Country

Accepted Background (Dos & Don’ts)

Attire

Glasses & Face Masks

USA

Plain white or off-white background.

Unspecified

Traditional face masks or veils that don't permit adequate identification are not allowed.

UK

Plain light-coloured background.

Unspecified

Glasses are permitted; but not advised.

Sunglasses, tinted glasses are strongly not permitted.

Subject’s eyes must be clearly visible and not covered by frames or glare, shadow or reflection.

Canada

White or light-coloured background.

Background color must contrast to the skin and hair color.

Unspecified

Prescribed glasses are allowed. However, the eyes must be clearly visible.

There must not be reflections or glare.

Tinted eyeglasses and sunglasses are not allowed.

Australia

Solid plain white or grey. Background must give depth to the face.

Casual or business attire.

Glares are not allowed.

Glasses must not cover too much of the subject’s face.

Singapore

Solid white.

Backgrounds with colors or patterns are not accepted.

Unspecified

Glasses are permitted but not encouraged.

Glasses that are thick or create a glare are not allowed.

Sunglasses or glasses with tinted lenses are not allowed.

Germany

Background must be a single color (preferably neutral grey) and bright. It must be a contrasting color to the hair and skin color of the face.

Backgrounds with pattern and shadow are not accepted.

For people with light-colored hair, a medium grey background is recommended.

For people with dark hair, a light-grey background is recommended.

Unspecified

Photos with flash reflections are not allowed.

Sunglasses or tinted lenses are not allowed.

Eyes must be clearly visible in the photo.

Finland

Background must be light & neutral.

Light grey is the officially recommended background color.

Background must be monochromatic & flat.

Background must be in contrast to the subject's skin and hair color.

Backgrounds with shadows, excessive lighting on one side of the photo are not accepted.

Backgrounds with overexposed forehead are also not permitted.

Subjects are recommended to wear clothes that stand out clearly from the photo background.

Photos with the face covered with hair or accessories are not allowed.

Subject’s eyes must be clearly seen.

Glasses with thick frames are not permitted as they cause difficulty in identifying the natural facial structure of the face.

France

Background must be light gray or light blue.

Background must not have any patterns.

Unspecified

It is recommended to take off the glasses before taking a photo.

Reading glasses, prescription glasses are also advised to be removed.

Italy

Background must be light colored and plain.

No patterns or prints are accepted in the background.

Subjects are recommended to wear dark colored attire to avoid blending with the background.

Glasses with thin frames are permitted.

Tinted lenses are not allowed.

Austria

Background must be a light color, preferably light grey or white.

Unspecified

Wearing glasses is not advised. However, if the subject must wear glasses, there must not be any glare in the photo.

Denmark

Background must be white.

Unspecified

Glasses are not permitted.

Spain

Background must be white.

Unspecified

Daily-wearing glasses are permitted.

Sunglasses and dark glasses are not permitted.

Japan

Plain background.

Unspecified

Sunglasses are not permitted.

Norway

The photo background must be evenly lit.

Unspecified

Glasses are not permitted.

Headgear is not permitted except in the case of illness.

Switzerland

Light grey.

Photo backgrounds with patterns are not allowed.

Avoid attire that matches with the color of the subject's photo background.

Dark optical glasses, sunglasses, and optical glasses with frames covering the subject's eyes are prohibited.

Netherlands

Backgrounds with white, light grey and light blue colors are allowed.

Backgrounds must be plain with a single color and without patterns.

Shadows are not allowed.

The background color must contrast with the color of the subject's skin.

Unspecified

Glasses are allowed, however, eyes must be clearly visible.

If the subject is wearing glasses, they must be fully transparent.

No reflection or shadows from the glasses.

Sweden

Plain, light grey, uniform or cream background. 5-10% grey color is recommended.

Photos with shadows are not accepted.

Photos must be taken with uniform lighting and without flash reflections on the face or head.

Unspecified

Glasses are not permitted for both healthy individuals as well as visually impaired.

Dark, tinted or mirrored glasses are not permitted.

Iceland

Background color must be white without any spots, patterns or shadows.

Unspecified

Glasses are permitted as long they don’t cover the eyes and the face is clearly visible.

New Zealand

Plain, light-colored background.

White background is not allowed.

No patterns or objects allowed on the background.

Unspecified

Prescription glasses are allowed. Eyes must be clearly shown through lenses with no reflected light.

Wearing sunglasses and hats in the photo are not allowed