Prepare a photo for the Dutch national ID card from a picture you already have — 35 × 45 mm on a plain, uniform light grey, light blue, or white background, the same specification as the Netherlands passport photo. Verified directly against the official RvIG guidance.
Official requirements
Verified — last checked 2026-08-19
These figures were directly confirmed against the official source below.
Digital photo requirements
No official digital pixel specification was found for this document — see printed requirements below.
Printed photo requirements
Photo size
35 × 45 mm
Head height (chin to crown)
26–30 mm
Paper / printing
Print quality of at least 400 DPI is required.
Other requirements
Head / face position
Full face, centered, face width 16-20mm ear-to-ear (for applicants 11 and older; face length 19-30mm for children 10 and under)
Background
Light grey, light blue, or white background, plain and uniform.
Expression
Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible.
Head coverings
Religious head coverings are permitted, provided the full face from chin to forehead remains visible.
Source: Netherlandsworldwide.nl — Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens (RvIG), last verified 2026-08-19.
Common mistakes
✕Background that is not light grey, light blue, or white
✕Face width outside the 16-20mm ear-to-ear range (applicants 11+)
✕Uneven lighting or visible shadows on the background
✕Print quality below 400 DPI
How to take a good photo
✓Use a plain, uniform light grey, light blue, or white background with no shadows
✓Face the camera directly with a neutral expression, mouth closed
✓Print at 400 DPI or higher for a compliant physical copy
✓Children under 6 are exempt from the standard position/expression rules
How Vekyo works for a Netherlands id card
Upload a recent photo, and Vekyo detects your face, then checks it against the Netherlands id card specification above — including its light grey, light blue, or white background, plain and uniform. background requirement — before letting you crop and position it to match. Face detection, quality checks, cropping, and resizing run in your browser by default. Vekyo never changes your facial features, skin tone, or facial structure, and never generates or beautifies a face. If your background doesn't look plain and evenly lit enough for this document, you'll see a warning rather than a silent pass, and you can choose the optional background tool to replace it with a plain color — nothing is replaced unless you ask. The optional high-quality background removal option sends the cropped photo to our server for that one step.
Frequently asked questions
Vekyo prepares your Netherlands id card photo at 35×45mm, based on the published specification linked on this page — you don't need to measure or crop it yourself.
Light grey, light blue, or white background, plain and uniform. Vekyo's compliance check flags a background that looks patterned, shadowed, or uneven before you pay, so you can retake the photo if needed.
Yes. A recent phone photo works well as long as it is a clear, front-facing shot in good, even lighting against a plain background. Vekyo crops and resizes it to the required dimensions in your browser.
Yes. Vekyo lets you prepare a photo that matches the Netherlands id card photo specification from an existing picture, without visiting a photo studio. You still need to check your final photo, and print it, according to your application's instructions.
No. Vekyo crops, resizes, and repositions your existing photo to match the required dimensions, and can optionally replace the background or adjust lighting when you choose. It never alters your facial features, skin tone, or facial structure, and never generates or beautifies a face.
Not by default. Face detection, cropping, resizing, and file generation happen locally in your browser. If you choose the optional high-quality background removal service, the cropped image is securely sent to our server for that processing step only; the standard option stays entirely on your device. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
No. You get a free preview of your finished photo — including its compliance score and checklist — before paying anything. Payment only unlocks the full-resolution, watermark-free download and the printable sheet.
Your compliance checklist shows exactly which checks passed, which need attention, and which failed, with a plain-language explanation for each. From there you can use Auto-Fix to automatically correct issues like cropping, brightness, or sharpness, adjust the crop yourself, or upload or retake a different photo — you can keep adjusting until it looks right, all before you pay. A mistake we see often for a Netherlands id card: background that is not light grey, light blue, or white.
Yes. Vekyo generates a printable PDF sized for a Netherlands id card — 35×45mm — with multiple copies laid out on a 4x6 inch or A4 sheet, so you can print it at home or at a photo lab without distortion.
Vekyo prepares your photo according to the published Netherlands id card photo specification linked on this page. You are responsible for confirming your final photo meets your specific application's requirements before submitting it.
We cannot guarantee acceptance. Vekyo prepares your photo according to the published photo specifications, but final acceptance is always decided by the receiving government authority. Always verify the latest requirements on the official source before submitting your application.
Prepared according to the published requirements — not a guarantee of acceptance and not government approved. Always verify the latest requirements with the official authority before submitting your photo.