Czech Passport Photo (cestovní pas, photographed at the office): size and requirements
The Czech Passport Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Not stated; the office camera uses its own backdrop. Light grey is our rendering choice; neither the Ministry nor the saved ICAO excerpt names a colour; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Ministerstvo vnitra České republiky (Ministry of the Interior), 'Základní informace k cestovním pasům', with ICAO Doc 9303.
For the Czech biometric passport, whose facial image the municipal office or Czech mission captures when you apply in person, so no photo is handed in. Not for a Czech visa or long-stay application made abroad, which takes a 35 x 45 mm print, and not for an občanský průkaz (same capture rule, separate page).
The office photographs you when you apply for the passport in person, in Czechia or at a Czech mission. See the Czechia documents we can prepare.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches)
- Head height
- Head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height (No Czech photo geometry applies (the office captures the image); ICAO Doc 9303: crown-to-chin 70 to 80 per cent of the image height)
- Background
- not stated; the office camera uses its own backdrop. Light grey is our rendering choice; neither the Ministry nor the saved ICAO excerpt names a colour
- 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
- We deliver
- 827 x 1063 px (600 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckYou bring no photo: 'Občan nepředkládá fotografii, protože fotografii pořizuje příslušný úřad při podání žádosti - proto se občan musí k němu osobně dostavit.' The officer takes the facial image, fingerprints (from age 12) and a digitised signature at the counter.
- CheckApplications are made at any obecní úřad obce s rozšířenou působností (in Prague the úřady městských částí Praha 1 to 22), at the Ministry of the Interior for the 24-hour and 5-day fast tracks, or at a Czech embassy or consulate abroad, where the same capture happens and issue takes up to 120 days.
- CheckA child under 15 is photographed too; the legal guardian applies and the passport is valid 5 years (10 years from 15). Fast-track passports cannot be requested at a mission abroad.
- CheckA photo you bring is never scanned onto the passport; the only Czech documents that still take your own print are visas and residence applications filed at missions.
Source and verification
No national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard applies. Last checked 2026-10-07 (archived copy dated 2024-09-12) at Ministerstvo vnitra České republiky (Ministry of the Interior), 'Základní informace k cestovním pasům', with ICAO Doc 9303.
Občan nepředkládá fotografii, protože fotografii pořizuje příslušný úřad při podání žádosti - proto se občan musí k němu osobně dostavit.
Jestliže se ověří správnost těchto údajů a není-li důvod pro odepření vydání cestovního pasu, pořídí se biometrické údaje, to znamená zobrazení obličeje a otisky prstů rukou občanů starších 12 let.
Po pořízení biometrických údajů se pořídí digitalizovaný podpis občana, který se přenese do cestovního pasu.
Cestovní pas se vydává občanům ve věku do 15 let s dobou platnosti na 5 let, občanům starším15 let s dobou platnosti na 10 let.
Cestovní pas se vydává ve lhůtě 30 dnů; je-li žádost podána u zastupitelského úřadu, ve lhůtě 120 dnů.
Žádost o vydání cestovního pasu ve zkrácených lhůtách nelze podat u zastupitelského úřadu.
Submitted portraits should be 45.0 mm x 35.0 mm (1.77 in x 1.38 in) in dimension.
The crown-to-chin portion of the facial image shall be 70 to 80 per cent of the longest dimension defined for Zone V, maintaining the aspect ratio between the crown-to-chin and ear-to-ear details of the face of the holder.
A submitted portrait shall have been captured within the last six months before application, as outlined in [ISO/IEC 39794-5].
Quotes 1-6 are Czech, from the Ministry page at source.url, read directly (sources/cz/mv-zakladni-informace-k-cestovnim-pasum.txt; quote 4 keeps the page's missing space in 'starším15'). Quotes 7-9 are ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/, Wayback 2024-09-12) and supply the reference size, head fraction and six-month age, because no Czech photo spec applies to a document the office photographs. physical 35 x 45 mm / 600 dpi, background 'light-grey', glasses and head-covering values are ICAO-style defaults and our rendering choices. printsRequired is left undefined (nothing is handed in). editing 'unaltered-required' is a conservative default for a document whose photo we cannot supply at all.
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
