• Avoid white clothing because the portrait background for German Passport Picture is light gray.
• It is best to remove your glasses to eliminate any chances of rejection because of reflections.
• Your expression must be neutral with no frowning or smiling.
• You should be looking directly at the camera. Pictures even slightly in profile have been known to be rejected.
• Your face should fill between 70 to 80% of the photo area.
• German Passport photographs must be taken by a professional studio.
• Passport and Visa photo sizes and quantities of photos required change frequently. Please verify the photo specs with your embassy prior to visiting our studio.

Feldman's Photography will create two identical Passport photos for Germany that will be exactly 35mm x 45mm against a light gray background.

• Like many other countries, Germany has also adopted the new biometric system that requires a contactless smartcard chip and 13.56 MHz loop antenna embedded into the back cover page. The passport also includes two scanned fingerprints added in the chip.
• The validity period of the German passport for the holders under the age of 24 is now six years, while it is ten years for the older applicants.
• The cover design for the passport has been accepted to be burgundy red in accordance to the design of other EU passports. It is absolutely necessary to comply with the requirements described here, otherwise biometric recognition of the applicant will not function, nor will the image be properly reproduced in the document.
• As a rule, no head coverings should be worn for photos; the passport authority may make exceptions for religious reasons. Exceptions to this and the other requirements may be made in case of a permanent medical condition.
• No parts of uniforms should be visible in the photos.
• The photo must clearly show the person’s facial features from the bottom of the chin to the crown (the top of the head, not the top of the hair) as well as the left and right sides of the face.
• The face must take up 70 – 80% of the photo. This corresponds to a height of 32 – 36mm. Because it is often difficult to determine where the top of the head would be without hair, photos should be rejected only if the face measures less than 27mm or more than 40mm.
• In the case of voluminous hairstyles, the entire head (including hair) must be visible without reducing the size of the face, if possible.
• The face must be centered in the photo.
• Photos must be taken with even lighting; shadows, reflections and red eyes are to be avoided.
  
• The background must be one color and bright (ideally a neutral gray color) and in a contrasting color to the face and hair. In the case of light-colored hair, a gray background is suitable while a
  light gray background is suitable for dark hair.
• The background must not be patterned.
• Shadows on the background are not acceptable.
• The photo must be clean, undamaged and free of creases.
• Photos may be in black and white or in color
• The head of the person photographed should be neither tilted nor turned (portrait style).
• The facial expression must be neutral with the mouth closed and looking directly at the camera
• The eyes must be open and clearly visible and must not be covered by hair or eyeglass frames.
• Eyes must be clearly visible (no flash reflection off the lenses).
• A new passport law has been in effect since Nov. 1, 2007. Under this new law, fingerprints also must be stored on a chip contained in German passports. This affects all passport applicants six years and older.
• It is therefore absolutely necessary that you personally go to the foreign mission responsible for your consular district to apply for the passport. Passport applications received by mail can no longer be processed.

• The face should take up 50 – 80% of the photo. This means that the face from the bottom of the chin to the crown (the top of the head, not the top of the hair) should measure between 22 and 36mm.
• Because it is often difficult to determine where the top of the head would be without hair, photos should be rejected only if the face measures less than 17mm or more than 40mm.
• See below for special requirements in the case of babies and very young children.
  

• For children aged 5 and under, the same facial measurements apply as for children aged 9 and under.
• Children aged 5 and under do not need to have a neutral expression or look directly at the camera, and their heads do not have to be centered in the photo.
• Babies under one year do not have to have their eyes open.

Please call 813-685-4343 for your German Passport Photo appointment.