Italy · id
Italian ID card (CIE) photo, print or upload
The photo for Italy's electronic identity card (CIE) is the standard 35×45 mm fototessera: head at 70–80% of the frame, neutral expression, white or light grey background. Unlike the passport, the CIE flow accepts a digital photo, either a JPEG under 500 KB submitted with your booking or a printed fototessera the comune scans at the desk.
- Size
- 35×45 mm
- Digital file
- 413×531 px JPEG
- Background
- white
- Head height
- 70–80%
- Price
- €5.99 · once
Select country and document
Step 1/3
Popular: · ·
- Head size62.4% · 50–69%
- Eye line61.2% · 56–69%
- Backgroundwhite · σ 6
- Lightingeven
- Resolution1832px
MEETS SPEC · ESTIMATED
Checked against the official specification, with the source cited on every document.
How our Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) photo tool works
Add a photo you already have and we measure it against the official Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) specification (35×45 mm, 413×531 px, white background), then produce the exact files you need. Checking is free; you pay €5.99 only if you want the files.
Add your photo
A selfie or any recent photo of yourself, straight from your phone.
See every measurement
Ten checks run against the official spec and show you the numbers.
Fix what's off
Drag to reposition and zoom to resize, or retake the photo if something can't be fixed.
Download your files
Exact digital file, print-ready sheet and compliance report.
What is a Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) photo?
The photo for the carta d'identità elettronica (CIE) is a 35×45 mm fototessera with the head at 70–80% of the frame, a neutral expression and a white or light grey background. It is the same ICAO-based format Italy uses across its documents.
The CIE is the one major Italian document with a digital photo channel: the booking flow accepts a JPEG up to 500 KB, and comuni can alternatively scan a printed fototessera at the desk. Since the card lasts up to ten years, an on-spec photo is worth the two minutes of checking.
This page measures your photo against the CIE rules and gives you both: a correctly-sized digital file under the 500 KB limit and a 35×45 mm print sheet.
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Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) photo requirements
| Size | 35×45 mm · 413×531 px @300 DPI |
|---|---|
| Digital file | 413×531px JPEG · max 500 KB |
| Background | white |
| Head height | 70–80% of frame height |
| Digital upload | accepted |
| Background editing | permitted (uniform backgrounds only) |
- The CIE booking flow accepts a digital photo (JPEG, ≤500 KB); the comune can also scan a printed fototessera at the desk.
- Same 35×45 mm ICAO geometry as the fototessera: head 70–80%, white or light grey background.
Source: official requirements · verified 2026-07
Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) photos that pass the checks
Thin frames, no glare, eyes fully visible 
Even light, plain background, neutral expression 
Infant alone in frame, eyes open, plain sheet 
Religious head covering with the full face visible 
Hair back, forehead and both ears clear
Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) photos that don't pass
Head tilted, hard shadow on the background 
Taken too far away, head too small in the frame 
Someone else's hand in the frame 
Patterned wall and furniture behind
Illustrative examples created for this guide. They are not customer photos, and not decisions by any authority.
What you get for €5.99
- High-resolution file in the exact spec (413×531px, under 500 KB)
- Printable compliance report with everything we measured
- Print-ready 10×15 cm sheet with 4 copies and cut lines
- Background cleanup to plain white
one-time payment, no subscription
Photos that pass
- Exact dimensions: 413×531px
- Plain white background, evenly lit
- Head filling 70–80% of the frame
- Taken in the last 6 months, neutral expression
Photos that get rejected
- Edited, filtered or AI-retouched photos
- Shadows on the face or background
- Busy walls, gradients or the wrong background colour
- Head too large, too small, or off-centre
- Glare on glasses or tinted lenses
- Old photos, or photos of printed photos
Why use PassportClerk for your Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) photo
- Convenience
- Make it at home from a photo you already have, without booking a studio or queueing for a booth. You get a file sized for the official upload and a print sheet for the times you need paper.
- Built from the official specification
- Every measurement on this page comes from the official Italy ID Card (Carta d'Identità / CIE) requirements, and the source is linked, dated and re-checked.
- Works from any phone
- Nothing to install. A recent phone camera and a plain wall are enough.
- You see the numbers
- Head height, eye line, background and resolution are all measured and shown to you before you pay.
- Private, then deleted
- We only receive your photo if you buy, and everything is deleted within 48 hours.
If the files we produce don't match the specification on this page, we'll fix them or refund you. The decision on any application always rests with the issuing authority.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit my CIE photo digitally?
Yes. The CIE booking flow accepts a JPEG up to 500 KB. Alternatively, bring a printed 35×45 mm fototessera and the comune digitizes it at the appointment. We deliver both formats.
What are the CIE photo requirements?
35×45 mm fototessera geometry: head 70–80% of the frame, front-facing, neutral expression, mouth closed, no shadows, white or light grey background, taken within the last six months. Glasses only without glare and with eyes fully visible.
Is this the same photo as the Italian passport?
The format is the same 35×45 mm fototessera, but the flows differ: the CIE accepts digital submission while the passport requires printed photos at the Questura. A photo that passes here works for both.
What about children's CIE photos?
Children need their own compliant photo. Expression rules are relaxed for infants, but the size, background and framing requirements are the same.
How we handle compliance
- We check your photo against the official rules. We never retouch your face, and we only normalize the background where the destination country permits it.
- Every requirement is cited from official government sources, with the verification date shown on the page.
- What you get is a report of measurements, not a guarantee. Final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.
official requirements · verified 2026-07