Swedish Passport Photo (pass, taken by Polisen at the passexpedition): size and requirements
The Swedish Passport Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Not stated by Polisen; the passexpedition camera uses its own backdrop. Light grey is our rendering choice; neither the authority nor the saved ICAO excerpt states a colour; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Polismyndigheten (Swedish Police Authority), with ICAO Doc 9303.
For a Swedish passport applied for at a Polisen passexpedition in Sweden or at a Swedish embassy, where the passport officer takes the photo. Not for a Swedish driving licence, which does accept a 35 x 45 mm print, and not for a Schengen visa.
Polisen takes the passport photo at your appointment. See the Sweden 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 Swedish photo geometry is published (Polisen takes the photo); ICAO Doc 9303: crown-to-chin 70 to 80 per cent of the image height)
- Background
- not stated by Polisen; the passexpedition camera uses its own backdrop. Light grey is our rendering choice; neither the authority nor the saved ICAO excerpt states 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 cannot bring your own photo: 'Fotografering för pass och nationellt id-kort sker vid ansökningstillfället hos polisens passexpeditioner', a rule Polisen says follows from the passlagen to stop anyone using someone else's photo.
- CheckThe passport officer takes the photo and two fingerprints at the same appointment; you must book the appointment, pay the fee there (card recommended, cash accepted) and bring a valid physical Swedish ID (the BankID digital ID card is not accepted).
- CheckSwedes living abroad can apply, and are photographed, at certain Swedish embassies ('på vissa svenska ambassader i utlandet') under the same identification rules.
- CheckPolisen reminds that about 2.4 million passports issued in 2022 expire during 2027; book early rather than buying a photo you cannot use.
Source and verification
No national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard applies. Last checked 2026-10-07 (archived copy dated 2024-09-12) at Polismyndigheten (Swedish Police Authority), with ICAO Doc 9303.
Varför kan jag inte ta med ett eget foto till passexpeditionen?
Fotografering för pass och nationellt id-kort sker vid ansökningstillfället hos polisens passexpeditioner.
Det gör att kvaliteten på fotot blir bra och utesluter att en person använder sig av någon annans foto i syfte att skaffa sig ett pass på olaglig väg.
Måste jag ha med ett foto på mitt barn?
Nej, fotografering sker på passexpeditionen.
Passhandläggaren tar ett fotografi och två fingeravtryck
Endast i de fall vårdnadshavaren ska styrka den minderåriges identitet.
Barn som har egen legitimation och är stora nog att komma själv behöver inte ha med sig någon vuxen.
Ja, ansökningsavgiften betalas vid ansökningstillfället. Vi rekommenderar betalning med kreditkort/betalkort, men vi tar även emot kontant betalning.
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.
Quotes 1-5 and 7-9 are in Swedish from Polisen's FAQ 'Svar på vanliga frågor om pass och nationellt id-kort' at source.url (sources/se/polisen-vanliga-fragor-om-pass.txt; quotes 7-8 answer 'Finns det krav på vårdnadshavares närvaro i samband med minderårigs ansökan?'); quote 6 from 'Besök passexpedition' https://polisen.se/tjanster-tillstand/pass-och-nationellt-id-kort/besok-passexpedition/ (sources/se/polisen-besok-passexpedition.txt); the topic page (Granskad 19 augusti 2026) is saved as sources/se/polisen-pass-och-nationellt-id-kort.txt; the children's page (sources/se/polisen-barn-och-ungdomar-pass.txt) gives the consent routes (Mina sidor or form) and the no-fingerprints-under-6 rule. All read directly. Polisen publishes no photo geometry because it takes the photo; quotes 10-11 are ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/, Wayback 2024-09-12) and supply the reference size and head fraction only. Background 'light-grey' is our rendering choice (neither Polisen nor the ICAO excerpt names a colour); glasses and head-covering values are ICAO-style defaults. child.underAge 18 is a placeholder: no age-based photo relaxation exists. polisen.se is not matched by the validator host rule; confidence 'icao-default' reflects the absence of a national spec and also exempts the URL from that rule.
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
