Italy permesso di soggiorno photo requirements

What the official information confirms

A permesso di soggiorno is applied for by non-EU nationals who entered Italy on a visa, within 8 working days of arrival, at the Questura of the province of residence (Ministero dell'Interno, re-verified 2026-08-30). The application requires 4 card-format photographs with a white background: "4 fotografie formato tessera con fondo bianco" and "Altezza minima: 45 mm / Larghezza: 35 mm" are verbatim from the central Portale Immigrazione "La Procedura" page. The regulation (DPR 394/1999 art. 9) likewise requires a photo "in formato tessera, in quattro esemplari" (four copies: for the application form, for the permit, for the office records, and for the information system).

Regardless of the application channel (postal kit or direct Questura filing), the photos are brought to the Questura convocation (which includes fingerprinting). The postal document checklist contains no photographs. The regulation also allows the authority, at its discretion, to photograph the applicant with automated equipment instead of collecting printed copies. One of the 4 photos you bring is affixed to the permit card by the authority. The Italy visa layer (consular applications) shares the same size family but is a separate route, and its values are not shared or promoted.

• The official sources require 4 card-format photographs (foto tessera) for a permesso di soggiorno application, with dimensions "Altezza minima: 45 mm / Larghezza: 35 mm" (= 35 x 45 mm (width x height)), quoted from the central Portale Immigrazione "La Procedura" page. The height is expressed as a minimum ("minimum 45 mm"), so the tool output is fixed to the standard 45 mm that matches the official floor (whether heights above 45 mm are accepted is not specified).
• A white background (fondo bianco) is required by both the central portal and the official information leaflet included in the postal application kit (Informativa Generale). The colour/monochrome question, face geometry, and recency are not stated in the central official sources reviewed, and remain unregistered in the Requirement record (no values are inherited from other countries' 6-month rules or the C-visa).
• The photos are not part of the postal application envelope: you bring the printed photos in person to the Questura convocation (the postal submission checklist "I documenti da allegare" contains no photographs). One of the 4 photos is affixed to the permit card by the authority. No digital photo upload route exists in the current official flow, so printing the 4 photos and bringing them is done by the applicant yourself (this tool prepares the print photos only and does not submit them for you).
• The tool shows a generic 35×45 mm face guide as a reference frame from an existing app-recommendation; it is not an official composition rule (the authority publishes no face geometry).

How unspecified conditions are handled

The phrase “passport-size” and general photo practice are not converted into a fixed value such as 35×45 mm. In the Tool, enter the dimensions shown by the current application guidance.

Using the web tool

• Keep the application guidance available and enter the output type and dimensions you have confirmed.
• No face guide is shown to fill in an official value that has not been confirmed.
• After editing and review, confirm the accepted format and conditions in the application portal before submitting.