Croatian Passport Photo (35 x 45 mm, head up to 36 mm, light grey background): size and requirements
The Croatian Passport Photo 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', linked from the putovnica FAQ.
For the printed photograph handed in with a Croatian biometric passport (putovnica) application at a police administration or police station of the Ministry of the Interior, by Croatian citizens including children. Applications abroad go through Croatian diplomatic missions under the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and are not covered here. Not for the identity card (same photo sheet, separate spec), a visa or a driving licence.
MUP's only guidance on where to get the photo is a photo studio and the print is machine-checked 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.
- CheckWhere to be photographed: 'Za biometrijsku putovnicu možete se fotografirati u bilo kojem foto-studiju u Republici Hrvatskoj.' MUP asks you to tell the photographer the photo is for a biometric passport because prints are checked against the ISO/IEC 19794-5 geometry.
- CheckChildren from 12 attend in person: 'Prisustvo djeteta koje je navršilo 12 godina također je potrebno u postupku izdavanja biometrijske putovnice radi davanja otisaka prstiju.' Passports for citizens under 21 are issued for five years.
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', linked from the putovnica 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.
Kosa (visoke frizure) smije viriti izvan slike.
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.
Za biometrijsku putovnicu možete se fotografirati u bilo kojem foto-studiju u Republici Hrvatskoj.
Prisustvo djeteta koje je navršilo 12 godina također je potrebno u postupku izdavanja biometrijske putovnice radi davanja otisaka prstiju.
Quotes 1-10 are from source.url as transcribed in sources/hr/mup-upute-za-fotografije-transcription.txt (the raw r.jina.ai text, mup-upute-za-fotografije.txt, shows the PDF's Mac Roman letter substitutions; only diacritics were restored). Quotes 11-12 are the MUP putovnica FAQ (sources/hr/mup-putovnica.txt, read live via r.jina.ai on 2026-10-10). physical 35 x 45 mm from quote 1; head 0.667-0.8 from quote 2 (2/3 and 36/45); maxPhotoAgeMonths 6 from quote 5; background 'light-grey' from quote 6; glasses from quote 8; headCovering from quote 9 (the sheet names religious reasons only; our enum adds medical); child from quote 10 with underAge 12 from quote 12 (attendance rule, not a photo rule). dpi 300 and printsRequired 1 are our defaults: the sheet and FAQ do not state a print count. 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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