40×60 mm, sets the light grey background and checks the head size and eye line. If the passport photo does not pass, take another one in better light, or use the optional retouch.
Light for a passport photo at home
Light makes the biggest difference between a passport photo that is accepted and one that is sent back. The best light at home is soft daylight from a window in front of you. Stand facing the window so both sides of the face are lit evenly. Avoid direct sunlight, which causes squinting and hard shadows under the nose and chin, and avoid a single ceiling lamp, which leaves dark eye sockets. In the evening, two lamps placed on either side of the camera give more even light than one. The background is replaced by the online tool, but shadows on the face itself cannot be removed without retouching, so get the light right before you take the passport photo.
What to wear in a passport photo
Wear everyday clothing that you would normally wear. Because the background of the passport photo is light grey, a dark or coloured top gives the best contrast; a white or light grey shirt can blend into the background and make the outline of the shoulders hard to see. Avoid uniforms, large logos and busy patterns. Keep jewellery small so it does not reflect light, and make sure nothing covers your face, forehead or eyes. If you wear a head covering every day for religious reasons, check the official technical specifications on passport.gov.gr before you take the passport photo, and keep the full face visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.
Printing your passport photo
For an application at a passport office or a Greek consulate, you hand in a printed passport photo in two copies. Download the print-ready file from our maker and print it at 300 DPI on glossy or matte photo paper. A standard 10×15 cm print has room for several 40×60 mm photos, so you can print the copies you need on one sheet at any photo shop or on a home photo printer. Check the print with a ruler: each passport photo should measure exactly 40 mm wide and 60 mm tall after cutting. Do not scale the image to fit the page, because the printer would change the photo dimensions and the head with it.
Digital passport photo for online use
If you apply online or an online form asks you to upload a picture, use the digital passport photo file instead of scanning a print. A digital passport photo keeps the original colours and sharpness, while a scan adds noise and can shift the colours of the background. Our online maker produces a file with the correct 40×60 mm proportions, and the online check confirms the head size, eye line and background before you download it. Keep the original file so you can print more copies or upload the same passport photo again later.
Applying from abroad
Greek citizens who live outside Greece apply for a passport at a Greek consulate. The photo rules are the same as in Greece: 40×60 mm, light grey background, neutral face. Photo shops abroad may offer only the local passport format, so a passport photo printed there can come out in the wrong size for a Greek application. Making the passport photo online at home avoids this problem: you choose the Greek format, check the photo and print it wherever you are.
Why a passport photo gets rejected
Photos usually fail on a few simple points. The head is too small because the camera was too far away, or too large because the photo was cropped too tightly. The background has shadows or a visible texture. The face is lit unevenly, the photo is blurred, or the person is smiling or wearing glasses with reflections. A print made for another country has the wrong size. Each of these problems is checked automatically by our online passport photo maker before you download your photo, and the optional retouch fixes uneven lighting when a passport photo cannot be retaken.
Photos for other Greek documents
Other Greek documents have their own photo formats, so a passport photo is not automatically valid for every application. If you also need a photo for a Greek identity card, see our Greek ID card photo page, and for travel to Greece as a foreign citizen, see the Greece visa photo page. Each page uses the size and background of that document, so you can make the correct photo for each application in the same online tool.
Do not resize a photo made in another size
Passport photo formats differ from country to country. If you crop or stretch a photo made in another format to 40×60 mm, the head size and the eye line no longer match the Greek rules. Always start from the original picture and make a new passport photo in the Greek format rather than resizing an existing passport photo from another country.
Check your passport photo before you submit it
Before you print or hand in your photos, look at the passport photo once more against the requirements. Is the head between 31 and 35 mm tall? Are the eyes open and level, with no reflections? Is the background even, with no shadows? Is the passport photo sharp when you zoom in on the eyes? Our AI does this check automatically and marks any point that fails, so you can retake the passport photo right away instead of finding out at the passport office. If the check passes, the passport photo is ready to download and print in two copies.
Keeping a copy of your passport photo
Save the downloaded file in a safe place. If a print is damaged, the office asks for another copy, or you need a passport photo for a renewal within a short time, you can print it again without a new photo session. Remember that the passport photo must be recent and must show how you look now, so after a big change in appearance, such as a new beard or a very different hairstyle, take a new passport photo.
Plan ahead before you travel
Processing generally takes about 10 to 15 working days, and you also need time to gather documents, pay the fee and visit the passport office or consulate. Prepare your photos first, because they are the easiest part to get wrong and the quickest part to fix at home. Greek passports can be renewed before they expire, so you do not have to wait until the old one runs out. If you travel with children, remember that both parents or legal guardians must give consent for a minor's passport, which can add time to the application. When everything is ready, bring your identity card, the completed form, the fee receipt and two matching photos in one envelope, so nothing goes missing when you visit the office.
Passport photo checklist
- Correct photo size: 40×60 mm (4×6 cm).
- Head about 34 mm tall (31–35 mm), eyes 30–39 mm from the bottom edge.
- Plain light grey background, no shadows or patterns.
- Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open.
- Head straight and centred, shoulders visible.
- No glasses; hair does not cover the eyes or face.
- Sharp colour photo, recent, no filters.
- Two identical prints at 300 DPI for the application.
