Finnish Identity Card Photo (henkilökortti, 500 x 653 px upload or print): size and requirements
The Finnish Identity Card Photo size is 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 inches), or 500 x 653 pixels for online upload (minimum 500 x 653, maximum 500 x 653), file under 250 KB. Light grey is best; the background must be monochromatic, flat, light and neutral; head 68 to 77 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Poliisi (Finnish Police), 'Passport photographs' page for identity cards and 'Passport photograph instructions by the police' (2020).
For the single photo attached to a Finnish identity card application, as a 500 x 653 px JPEG on the police photograph server or as a paper print at a police service point. Not for a Finnish passport (same police rules, separate page) and not for a Traficom driving licence.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 inches), or 500 x 653 pixels for online upload (minimum 500 x 653, maximum 500 x 653), file under 250 KB
- Head height
- Head 68 to 77 percent of the photo height (The distance between the crown of the head and the chin must be at least 445-500 px (32-36 mm). There must be at least 56 px (4 mm) and no more than 84 px (6 mm) above the crown of the head. There must be at least 96 px (7 mm) and no more than 124 px (9 mm) below the chin.)
- Background
- light grey is best; the background must be monochromatic, flat, light and neutral
- 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
- 500 x 653 px (600 DPI), under 250 KB, plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckIdentical technical rules to the passport: 'The same instructions apply to all facial photographs used on the passports, identity cards and permits granted by the police.' A 500 x 653 px JPEG under 250 KB on the photograph server, or a paper print at the counter.
- CheckIf you got a passport or identity card recently and its photo 'is less than six months old, the same photograph can be automatically attached to the new application', so you may need no photo at all.
- CheckThe police upload route exists but is discouraged; the licence official assesses the photo only 'when the related identity card application is processed. The photographs are not inspected in advance.'
- CheckA paper photo means no online application: it has to be scanned at the police station. A studio photo code (kuvatunnus) or your own upload is needed for the online form.
- CheckHead 32 to 36 mm (445 to 500 px) crown to chin without hair, light neutral background, colour or black and white, no more than six months old, neutral expression with mouth closed and eyes open.
Known portal issues
- Note
Photograph retrieval code (kuvatunnus) required
Have a photographer upload the photo and give you the kuvatunnus code, then enter it in the online application. Read the fix
Good to know before you pay
If your recent passport or identity card photo is under six months old it can be attached automatically; if you visit a Finnish photo studio you only need the retrieval code.
Source and verification
Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-07 at Poliisi (Finnish Police), 'Passport photographs' page for identity cards and 'Passport photograph instructions by the police' (2020).
For an identity card application, you will need one passport photo which has been taken no longer than 6 months earlier.
If your passport or identity card was issued recently, and the photograph in that document is less than six months old , the same photograph can be automatically attached to the new application.
The quality of the photograph is assessed when the related identity card application is processed. The photographs are not inspected in advance.
You can upload your photograph onto the police's photograph server, but we do not recommend this as many of the photographs uploaded have to be rejected.
The same instructions apply to all facial photographs used on the passports, identity cards and permits granted by the police.
The dimensions of photographs submitted electronically must be exactly 500 x 653 pixels. Deviations as small as one pixel are not accepted.
The maximum size of an electronically submitted photograph is 250 kilobytes.
The best background colour is light grey.
The photograph must be no more than six months old.
Quotes 1-4 are from the identity-card 'Passport photographs' page at source.url, read directly (sources/fi/poliisi-id-card-submitting-passport-photographs-en.txt); quote 2 keeps the page's stray space before the comma; quote 4 and eligibility.officialWording use a straight apostrophe where the page prints 'police’s'. Quotes 5-9 are from the 2020 EN instructions PDF (sources/fi/poliisi-passport-photograph-instructions-2020-en-pdf.txt). Geometry, paper-frame derivation, dpi, headCovering, glasses and child placeholder as on fi/passport. findPhotographerUrl is the 'valokuvaamoluettelosta' href on the FI passport page https://poliisi.fi/passikuvan-toimittaminen, verified live on 2026-10-07 (see fi/passport). poliisi.fi 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
