A photo for a foreign passport is an important part of the package of documents submitted to the Federal Migration Service simultaneously with the application for its issuance. What are the main requirements for it?
The authorities of the Federal Migration Service that issue these documents are subject to special requirements for a passport photo on a foreign passport, compliance with which is a prerequisite for its issuance.
Basic photography requirements
The list of basic requirements for a photograph on a foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation is the subject of state regulation: it is established by a joint Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation No. 785/14133/461 of October 6, 2006 On Approval of the Instruction on the Procedure for Registration and Issuance passports of a citizen of the Russian Federation, a diplomatic passport and an official passport, which are the main documents proving the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the Russian Federation, containing electronic media”.
This document requires, in particular, that the submitted photograph has a size of 35 by 45 mm and be made on matte paper. In this case, the photo can be either black and white or color, and the main conditions contained in the document relate to the image of a person's face itself. So, it should occupy most of the photo's surface, have a calm facial expression without a smile, the person's eyes should be open and directed straight into the lens, and the shoulders should be turned in the same direction. In this case, the image must be sharp, have a natural color and correspond to the real appearance of the person: the use of photo editing is not allowed.
A separate disclaimer in the document concerns the presence of additional accessories in the photo. So, photographing with glasses is acceptable for people who constantly wear glasses in life. However, in this case, the resulting image should allow you to clearly see the eyes of a person: thus, you cannot be photographed in tinted and other types of glasses that cover the iris of the eye. With regard to the use of hats, it is only permitted for people wearing them for religious reasons. However, in this case, the face of the person being photographed must also be clearly visible and uniquely identifiable.
Photographing procedure
In fact, people rarely take pictures on their own with a passport: most often they turn to specialized photo studios that are aware of the requirements of state bodies for a photo on this document. You just need to inform them about the purpose of the photo. In addition, when issuing a new type of passport in many territorial offices of the Federal Migration Service, photographing is carried out by its employees directly at the time of receipt of documents.
