Documents / Germany Passport & ID card
German passport and ID card photo requirements
1 May 2025From this date, printed photos you bring yourself are no longer accepted.
What changed
Since 1 May 2025, applications for German passports, ID cards (Personalausweis), electronic residence permits and travel documents for foreigners, refugees and stateless people accept only digital biometric photos.
You can have the photo taken at the authority, or by a registered photo service provider such as a photo studio or drugstore. The provider uploads it to a certified, encrypted cloud and gives you a printout with a data matrix code. The authority scans the code to fetch your photo. If the authority takes it on the Bundesdruckerei PointID system, the fee is 6 euros per photo.
A transition rule let local authorities accept paper photos in exceptional cases until 31 July 2025. That period has ended.
These sources describe applications made to German authorities. If you're applying at a German embassy or consulate abroad, ask them which photos they accept.
What IDHaven can and can't do
- Passport
- Not offered. A self-taken photo can't be used.
- ID card
- Not offered, for the same reason.
- Residence permit
- Not offered. The electronic residence permit follows the same rule.
- German visa
- Covered, under the Schengen visa rules.
Questions
Can I use my own photo for a German passport or ID card?
No. Since 1 May 2025, applications for German passports, ID cards, electronic residence permits and travel documents for foreigners accept only digital biometric photos taken at the authority or by a registered photo service provider.
Who can take the photo?
The authority itself, on its own capture system, or a registered photo service provider such as a photo studio or drugstore. The provider uploads the photo to a secure cloud and gives you a printed data matrix code that the authority scans.
What does it cost at the authority?
When the authority uses the Bundesdruckerei PointID system, the fee is 6 euros per photo. Photo services set their own prices.
Can IDHaven make my German passport photo?
No. A photo you take yourself can't be used for these German documents, so IDHaven doesn't offer them.
What about a German visa?
German visas follow the Schengen rules: 35×45 mm, head height 71%–80%, white or light grey background. IDHaven covers the Schengen visa photo.