35x45mm EU standard — with two Romanian quirks: three prints are asked for, and the background may be off-white or light grey rather than pure white.
Fit your head inside the guide
Head size between 31 and 36mm.
Show both ears and the full face
Romania names the ears explicitly.
Use a light background
Cream, off-white or light grey.
The 35x45mm ICAO format used across the EU, Romania included.
Bring 3 identical prints
More than most countries ask for.
Both ears visible
Push hair back behind both ears.
No excessive jewellery or make-up
Named in the guidance.
Glasses removed
Take them off if you wear them.
3
35x45mm like the rest of the EU, but Romania asks for three prints and accepts an off-white or light grey background.
Three identical copies are asked for.
Both are named in the guidance.
The EU-standard frame.
Romania states this explicitly.
More copies than most countries ask for.
Romanian passport applications call for three identical 35x45mm photographs. Most EU countries ask for one or two, so this is easy to under-prepare for.
Print all three from the same file in a single batch. Photos printed on different days or at different shops can drift in colour balance and brightness enough that they stop reading as identical, which defeats the point of asking for matching copies.
Cream, off-white or light grey all work.
Romanian guidance accepts a cream, off-white or light-grey background, describing the requirement as white or very light rather than pure white. That is more forgiving than countries like Bangladesh or Denmark, which specify white with no alternative.
What still matters is uniformity: a single flat tone, evenly lit, with no pattern, gradient or shadow behind your head. Stand about a metre clear of the wall.
Head 31-36mm, both ears visible.
Your head should measure between 31mm and 36mm, with your face covering roughly 70-80% of the image so Romanian authorities can identify you clearly. The head must be centred, straight and facing forward.
Both ears and the full face must be visible — a requirement Romania shares with Norway and states outright. Long hair worn forward over one ear will hide it, so push your hair back behind both ears before you shoot.
No headwear is allowed except for medical or religious reasons. Glasses should be removed if you wear them, and the guidance calls out excessive jewellery and make-up as problems in their own right.
Sharp, unpixelated, within six months.
The image must be sharp with no pixelation or blur. Work from the original camera file rather than a messaging-app copy, which will have been recompressed.
The photo must have been taken within the last six months and must reflect your current appearance. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and both eyes open.
Printed at 35 x 45mm, 827 x 1063px, JPG/PNG. Computed from this photo's own specification, not typed by hand.
Requirements verified
Watch out — Identical prints needed: 3
Create the 35x45mm ICAO photo a Romanian passport application needs — head 31-36mm, print-ready in three copies, free and 100% private.
Choose a sharp, recent photo from your phone or computer.
We crop to 35x45mm with your head at 31-36mm.
Print three identical copies.
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