March 14, 2020

Take your own passport photo: Please note

Procedures, tips and tricks

March 14, 2020, 10:00 am Reading time: Two minutes

A passport or ID requires a biometric passport photo to be valid. So going to the photographer is inevitable-is it? Below we will show you what you need to consider and whether it is worth taking a passport photo yourself.

We show you how to easily create passport photos yourself. (Source: triocean2011 / depositphotos.com)

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Biometric passport photos taken by professional photographers cost under five euros. There are also photo booths for taking pictures. Of course, another person thought he could take a passport photo by himself. However, there are some things to consider.

Passport photo: you should pay attention

You can take a passport photo yourself, but this must meet certain conditions. For example, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has provided photo sample boards that can be downloaded as PDF files for use in buildings and houses. You can find a suitable program for opening PDF files. Among other things, the cut, format, lighting, and background should be correct.

Crop and print: online services, applications or on a PC?

Of course, it makes sense to take photos with your smartphone. Therefore, your smartphone should have a powerful camera. Using the right camera is actually more secure. Their quality is usually higher. Another problem arises when cutting and printing passport photos.

There are various programs for Mac, PC, Android and iOS. On the PC, we recommend advanced users to use Adobe Photoshop, GIMP or Paint.NET. If you are considering editing directly on your smartphone, we recommend that you do not do so. There are many applications to crop passport photos. However, many users have reported issues with quality, cuts, or formatting in the app store.

Selected Passport Photo Apps for Android and iOS

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If you find that the risk of cropping on your PC is too great and you don't have a good printer equipped with high-quality photo paper, you can use external services such as the passport photo service at Budni Pharmacy or other reputable online services. However, always keep in mind that these must meet the standards of the German Bundestag.

Coming of passport photos at the office?

The daily newspaper "Der Tagesspiegel" reports on the planned innovations of the Ministry of the Interior, which will allow passport photos to be taken directly at the office in the future. According to the draft law, the authorities should install two cameras. Currently, the photo will be taken and forwarded digitally directly to the authorities. The camera can also be placed on the desk of an office employee. Passport photos are expected to cost between four and six euros. Accordingly, going to the photographer or doing it yourself would be redundant. However, this is only a draft law and is still under discussion.