Official requirements guide
Estonia residence permit card photo guide
A guide that separates confirmed conditions from unspecified requirements.
Guide
Guide policy
The Requirement record is the source of truth; unspecified values are not filled in.
- The official regulation requires a digital colour photo of at least 1300 x 1600 pixels ("vähemalt 1300 pikslit lai ja 1600 pikslit kõrge" — a minimum only; no upper pixel limit is stated).
- The file must be in .jpg / .jpeg format between 1 MB to 5 MB, as required by the regulation.
- The official PPA page requires the photo to be unedited; scanned photographs and screenshots of a screen are not allowed. The background should be light and of a single colour without extraneous objects or patterns (no specific colour is pinned).
- A photo taken by yourself must not be older than 6 months at the time of applying (regulation § 2(4), matching the PPA page).
- Regulation § 5(2) requires the head and shoulders to be visible, with the face (bottom of the jaw to the lower forehead, right ear to left ear) clearly visible with minimal shadows (the PPA page adds a front view, looking at the camera, a neutral expression, eyes open and mouth closed). No numeric face geometry (mm or occupancy) is stated.
- The tool output adopts the official minimum (1300×1600 px) and guarantees only the 5 MB cap. The 1 MB lower bound required by the official rule is not guaranteed for the generated file; if the output is smaller than 1 MB, verify the requirement on the application side yourself.
Official sources
- Riigi Teataja - Isikut tõendava dokumendi väljaandmise taotlemisel fotole esitatavad nõuded (määrus nr 62, kehtiv redaktsioon) Checked: 2026-08-30
- Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet (politsei.ee) - Requirement and instructions for the document photo Checked: 2026-08-30
- Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet (politsei.ee) - Residence permit card for an adult: applying through the self-service portal Checked: 2026-08-30