Croatian ID Card (osobna iskaznica) Photo (35 x 45 mm, head up to 36 mm, light grey background): size and requirements
The Croatian ID Card size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Pozadina mora biti jednobojno svijetla (idealno svijetlosiva) i s dovoljnim kontrastom prema licu i kosi. (single-colour light background, ideally light grey); head 67 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-10 against Republika Hrvatska, Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova (Ministry of the Interior), 'Upute za pripremu fotografija za e-dokumente', with the osobna iskaznica answers of the MUP FAQ.
For the printed photograph handed in with a Croatian electronic identity card (osobna iskaznica) application at a police administration or police station, by Croatian citizens with residence in Croatia and by children of any age at the parents' request. The MUP sheet covers all e-documents, so the geometry is the passport's. Not for the passport (separate spec), a driving licence or a residence card for foreigners.
MUP points applicants to photo studios and machine-checks the print at the counter; a home photo printed to the sheet above is not excluded, but expect it to be judged strictly. See all Croatia documents.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches)
- Head height
- Head 67 to 80 percent of the photo height (Glava (od vrha brade do tjemena / razdjeljka) treba zauzimati oko 2/3 slike, no ne smije biti viša od 36 mm. (about two thirds of the picture, no taller than 36 mm; 2/3 to 36/45 applied))
- Background
- Pozadina mora biti jednobojno svijetla (idealno svijetlosiva) i s dovoljnim kontrastom prema licu i kosi. (single-colour light background, ideally light grey)
- 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
- 413 x 531 px (300 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckHead band is written in two ways: 'Glava (od vrha brade do tjemena / razdjeljka) treba zauzimati oko 2/3 slike, no ne smije biti viša od 36 mm.' (the head, chin to crown, should take about 2/3 of the picture and must not be taller than 36 mm). 36 mm of 45 mm is 80 %.
- CheckEye distance: 'Razmak očiju (od sredine lijevog oka do sredine desnog oka) iznosi minimalno 8 mm (optimalno 10 mm).' A minimum 8 mm between pupil centres on the 35 mm print rules out very wide crops.
- CheckLight grey, not white: 'Pozadina mora biti jednobojno svijetla (idealno svijetlosiva) i s dovoljnim kontrastom prema licu i kosi.' (single-colour light, ideally light grey, with enough contrast to face and hair). No patterns, no shadows, nobody else in frame.
- CheckSix months: 'Fotografija ne smije biti starija od šest mjeseci.' Tall hairstyles may run out of frame ('Kosa (visoke frizure) smije viriti izvan slike.').
- CheckNo stretching or mirroring: the head must not be shown stretched or altered in any way; mirrored shots and proportion changes (for example to make the head look narrower) are not allowed.
- CheckGlasses: 'Oči moraju biti jasno i točno prepoznatljive, nedopuštene su refleksije na staklima naočala, tonirana stakla ili sunčane naočale.' Frames and lens edges must not cover the eyes.
- CheckHead coverings: 'Pokrivala na glavi nisu dopuštena, iznimke su dopustive iz religioznih razloga.' With a covering the face must be recognisable from the chin to the forehead, with no shadows on it.
- CheckChildren: 'Djeca na fotografiji moraju biti sama. Lice mora biti u potpunosti vidljivo i oči otvorene.' The example strip rejects a baby with a cap, a baby with the mouth open and a baby held on an arm.
- CheckPrint quality: high-quality glossy smooth photo paper without surface texture, no scratches, stains, stamp marks or folds, natural colours, no red eyes.
- CheckSame sheet as the passport: the MUP instructions are titled for 'e-dokumente' and the FAQ page treats osobna iskaznica and putovnica together; a photo that no longer matches your appearance ('fotografija na osobnoj iskaznici više ne odgovara izgledu osobe') is a reason to replace the card.
- CheckOver-12s attend: 'Maloljetna osoba starija od 12 godina mora biti osobno nazočna prilikom podnošenja zahtjeva za izdavanje osobne iskaznice, radi davanja otisaka papilarnih linija i potpisa.' The card is compulsory from 18 (or from 16 if married) for residents of Croatia, and cannot be applied for at a consulate abroad.
Source and verification
Read from the official page and translated by us. Last checked 2026-10-10 at Republika Hrvatska, Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova (Ministry of the Interior), 'Upute za pripremu fotografija za e-dokumente', with the osobna iskaznica answers of the MUP FAQ.
Fotografija mora biti 35 mm široka i 45 mm visoka.
Glava (od vrha brade do tjemena / razdjeljka) treba zauzimati oko 2/3 slike, no ne smije biti viša od 36 mm.
Razmak očiju (od sredine lijevog oka do sredine desnog oka) iznosi minimalno 8 mm (optimalno 10 mm).
Fotografija ne smije biti starija od šest mjeseci.
Pozadina mora biti jednobojno svijetla (idealno svijetlosiva) i s dovoljnim kontrastom prema licu i kosi.
Fotografija treba osobu prikazivati s neutralnim izrazom lica i zatvorenih usta na frontalnoj snimci.
Oči moraju biti jasno i točno prepoznatljive, nedopuštene su refleksije na staklima naočala, tonirana stakla ili sunčane naočale.
Pokrivala na glavi nisu dopuštena, iznimke su dopustive iz religioznih razloga.
Djeca na fotografiji moraju biti sama. Lice mora biti u potpunosti vidljivo i oči otvorene.
fotografija na osobnoj iskaznici više ne odgovara izgledu osobe
Maloljetna osoba starija od 12 godina mora biti osobno nazočna prilikom podnošenja zahtjeva za izdavanje osobne iskaznice, radi davanja otisaka papilarnih linija i potpisa.
Za biometrijsku putovnicu možete se fotografirati u bilo kojem foto-studiju u Republici Hrvatskoj.
Quotes 1-9 are from source.url as transcribed in sources/hr/mup-upute-za-fotografije-transcription.txt (diacritics restored from the PDF's Mac Roman substitutions, nothing else changed). Quotes 10-12 are the MUP putovnica/osobna iskaznica FAQ (sources/hr/mup-putovnica.txt, read live via r.jina.ai on 2026-10-10); quote 12 is written for the passport and is applied here because the sheet covers all e-documents. physical 35 x 45 mm from quote 1; head 0.667-0.8 from quote 2; maxPhotoAgeMonths 6 from quote 4; background from quote 5; glasses from quote 7; headCovering from quote 8; child from quote 9 with underAge 12 from quote 11. dpi 300 and printsRequired 1 are our defaults. Translations in parentheses are ours.
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.
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