Italy passport & visa photo requirements

Your passport-size photo needs to be just right for your Italy visa or passport application.

Applying for an Italian travel document means you need a passport-size photo that meets certain standards. This small detail can have a big impact on the success of your application.

We've put together a guide to show you what the Italian government looks for in passport and visa photos. This will help you make sure your photo meets all the requirements. Keep reading to learn what you need to know.

Guidelines for your Italy passport/visa photo

Your photo for a Italian passport or visa must meet specific requirements that are important for both physical and electronic applications.

• Recent photo: The photo should be recent and taken within the last 6 months so that it shows how you currently look.

• Photo dimensions: A passport photo should be 35mm x 40mm while a visa photo should be 35mm x 45mm. Your face should take up 70-80% of the image.

• Quality: The photo must be in color, sharp focus, high resolution, and printed on quality photographic paper.

• Background: Use a plain white background with no patterns or shadows.

• Head position: Face the camera directly without tilting your head. Your head should be level and centered in the frame.

• Facial expression: You should have a neutral expression with your eyes open and mouth closed.

• Lighting: Make sure the light is even and doesn’t cast shadows or create glare on your face or in the background.

• Eyeglasses: Avoid glasses if possible. If you need them for medical reasons, they should have thin frames and not block your eyes or reflect light. Tinted lenses and sunglasses are not allowed.

• Head coverings: These are only allowed for religious or medical reasons and shouldn’t hide any part of your face.

• Clothing: Wear normal clothes that stand out against the white background. Religious clothing is permitted only for those who wear it daily.

• Jewelry: Keep jewelry to a minimum and make sure it doesn’t change how your face looks.

Passport & visa photos for infants and children

Photographing infants and children for passport and visa photos involves additional details to consider compared to adults. The standard requirements for photo quality, background, and head position are the same, but children, especially babies, can be a bit trickier to photograph.

• Eyes visibility: The eyes of the child should be open and easily seen. With infants, you may need to wait patiently to capture a moment when their eyes are open. Avoid glasses on children unless they're necessary for medical reasons. Make sure they don't cause reflections or cover the eyes.

• Facial expression: Children, particularly infants, don't need to stick as strictly to the neutral expression required for adults. Try to take a photo where they look as relaxed and natural as possible.

• Clothing: Dress the child in simple, everyday clothes that don’t cover their face. Hats and pacifiers are not allowed in the photo. Religious headwear that shows the whole face is permitted.

• No visible support: If you need to hold an infant or young child for the photo, make sure that your hands or any support device are not visible in the picture. ​

• Focus on the child: The image should just have the child in it, with no other items or props around.

For infants who cannot sit or stand, you can lay them on a plain white background and photograph them from above or put them in a car seat that is draped with a plain white sheet.

Learn what every traveler should know before visiting Italy in our trip guide.

Get support for your Italy Schengen Visa application

If you’d like to apply for an Italy Schengen Visa and need more information, you can get in touch with our customer support team. Contact them any time via WhatsApp or through the iVisa chat.