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Belgian eID Photo (carte d'identité électronique, 35 x 45 mm): size and requirements

The Belgian eID Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Fonds clairs et unis (exclusion des fonds bleus ou rouges prononcés); head 69 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against SPF Intérieur, Direction générale Identité et Affaires citoyennes (Registre national), Instructions générales eID / matrice photo.

For the single printed photo you bring to the service population of your commune when your eID is renewed or issued at 12, in communes that do not photograph you on the spot. Not for the Kids-ID (same rules, separate page), and not for a Belgian passport, which the commune or embassy often photographs itself.

Use our print only if your commune does not photograph applicants itself (no live enrollment); print it on photo paper at a lab, 35 x 45 mm without a white border. See the Belgium documents we can prepare.

Make this photo for $6.99Read the full rules
Flower carpet laid out on the Grand Place in Brussels
VerifiedRead from the official page and translated by usLast checked 2026-10-07SPF Intérieur, Direction générale Identité et Affaires citoyennes (Registre national), Instructions générales eID / matrice photo

Requirements at a glance

Size
35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches)
Head height
Head 69 to 80 percent of the photo height (La hauteur de la tête du titulaire doit être comprise entre 31 mm au minimum et 36 mm au maximum (photo 35 mm x 45 mm, sans bords blancs))
Background
fonds clairs et unis (exclusion des fonds bleus ou rouges prononcés)
Expression
Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
Glasses
Allowed without glare or tint
Head covering
Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
Photo age
Taken within the last 6 months
Prints needed
1
We deliver
827 x 1063 px (600 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet

What trips people up

  • Check
    Ask your commune first: 'Le citoyen doit être muni d'une photographie (sauf si la commune utilise le live enrollment)'. Communes with live enrollment photograph you at the desk and must tell residents that the photo 'sera prise directement à la commune'; a photo you bring there is wasted.
  • Check
    The Belgian head is tall: 31 to 36 mm chin to crown on the 45 mm photo (69 to 80 percent), a slightly wider band than ICAO's 70 to 80 percent (the floor is one point lower). The head must be entirely in frame, frontal and centred.
  • Check
    Any light plain background passes, colour or black and white, but pronounced blue or red backgrounds are excluded ('exclusion des fonds bleus ou rouges prononcés').
  • Check
    The photo may be at most six months old and must still look like you: 'Les photographies non ressemblantes sont à écarter systématiquement.' During certain Belpic actions the official sees the photo from your last activated card ('le fonctionnaire verra la photo du citoyen qui figurait sur la dernière carte activée').
  • Check
    Head coverings only for a serious religious or medical reason, and then forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose and chin must be fully uncovered; dark glasses only for the visually impaired with a medical certificate.
  • Check
    The official checks the print against the matrix by eye and then scans it: the photo is digitised onto the chip and lasered onto the card, so a poor-quality or damaged print fails at the scanner even if it looks fine.

Source and verification

VerifiedLast checked 2026-10-07SPF Intérieur, Direction générale Identité et Affaires citoyennes (Registre national), Instructions générales eID / matrice photo

Read from the official page and translated by us. Last checked 2026-10-07 at SPF Intérieur, Direction générale Identité et Affaires citoyennes (Registre national), Instructions générales eID / matrice photo.

  • Le citoyen doit être muni d'une photographie (sauf si la commune utilise le live enrollment) répondant aux caractéristiques requises
  • sera prise directement à la commune et sera conforme aux normes de la matrice photo se référant aux normes ICAO
  • Les dimensions des photographies, de forme rectangulaire, sont de 35 mm x 45 mm, sans bords blancs.
  • La hauteur de la tête du titulaire doit être comprise entre 31 mm au minimum et 36 mm au maximum.
  • La tête du titulaire doit figurer entièrement sur la photographie, être prise de face et être centrée.
  • Les photographies en couleur ou en noir et blanc doivent comporter des fonds clairs et unis (exclusion des fonds bleus ou rouges prononcés).
  • La photo peut dater de maximum 6 mois.
  • Les photographies non ressemblantes sont à écarter systématiquement.
  • (sauf port d'un couvre-chef pour raisons religieuses ou médicales)
  • Les deux yeux doivent être visibles (pas de lunettes noires sauf pour les handicapés visuels : production d'un certificat médical).
  • Lors de certaines actions via Belpic, le fonctionnaire verra la photo du citoyen qui figurait sur la dernière carte activée.
  • La photo se trouve à gauche et non plus à droite.

Quotes are in French. Quotes 1-11 are from the IBZ 'Instructions générales relatives aux cartes d'identité électroniques', version coordonnée du 30 avril 2026, sections 5.6 and 5.6.3, PDF https://www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be/sites/default/files/documents/fr/documents-d-identite/eid/instructions/IG-eID-FR-30042026.pdf linked from https://www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be/fr/professionnel/documents-didentite/eid/instructions (text dump sources/be/ibz-instructions-generales-eid-2026-04-30-pdf.txt; the dump drops the apostrophe in some words such as 'didentité', so quote 2 starts mid-sentence after 'la carte d'identité' and quote 9 is the parenthesis that follows a hyphenated line break). Quote 12 is from the citizen eID page at source.url (sources/be/ibz-eid-fr.txt). The matrice photo itself (https://www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be/fr/professionnel/documents-didentite/fotomatrix, PDFs 2016_Matrice_FR.pdf and 2016_Matrice_super_light_FR.pdf) is image-only and is not quoted. Head fractions 31-36 mm / 45 mm. background 'light' follows 'fonds clairs et unis'. headCovering matches the source (religieuses ou médicales). glasses 'allowed-no-glare' is an inference from the dark-glasses ban (the IG forbids only 'lunettes noires'). editing 'background-replacement-ok': the IG regulates likeness and damage, not retouching. dpi 600 is our rendering choice. No child relaxation is published for the eID (issued from age 12), so child is left undefined. ibz.rrn.fgov.be is not matched by the validator host rule; see the file header.

We are an independent service, not a government website. Applying for a passport or visa is done with your government; we only prepare the photo.

Frequently asked questions

Woman taking a selfie with her phone in front of a bright outdoor wall
A plain wall and daylight are enough.