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ETIAS Photo: You Don't Need One

ETIAS does not take a photograph. The European Commission's own guidance is titled "Applying for ETIAS: no health information or biometrics needed" — the application asks for personal details, passport data and travel history, and nothing else. Your face is recorded at the border instead, by a different system.

You do not need a photo for this

This application does not include a photograph at all, so there is nothing to prepare and nothing to get wrong.

What happens instead

the ETIAS application asks for personal details, passport data and travel history — no photograph and no biometrics. Your facial image and fingerprints are taken at the border by the Entry/Exit System (EES) when you arrive

Requirements verified · Source: travel-europe.europa.eu

If you landed here looking for a size to match, that is the answer — there isn't one.

This application does not take a photo

the ETIAS application asks for personal details, passport data and travel history — no photograph and no biometrics. Your facial image and fingerprints are taken at the border by the Entry/Exit System (EES) when you arrive

ETIAS Photo: The Application Does Not Take One

Nothing to prepare. ETIAS collects no photograph and no biometrics — the European Commission says so directly. Your facial image is captured at the border by the Entry/Exit System instead.

What an ETIAS Application Involves

1. Fill in the form

Personal details, passport data, occupation and background questions.

No photo field appears anywhere in it.

2. Pay the fee

A single application fee, paid online.

Apply well before you travel.

3. Get photographed at the border

The Entry/Exit System records your face and fingerprints when you arrive.

Nothing to bring — it is captured on the spot.

ETIAS vs EES, Side by Side

ETIAS photoNone. No image is part of the application.
ETIAS biometricsNone. No fingerprints, no facial image.
EES facial imageCaptured at the external border on arrival
EES fingerprintsCaptured at the external border on arrival

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.What size photo does ETIAS need?▼
None. The ETIAS application has no photograph field. The European Commission's guidance is titled "Applying for ETIAS: no health information or biometrics needed", and the form asks for personal details, passport data, occupation and background questions only.
Q.Then why do sites sell ETIAS photos?▼
Because ETIAS is announced alongside the Entry/Exit System, which does use a facial image, and the two get conflated. If a service offers to produce your ETIAS photo, it is selling something the application will not ask for.
Q.Where is my face recorded then?▼
At the border. The Entry/Exit System (EES) captures a facial image and fingerprints when you physically arrive at an external border of one of the 29 countries using it. There is nothing to prepare in advance.
Q.Has ETIAS launched?▼
Not yet. The EU removed its Q4 2026 target and a revised timeline is expected after eu-LISA's board meeting. Check the official ETIAS site before you travel.
Q.Do I need a Schengen visa photo instead?▼
Only if you actually need a Schengen visa. ETIAS applies to travellers who are visa-exempt — if you need a visa, you are not applying for ETIAS at all, and that photo is 35x45mm.