Finnish Residence Permit Photo (Migri, passport photo or studio code): size and requirements
The Finnish Residence Permit Photo size is 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 inches). Not stated by Migri; the police passport-photo instructions ask for a light, neutral, monochromatic background, best light grey; head 68 to 77 percent of the photo height. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Maahanmuuttovirasto (Finnish Immigration Service, Migri), 'Visiting a service point', with Poliisi passport photograph instructions.
For the passport photo you bring to a Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) service point when applying for a residence permit, either as a print or as a photograph retrieval code from a Finnish photo shop. Not for a Finnish passport or identity card issued by the police, and not for a Schengen visa.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 36 x 47 mm (1.42 x 1.85 inches)
- Head height
- Head 68 to 77 percent of the photo height (Migri says only 'a passport photo or a photograph retrieval code from a photo shop'; the police passport-photo rule (head 32-36 mm on the 47 mm frame) is applied by inference)
- Background
- not stated by Migri; the police passport-photo instructions ask for a light, neutral, monochromatic background, best 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
- Prints needed
- 1
- We deliver
- 850 x 1110 px (600 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckWhether you applied online in Enter Finland or on paper, Migri's checklist for the service point visit is the same: 'a passport photo or a photograph retrieval code from a photo shop', plus your passport and original documents.
- CheckMigri publishes no photo geometry of its own. The retrieval code is the Finnish photo-studio code that points to the police photograph server, so we apply the police passport-photo frame (head 32 to 36 mm crown to chin, light neutral background, at most six months old).
- CheckThe residence permit card carries 'biometric identifiers, including a facial image and two fingerprints'; the fingerprints are taken at the service point, the facial image comes from the photo you bring or the code you give.
- CheckBook the service point appointment in advance, bring cash or a card for the processing fee, and have non-Finnish/Swedish/English documents officially translated.
Good to know before you pay
If a Finnish photo shop has sent your photo to the police server, you only need to give Migri the retrieval code.
Source and verification
Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-07 at Maahanmuuttovirasto (Finnish Immigration Service, Migri), 'Visiting a service point', with Poliisi passport photograph instructions.
a passport photo or a photograph retrieval code from a photo shop
If you applied online, bring with you to the service point:
If you are applying on paper, bring with you to the service point:
Residence permit cards have a chip that contains biometric identifiers, including a facial image and two fingerprints.
The same instructions apply to all facial photographs used on the passports, identity cards and permits granted by the police.
Quotes 1-3 are from the Migri page 'Visiting a service point' at source.url, read via the r.jina.ai text proxy because migri.fi serves a JS shell to curl (sources/fi/migri-visiting-a-service-point-en.txt); the eligibility wording is the checklist bullet that appears under both 'If you applied online' and 'If you are applying on paper'. Quote 4 is from Migri 'Residence permit card' https://migri.fi/en/residence-permit-card, read via the proxy (sources/fi/migri-residence-permit-card-en.txt). Quote 5 is from the police 2020 instructions PDF (sources/fi/poliisi-passport-photograph-instructions-2020-en-pdf.txt). Migri publishes no geometry, background, age limit or glasses rule: all of those are the police passport-photo values applied by inference and flagged in statedAs/backgroundStatedAs; maxPhotoAgeMonths is left undefined because Migri states none. migri.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
