Spain Passport Photo Requirements: 32 × 26 mm Landscape
For a Spanish pasaporte the photo is 32 × 26 mm in landscape orientation — 32 mm wide by 26 mm high — on a plain, uniform white background, taken front-facing with the full face oval visible. It is one of the world's few horizontal ID photos, and it is the same photo for the passport, DNI, TIE and driving licence. Verified against Spain's Interior Ministry, October 2026.
Official specification (Spain, Ministry of the Interior)
| Print size | 32 × 26 mm, landscape (32 wide × 26 high) |
| Digital size | 378 × 307 px @ 300 DPI |
| Background | Uniform, plain, white, smooth — no shadows, patterns or objects |
| Framing | Front-facing; full face oval clearly visible |
| Face | Eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin visible; nothing covering the face |
| Glasses | No dark or tinted lenses; remove anything that prevents identification |
| Used for | Passport, DNI, TIE and driving licence — one photo, four documents |
The official wording (Ministry of the Interior) describes the photo as:
Una fotografía reciente en color del rostro del solicitante, tamaño 32 x 26 mm, con fondo uniforme, blanco, liso, tomada de frente y sin gafas de cristales oscuros o cualquier otra prenda que pueda impedir la identificación de la persona … la fotografía deberá mostrar claramente el óvalo de la cara.
It is landscape — really
The official text specifies “32 x 26 milímetros”, and Spanish photo booths print it horizontally: 32 mm wide by 26 mm tall. That is unusual, and it is the single most common reason a Spain photo is rejected: a standard 35 × 45 mm portrait photo (the size most of the world, and Schengen visas, use) is the wrong shape here. If you are cropping yourself, set the ratio to 32 : 26 landscape, not 35 : 45 portrait.
Passport vs Schengen visa — do not mix them
Spain uses two different photo specs depending on the document:
- National documents (passport, DNI, TIE, driving licence): the small 32 × 26 mm landscape photo on this page.
- Schengen short-stay visa: the standard 35 × 45 mm portrait photo.
One photo does not fit both. For the visa format see the Schengen visa photo page.
Getting the photo right
Shoot against a plain white wall with even lighting and no shadows, face the camera square-on with a neutral expression, keep the whole face oval clear (no hair across the eyebrows, no dark glasses), and crop to the 32 : 26 landscape ratio at 378 × 307 px @ 300 DPI for the digital file. The free Spain photo maker pre-selects the correct landscape format so you do not accidentally submit a portrait crop. For the general technique, see how to take a passport photo at home; for upload rules, see digital file requirements. Confirm any photo with the free passport photo checker. The same landscape format is used by Portugal and, historically, a few other national documents — but always check the specific document's own rule.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a Spain passport photo?
The official size is 32 × 26 mm in landscape orientation (32 mm wide by 26 mm high). It is one of the few horizontal ID photos, and it is the same photo used for the passport, DNI, TIE and driving licence.
Is the Spain passport photo 32x26 or 35x45?
32 × 26 mm landscape for the passport and other national documents. 35 × 45 mm portrait is the Schengen short-stay visa format — a different document with a different photo. Do not mix them.
What background does Spain require?
A uniform, plain, white, smooth background with no shadows, patterns or objects, and the photo must be taken front-facing.
Can I wear glasses in a Spain passport photo?
Dark or tinted lenses are not allowed. Anything that could prevent identification must be removed — if in doubt, take your glasses off.
What must be visible in the photo?
The full face oval must be clearly visible — eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin — with nothing covering or distorting the face.
What is the digital size for online submission?
The digital render is 378 × 307 pixels at 300 DPI — the landscape ratio of 32 × 26 mm. The free maker on this site exports to exactly that size.
Make a Spain photo (32 × 26) → All photo sizes →
Browse the full photo size chart or compare with France and Schengen visa photos.
Source note: the 32 × 26 mm landscape size, the uniform plain white smooth background, the front-facing requirement, the fully-visible face oval (eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin), the ban on dark/tinted lenses and on anything preventing identification, and the shared use for passport, DNI, TIE and driving licence are from Spain's Ministry of the Interior passport procedure page (interior.gob.es, checked October 2026); the 378 × 307 px @ 300 DPI digital render matches that landscape ratio. The 35 × 45 mm portrait format belongs to the Schengen short-stay visa, not to the passport. Older consular/visa handouts quoted a wider 30–40 × 40–53 mm range; that is a legacy visa-office wording, not the passport size, and is noted here only to explain the discrepancy.