French Passport Photo Requirements

A French passport photo measures 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, about the size of a large postage stamp. You hand in one photo, not two.

The number that matters most is the face. From the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, it must measure between 32 and 36 mm, which is 70 to 80% of the photo. Hair does not count: a tall hairstyle does not make the face any bigger, so the measurement is taken to the skull itself.

The print has to be sharp, with no creases and no marks, and neither too bright nor too dark. Colour is strongly recommended.

Size. French: 35 x 45 mm. Canadian: 50 x 70 mm. The Canadian photo in your drawer will not do, and trimming it does not help, because the face would be the wrong size for the smaller frame.

Background. This is the trap. Canadian passport photos are taken on plain white or a light colour, and white is what most counters use. A French passport photo needs a plain light colour such as light blue or light grey, and white is expressly forbidden.

How much of the frame you fill. On a French passport photo the face takes up 70 to 80% of the height, so you look closer to the camera than on a Canadian one, where the same head sits in a much taller frame.

Tell us the photo is for a French passport before we shoot, so that the background is right from the first frame.

A French passport photo is taken bare-headed, facing the camera, with nothing softening the rules. Hold your head straight, look into the lens, and keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed. Your eyes must be open and fully visible, so sweep any hair off your face. A fringe is fine as long as it stops above the eyes.

The head must be bare. No hat, no scarf, no headband.

Glasses are your choice: you do not have to wear them. If you keep them on, thick frames are out, the lenses cannot be tinted or coloured, the frame must not hide your eyes, and there can be no glare. Taking them off is the simple way to avoid a reshoot.

One practical tip: against a light blue or light grey background, a mid-tone or dark top gives you a clean outline. A pale grey shirt on a pale grey wall does you no favours.

A visa photo for France uses the same format as the passport photo: 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, with the face measuring 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair not counted. The official visa guidance tolerates a width of 35 to 40 mm, but 35 x 45 mm is the format it draws and the safe one to ask for.

The rest will sound familiar. The photo must be less than six months old and look like you on the day you apply. It must be in colour, on a plain light background such as light blue or light grey, and white is forbidden here too. Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open, no thick frames, no tinted lenses, no glare.

The one difference is head coverings. For a short-stay Schengen visa, a head covering is accepted for religious reasons, as long as your face shows from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and its outline stays clear. For a long-stay visa that also serves as a residence permit, the head must be bare, exactly as for a passport.

In every case, you must be alone in the picture. The visa service has the final say on whether a photo is accepted.

For a French passport applied for in Canada, you bring one recent photo, less than six months old, that looks like you and meets the French standards. A Canadian-format photo does not qualify, however recent it is.

It has to be a printed photo. A file on your phone is not enough.

France is also testing a remote renewal for some adults. Even then, the paper photo does not disappear: you mail it in once your file has been checked.

A photo that does not comply, or that is too old, is not accepted, and your file cannot move forward until a new one arrives. Have the photo taken shortly before your appointment, and keep it flat.

A French passport photo is usually refused for one of a handful of reasons:

• A white background, the standard at most Canadian photo counters

• A Canadian-format 50 x 70 mm photo

• A face smaller than 32 mm or larger than 36 mm

• A photo taken more than six months ago

• A smile, or an open mouth

• A hat, scarf or headband

• Thick frames, tinted lenses or glare on the glasses

• A shadow on the face or on the background

• A crease or a mark on the print

The official rules are blunt about the result: a photo that does not meet them is rejected, and the passport is not issued.

French passport photos and visa photos for France are part of our international passport photo service at 683 Rue Jean-Talon O in Montreal. We shoot on a light blue-grey background, print at 35 x 45 mm, and measure the face before you leave. No appointment is needed, and photos are usually ready in about 15 minutes.

You can get two identical prints, a digital file or both. Current prices are on our international passport photo service page. If your photo is turned down, we reshoot it free.

The studio is open seven days a week: 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.