An Italian ID card photo is the 35 × 45 mm photo for the electronic identity card (Carta d’Identità Elettronica, CIE): recent and in colour. You bring it to the Comune printed on high-quality photo paper, or upload it as a JPG of up to 500 KB when you book through Agenda CIE. IDPhotoBy prepares it for both.
Italian ID Card Photo (CIE): 35 × 45 mm for the Comune or Agenda CIE
Upload a photo of yourself: IDPhotoBy crops it to 35 × 45 mm, frames your face at 70–80% of the height and checks the background, then gives you a JPEG under 500 KB and a printable sheet.
Photo size: 35×45 mm · Background: white · Accepted for online submission
Official source: cartaidentita.interno.gov.it, cartaidentita.interno.gov.it, prenotazionicie.interno.gov.it, cartaidentita.interno.gov.it, cartaidentita.interno.gov.it, cartaidentita.interno.gov.it, cartaidentita.interno.gov.it, cartaidentita.interno.gov.it, servizicrm.comune.milano.it, servizicrm.comune.milano.it, servizicrm.comune.milano.it
Specifications verified: September 28, 2026
Our photos meet international government standards.
Italian ID card photo requirements
The Ministero dell’Interno sets these rules, and the photo must have the same format as the passport photo.
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Size | 35 mm wide, at least 45 mm tall |
| Face | Head and top of the shoulders visible; face 70–80% of the height; head centred |
| Eyes | 23–31 mm above the bottom edge; open, not covered by hair |
| Pose | Frontal, neutral expression, mouth closed, looking at the camera; both sides of the face and both ear lobes visible |
| Background | Uniform, evenly lit, preferably light blue, beige, light brown, light grey or white; no shadows, scenery or furniture |
| Photo | No more than 6 months old, in natural colour, sharp, without flash reflections |
| Glasses | No tinted lenses |
| Headwear | Only for religious, cultural or medical reasons, face clearly visible |
| Editing | Not retouched, coloured or tampered with; not cropped to cut out the background or straighten the head |
Printed photo or Agenda CIE upload
The Comune digitises a printed photo itself. You can skip the print only if you booked through Agenda CIE, the Ministry’s booking portal, and uploaded it there.
- Agenda CIE: a JPG of at most 500 KB that you position and resize inside the portal’s frame. The Comune operator then downloads it from the system.
- Print: high-quality photo paper from a photo lab or kiosk, not a home printer.
- Local practice: not every Comune takes digital photos; the Comune di Milano accepts only printed photos, not files on a USB stick.
How to make an Italian ID card photo online
- Have someone photograph you, head level, against a plain white or light wall.
- Upload it here; the Italian ID card is already selected.
- IDPhotoBy crops it to 35 × 45 mm, frames your face at 70–80% of the height and checks the background.
- Download the JPEG for Agenda CIE and the printable sheet for the Comune.
Applying for the CIE
- You apply in person at any Comune; Italians registered with AIRE can apply at their consulate.
- At the counter, you hand over the photo unless you uploaded it; two fingerprints are taken from age 12.
- Children can get a CIE from birth. The card is valid for 3 years under age 3, 5 years from 3 to 18 and up to 10 years for adults.
- The fee is €16.79 plus fixed and secretarial fees where they apply, and a card requested in Italy is delivered within 6 working days.
- Your photo is laser-engraved in black and white on the 85.60 × 53.98 mm card and stored in its chip.
What IDPhotoBy does
IDPhotoBy crops your photo to size and checks the face height and background. It does not retouch your face or straighten a tilted head, and it makes no acceptance promise: the Comune decides. For a passport photo, see our Italy passport photo page.
Check the official application portal before submitting.