What the French passport is for
The French passport is the official travel document that the French government issues to French citizens. It proves your identity and French nationality, lets you cross borders, and is often asked for when you apply for a visa, open a bank account or verify your identity abroad. Inside it you find your name, date of birth, signature and your photo, and a microchip in the cover stores your personal and biometric data, including fingerprints and facial recognition data. Because the passport photo becomes part of that biometric record, a French passport photo has to follow the ICAO standard closely.
France passport photo size explained
A France passport photo is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, the same as 3.5×4.5 cm. This is the photo size listed in the photo standard leaflet of the French consulate in Washington. In our template the head takes about 34.5 mm of the frame from the chin to the top of the hair, and there is about 3 mm between the top of the hair and the top edge of the photo. Printed at 600 DPI, the 35×45 mm photo stays sharp, and the face is large enough for the biometric check. A photo with the head too small or too large, or with no space above the hair, does not match this size template.
Background and lighting for a French passport photo
The background of a French passport photo is plain and light. Our photo maker uses a light grey background, so the face stands out and the edge of your hair stays clear. A pure white wall at home often turns grey or uneven on a phone photo, with shadows behind the head; the AI replaces it with an even background. Light your face from the front so both sides look the same, with no shadow under the nose or on the neck. Avoid strong side light, flash glare on the skin and reflections.
Face, pose and expression
The ICAO standard that the French passport follows asks for a neutral face. Look straight into the camera with your mouth closed and both eyes open, keep your head straight and centred, and make sure your whole face from the chin to the top of the hair fits inside the frame. Hair should not cover the eyes. It is best to take off glasses to avoid glare and dark frames over the eyes. A photo of a child follows the same rules as an adult photo.
How to apply for a French passport
The application steps are described on service-public.fr, the official French government site. To apply you must be a French citizen; applicants under 18 apply with parental consent. In short:
- Fill in the passport application form, which is available online.
- Prepare a recent passport photo that meets the ICAO standard, proof of identity such as your national ID card or previous passport, and proof of residence such as a utility bill or rental agreement. Minors also bring a birth certificate and a parental consent form.
- Book an appointment at your local passport office (mairie), or at a French consulate if you live abroad. Appointments can often be booked online.
- At the appointment, submit the application and documents and pay the passport fee, which depends on the type of passport and the applicant's age. Your fingerprints and photograph are collected for the biometric data.
- Wait for processing, which typically takes about 2 to 4 weeks and can be longer in peak travel seasons, then collect your passport in person where you applied.
Printed photo or digital photo
The France passport photo can be used both as a print and as a digital file. If you bring a printed photo, print it at 600 DPI and cut it to exactly 35×45 mm with no white border. If you need a digital photo, download the same photo file. Our tool gives you both formats from one picture, so you can bring the print to the mairie or consulate and keep the digital passport photo for an online step.
Using your passport photo online
Many steps around a passport now happen online: the application form, the appointment booking and, in some cases, the photo itself. When a passport photo is uploaded online, the file must still show the correct size and crop, a plain background and a sharp face. A scan of an old print, a screenshot or a heavily compressed image usually loses detail and may be rejected. Our tool makes the digital passport photo from the original camera picture, so the file you download keeps its full quality, and the same picture can be printed later if you need paper photos.
Passport photo at home or in a photo booth
You can get passport photos from a photo booth, a photo studio or at home with a phone. A booth or studio is quick, but you pay for each set of photos, and if one photo fails a rule you start again. At home you can take as many pictures as you like, pick the best one and check it online before you print. The key points are the same everywhere: even light from the front, a neutral face, the head straight and the correct passport photo size. Our maker handles the crop, the background and the size, so all you need is a clear photo of your face.
How the AI checks your passport photo
When you upload a photo, the AI finds your face and measures the head height and position in the frame. It crops the passport photo to 35×45 mm, places the top of the hair about 3 mm below the top edge, and replaces the background with an even light grey. Then it checks the photo for a neutral expression, open eyes, glasses, shadows on the face and sharpness. If something fails, you see which rule the photo does not meet, so you can take a new photo before you print it or use it online.
Passport photos for babies and children
A child needs a separate passport photo, even a baby. The photo follows the same rules as for an adult: the 35×45 mm size, a plain light background, eyes open and a neutral face. With a baby, lay a plain light sheet on the bed, put the baby on its back and take the passport photo from above in daylight, so no hands or toys appear in the frame. Take several pictures and choose the one where the baby looks straight at the camera. Older children can sit on a chair in front of a window, like an adult. Our AI checks a child's passport photo the same way, so you see any problem before you print.
Why a passport photo gets rejected
Most refused passport photos fail for simple reasons: the wrong photo size or crop, a head that is too small, a shadow on the background or face, a smile, or a blurred print. A photo cut from a group picture, an old photo that no longer looks like you, or a photo with a filter will not work either. Check each point before your appointment, because a rejected passport photo means a new photo and possibly a new visit.
Printing your passport photos
If you need printed passport photos, for example for the mairie, download the passport photo print sheet and print it at 600 DPI on photo paper, without scaling the page. Check with a ruler that each photo is exactly 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, then cut it along the edges with no white border. Avoid folding, stapling or writing on the photo, and keep it clean and flat until your appointment. A print that is too light, too dark or slightly blurred can make an otherwise good photo unusable, so look at it closely before you take it with you.
Renewal, minors and lost passports
A French passport is typically valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors. Renewal works much like a first application, but you may not need all the original documents when you renew an existing passport. You still need a new passport photo, because the photo must show how you look today. If your passport is lost or stolen, report it to the local authorities and apply for a replacement as soon as possible; the replacement also needs a new France passport photo in the same 35×45 mm size.
Other French documents
Other French documents have their own photo pages. If you need a photo for another document, see our French ID card photo, France visa photo and Carte Vitale photo pages. Before you travel, always check the visa requirements and travel restrictions of your destination, as they can change.
French passport photo checklist
- Photo size: 35×45 mm (3.5×4.5 cm).
- Head about 34.5 mm from chin to the top of the hair, about 3 mm below the top edge.
- Plain light grey background with no shadows or patterns.
- Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open, head straight.
- Glasses off to avoid glare; hair away from the eyes.
- Sharp colour photo, printed at 600 DPI if you need a print.
