Passport photo at home in the Netherlands
The Netherlands works from a single published rulebook, the Fotomatrix Model 2020, and applies it to the paspoort, the identiteitskaart and the rijbewijs alike. The gemeente judges the print you hand over against those acceptance criteria — 'alleen als de foto aan alle onderstaande acceptatiecriteria voldoet wordt de foto goedgekeurd' — not against who took it, which makes a home photo entirely legitimate for counter applications. Two documents are the exceptions, and knowing them up front avoids buying a photo that cannot be used.
The Fotomatrix numbers
The Dutch passport photo is a fixed 35 x 45 mm with unusually tight head measurements: from age 11 the chin-to-crown height must be between 26 and 30 mm — a narrower band than the UK's 29 to 34 mm sits in a different place — and the face width from ear-insertion to ear-insertion between 16 and 20 mm. Children up to and including 10 get a wider band of 19 to 30 mm. The background must be light grey, light blue or white, plain and evenly lit; the identiteitskaart uses the identical standard. Because both the height and the width of the face are measured, Dutch rejections are often framing rejections: our checker reports the head height as a percentage of the photo height against the Fotomatrix band before you pay; check the width against the Fotomatrix yourself.
Where a home photo works: the gemeente counter
Passport and ID-card applications happen at the gemeente, on paper photos. Shoot at home — rear camera, someone else holding the phone, window light, half a metre off the wall — and have the file printed on smooth photographic paper at a lab or photo counter; textured or inkjet-ragged prints invite a quality refusal. The printing guide covers getting an exact-size print out of a kiosk. The gemeente can refuse any photo that misses an acceptance criterion, so treat the Fotomatrix bands as hard numbers, not suggestions.
The two exceptions: RDW online and the IND
Renewing a driving licence online does not take ordinary passport photos at all: 'gewone pasfoto's kunt u niet gebruiken voor het online aanvragen van uw rijbewijs'. The photo must come from an RDW-fotograaf or approved booth, which transmits it to the RDW digitally along with your signature. Applying at the gemeente counter instead, a normal colour pasfoto works. For residence documents the door is closed entirely: the IND takes your photo at the biometrics appointment and 'accepteert geen foto's die ergens anders door een fotograaf zijn gemaakt' — do not buy a photo for a verblijfsdocument from us or anyone.
Glasses, children and the usual stumbles
The Fotomatrix tolerates glasses only without glare and with the eyes fully visible, and demands a neutral expression with the mouth closed. For babies the relaxed 19 to 30 mm band helps, but the eyes-open and plain-background rules stand; the baby photo guide covers the floor-shot technique. The most common home failure remains the head size: on a 45 mm photo, 26 to 30 mm chin-to-crown means the head fills just under two-thirds of the height, less than the Schengen-style 70 to 80 percent people expect.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a Dutch pasfoto for my rijbewijs renewal?
At the gemeente counter, yes. Online via the RDW, no: that route only accepts photos taken and transmitted by an RDW-approved photographer or booth, and the application code they issue is valid for six months.
Related documents
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