Swiss passport photos are 35x45mm on a plain light background. Switzerland is not in the EU but follows the same ICAO photo standard.
Fit your head inside the guide
Chin to crown should measure 32-36mm.
Center your face on the vertical line
Head straight, shoulders square.
Keep the background plain
Light and even, with no shadow.
The 35x45mm ICAO format used for Swiss passport applications.
Check your canton's office
Passport offices are run cantonally.
Plain light background
Uniform, no pattern, no shadow.
Neutral expression
Mouth closed, both eyes open.
Taken within the last 6 months
Must reflect your current appearance.
a digital colour image is required and it is normally taken at the cantonal passport office; some cantons do let you bring your own digital photo, but you have to say so when you file the application
35x45mm ICAO — outside the EU, on the same standard, with the process run canton by canton.
Passport offices are cantonal and differ.
Not on your face, not on the background.
The ICAO standard Switzerland uses.
Uniform across the whole frame.
Switzerland is not an EU member but uses the 35x45mm ICAO photo.
Switzerland sits outside the European Union while being part of the Schengen Area, and it uses the same 35x45mm ICAO photo format as its EU neighbours for passports and identity cards.
Practically that means a photo cropped for a German, French or Italian document is the right shape for a Swiss one — which is convenient given how many Swiss residents hold documents in more than one country.
The process, not the spec, varies by canton.
Swiss passports are applied for through the passport office of your canton of residence, and arrangements differ: some capture the photo at the appointment, others expect you to bring one or accept photos from approved photographers.
The 35x45mm specification is national, so the photo itself is the same wherever you are. Check your canton's page for how it wants the photo supplied before you print.
Plain, light and uniform, with no shadows.
Use a plain light background that is uniform across the whole frame. Stand about a metre from the wall so your body does not cast a shadow onto it.
Light your face evenly from the front. A gradient across the background — brighter on one side — is a common and easily avoided fault.
Neutral face, glasses best removed.
Face the camera with a neutral expression, mouth closed and both eyes open and clearly visible.
Glasses are tolerated only without glare and with the frames clear of the eyes. Head coverings are accepted for religious reasons provided the full face stays visible.
Printed at 35 x 45mm, 827 x 1063px, JPG/PNG. Computed from this photo's own specification, not typed by hand.
Requirements verified · Source: fedpol.admin.ch
Watch out — Photo taken at the appointment — a digital colour image is required and it is normally taken at the cantonal passport office; some cantons do let you bring your own digital photo, but you have to say so when you file the application
Create the 35x45mm ICAO photo a Swiss passport or ID card needs — plain background, 32-36mm head, free and 100% private.
Choose a clear, recent photo from your phone or computer.
We crop to 35x45mm with your head at 32-36mm.
Confirm how your canton wants photos supplied, then print.
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