Finland Residence Permit Photo — Make a 36×47 mm Print Photo

Applying for a Finland residence permit (oleskelulupa)? Upload a recent photo and IDPhotoBy sizes and crops it to the standard your passport photo (passikuva) must meet — a 36×47 mm paper photo with your head 32–36 mm from chin to crown on the exact light-grey background — with the Finland residence permit document already selected. This page prepares the printable photo you bring to your Migri appointment.

The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) requires a compliant passport photo (passikuva) with your residence permit application, built to the technical standard the Finnish Police publish. Here is what is required for a printed Finland residence permit photo:

• Size 36×47 mm — the Finnish paper-photo size, taken within the last 6 months.
• Head size 32–36 mm — measured from the crown of the head to the chin, with your head centred.
• 4–6 mm above the crown and 7–9 mm below the chin — the space above your head and below your chin must fall in those ranges.
• Light-grey background — a single, even, monochromatic light grey; the guide specifies light grey as the best background colour, with no shadows.
• Black-and-white or colour — either is accepted.
• Neutral expression — mouth closed and eyes open, looking straight at the camera.

The Finland residence permit photo size is 36×47 mm (3.6×4.7 cm) for a printed photo. IDPhotoBy sets this exact frame for you, with the chin-to-crown head measurement in the required 32–36 mm range and your head centred. The millimetre size applies to the printed photo; a separate pixel size applies only to photos a photo shop submits electronically through the police photo server — this page prepares the printable 36×47 mm photo.

A Finland residence permit is decided by the Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto / Migri) — not the police, unlike a Finnish passport or identity card. Migri's own service-point instructions, though, ask applicants to bring "a passport photo or a photograph retrieval code from a photo shop" — the same passikuva product, built to the same Finnish Police photo standard, that passports and ID cards already use. That is why the numbers on this page match those documents, even though Migri decides your application.

IDPhotoBy has separate pages for a Finland passport photo, a Finland ID card photo and a Finland visa photo — this page is for the Finland residence permit (oleskelulupa) specifically. All of these documents share the same underlying photo standard, so the numbers — 36×47 mm, 32–36 mm head size, light-grey background — match across them. What differs is the document and who decides it: choose this page for a residence permit through Migri, not a passport, identity card or visa, so the right document is already selected when you upload.

You cannot upload a photo directly into your residence permit application. Migri's own instructions ask you to bring either a printed passport photo or a photograph retrieval code from a photo shop when you visit a Migri service point, a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate), or a VFS Global application centre abroad to prove your identity. The retrieval code is issued by the photo shop itself, not by you. This page prepares the printable 36×47 mm photo you print and bring with you; it is not an online upload.

• Upload a recent, well-lit photo — the Finland residence permit document is already selected.
• IDPhotoBy resizes and crops it to 36×47 mm with your head at 32–36 mm chin-to-crown, keeping 4–6 mm above the crown and 7–9 mm below the chin, and checks the background against the required light grey.
• Preview the result — check head size, position, background, and that your eyes are open and clearly visible.
• Download the finished photo, print it at 36×47 mm, and bring it to your appointment.

The tool also works as a size checker and resizer for a photo you already have — no app to download, it runs online in your browser.

IDPhotoBy sizes and crops the photo you upload to the 36×47 mm standard and checks the background against the required light grey. It does not retouch, beautify or add studio-style enhancements to your face — the photo must not be manipulated so that any detail of your appearance changes or so that its authenticity could be doubted, and digital make-up is not allowed. Your face is left exactly as it is; only the framing, size and background check are prepared. The head size IDPhotoBy measures is the crown-to-chin distance, not a generic head-height percentage.

IDPhotoBy does not promise acceptance — no online tool honestly can. Your file is prepared to the published requirements, and Migri makes the final decision when you apply.

You do not need a studio visit. You can take a compliant Finland residence permit photo yourself at home with a phone:

• Stand about 60 cm (2 feet) from a plain, even, light-coloured wall, in soft, even light so there are no shadows.
• Face the camera straight on with a neutral expression, mouth closed and eyes open. Use a timer or have someone else take the photo at eye level.
• Fill the frame with your head and the top of your shoulders, then upload it here and let IDPhotoBy crop it to 36×47 mm on the required background.

Take the photo within the last 6 months. Check the official Migri and police photo instructions before your appointment — requirements can change, and Migri makes the final decision on whether a photo is accepted.