Switzerland photo requirements

Switzerland photo requirements are set by fedpol, Bundesamt für Polizei (Federal Office of Police) / kantonale Passstellen. We publish 3 documents: 1 passport, 1 ID card and 1 residence permit. The most common print size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 in x 1.77 in); 1 document accepts a digital upload. Each page quotes the official rule for size, head height, background and file, links the source we read, and shows the date we last checked it (most recently 2026-10-07).

Passports

Swiss Passport Photo (Schweizer Pass, digital colour image, Fotomustertafel)For the digital colour face image some cantonal Passstellen let you bring to a Schweizer Pass appointment instead of being photographed there. Not for an Identitätskarte applied for at the Gemeinde, which takes a paper photo, and not for the Ausländerausweis, which the canton photographs.827 x 1063 pxHintergrund einfarbigverified 2026-10-07

ID cards

Swiss Identity Card Photo (Identitätskarte at the Gemeinde, 35 x 45 mm paper)For the paper photo you hand in when you apply for a Swiss Identitätskarte at your Wohnsitzgemeinde in the cantons that run ID applications through the commune. Not for a passport, which is a digital colour image captured or accepted at the cantonal Passstelle, and not for the Ausländerausweis.35 x 45 mmHintergrund einfarbigverified 2026-10-07

Residence permits

Swiss Residence Permit Photo (biometrischer Ausländerausweis, canton takes it)For the biometric Ausländerausweis (permits L, B and C) issued to third-country nationals living in Switzerland, where the cantonal migration office records the face image and fingerprints itself. Not for a Swiss passport or Identitätskarte, and not for a Schengen visa.35 x 45 mmnot stated by SEMverified 2026-10-07

Authorities and portals

Passport authority: fedpol, Bundesamt für Polizei (Federal Office of Police) / kantonale Passstellen
Sources we read: fedpol, Bundesamt für Polizei (Federal Office of Police), Fotomustertafel; Staatssekretariat für Migration SEM (State Secretariat for Migration), with ICAO Doc 9303

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.