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Home / ID photos
Identity photographs · Cointrin, Geneva
Identity photographs in Geneva
Made to the standard of the document you are applying for, not to a general standard. Checked before the shutter, printed on the spot and delivered as a digital file as well. Allow ten minutes.
CHF 35
First, let us check that you need one
In Geneva, two documents out of three require no photograph from you at all: the administration takes it itself. Better said straight away, it saves you a trip.
Photograph taken on site, do not come to us
- Swiss passportAt the cantonal biometric centre. The photograph is taken at the office and its price is included in the fee.
- Passport and ID card ordered togetherSame thing, a combined order goes through the biometric centre.
- Biometric residence permit B, C, Ci or LThe photograph is taken in a booth on the day of your appointment. The data stays valid for five years and is reused at renewal.
You bring the photograph yourself
- Swiss ID card ordered on its ownAt the city service, 37 rue de la Mairie. You supply a photograph measuring 3.5 × 4.5 cm. CHF 70 for an adult, CHF 35 for a minor.
- Learner and foreign licence exchangeThe cantonal vehicle office asks for a colour photograph in passport format, facing forward and bare-headed.
- VisasUnited States, India, China, Vietnam, Brazil, Australia. Every country has its own format and rules, sometimes far from the Swiss ones.
- Foreign passports and ID cardsThe consulates based in Geneva work to their own country's standards. France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Senegal and the rest.
- Staff badges, schools and nurseriesFirearms permits, sports licences, transport passes, enrolment files. Usually free format, but a posed photograph is required.
The Swiss standard, in plain terms
These are the criteria the administration applies when accepting or refusing a photograph. Most refusals come from two mistakes: a pure white background instead of a light one, and a face too small in the frame.
- Size
- 35 × 45 mm, in colour
- Face height
- 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown, that is 70 to 80 per cent of the height
- Background
- plain and light, light grey or light blue. Pure white is not accepted
- Expression
- neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible
- Gaze
- facing forward, head straight, centred
- Glasses
- accepted if no reflection hides the eyes. Tinted lenses refused
- Headwear
- not allowed, except for religious or medical reasons, and the face must stay fully visible
- Shadows
- none, neither on the face nor on the background
- Age of the photo
- less than six months
- Infants
- alone in the frame, no toy, no dummy, no supporting hand
Formats, country by country
We check the current sheet published by the authority issuing your document before pressing the shutter. Specifications change, and a refusal costs more than a check.
| Document | Size | Background | Face |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland, ID card and passport | 35 × 45 mm | plain light | 32 to 36 mm |
| Schengen area, visa | 35 × 45 mm | plain light | 32 to 36 mm |
| France, consulate | 35 × 45 mm | plain light grey | 32 to 36 mm |
| United Kingdom | 35 × 45 mm | plain light | 29 to 34 mm |
| United States, visa and passport | 51 × 51 mm | white or off-white | 25 to 35 mm |
| Canada | 50 × 70 mm | plain white | 31 to 36 mm |
| India | 51 × 51 mm | plain white | 25 to 35 mm |
| China | 33 × 48 mm | plain white | 28 to 33 mm |
The US visa deserves a line of its own: glasses have been banned since 2016, reflection or no reflection, and the DS-160 form expects a square file of at least 600 pixels a side. It is the most common refusal we see.
How it works
You tell us the document
The country, the authority and the type of document. That is what sets the size, the background and the face height. A message is enough, or drop in and we look together.
The sitting
Compliant background, even light with no cast shadow, several frames so there is a choice. Two or three minutes of posing.
Template check
The chosen frame is run against the document's template: face height, eye position, margins. If it does not land right we shoot again, at no extra cost.
Printed sheet and file
You leave with the printed sheet and receive the digital file at the dimensions and file size the online form expects.
What the automatic booth cannot do
The City of Geneva says so itself: the booth in its offices can serve neither infants nor people who need assistance. That is exactly where a studio earns its place.
- Babies, who cannot sit up and must appear with no dummy and no supporting hand. We work on a background laid flat, the baby lying down, the parent's hand out of frame.
- Wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility, for whom lens height has to be adjusted, which a booth does not do.
- Care home residents and anyone who travels with difficulty: we come to you, quoted separately.
- Glasses wearers whom the booth turns into a mirror. Studio lighting removes the reflection instead of asking you to take your glasses off.
- Veils and religious headwear, where the framing has to clear the face from chin to hairline with no shadow.
The price
CHF 35 per sitting, whatever the document. That includes:
- the sitting and choosing the frame with you
- fitting it to the document's template
- the printed sheet, four to six thumbnails depending on the format
- the digital file at the dimensions and weight the online form expects
- a free reshoot if the administration refuses the photograph
An additional family member on the same visit: CHF 25. A second format for another country in the same sitting: CHF 15. Home or care home visit: quoted separately.
FAQ
What people ask us
How much is an identity photograph in Geneva?
CHF 35 at the Cointrin studio, printed sheet and digital file included, whatever the document. An additional family member on the same visit is CHF 25.
How long does it take?
Ten minutes in all, two or three of them shooting. The rest is choosing the frame, fitting the template and printing. You leave with the sheet.
Do I need an appointment?
Not for one person, a message before coming is enough to check the studio is free. Yes for a baby or several people, so the studio is warm and ready.
Do I need a photograph for my Swiss passport?
No. In Geneva the passport photograph is taken at the cantonal biometric centre and its price is included in the fee. You bring nothing.
What about the Swiss ID card?
There, yes, if you order it on its own from the city service at 37 rue de la Mairie: you supply your own photograph at 3.5 × 4.5 cm. It is the most common case among our Swiss clients.
What about my residence permit?
Nothing to bring either. The biometric permit photograph is taken in a booth on the day of your appointment, and the data stays valid five years for renewal.
Can I keep my glasses on?
For a Swiss document, yes, provided no reflection hides the eyes and the frame does not cut across the pupils. For a US visa, no: glasses have been banned since 2016, except for a documented medical reason.
Why is a white background refused in Switzerland?
Because the automatic check needs to separate the outline of the head from the background. Against pure white, a light shirt or blond hair merges with it. The standard asks for a plain light background, light grey or light blue.
Can I smile?
No. Neutral expression, mouth closed, teeth not showing. A slight smile in the eyes passes, a smile of the mouth gets the photograph refused.
How do you photograph an infant?
Lying on a light background laid flat, the lens above, the parent's hand out of frame. No dummy, no toy, no visible hand: the standard forbids it. That is what the automatic booth cannot do, and a good share of our sittings.
What if my photograph is refused?
We shoot it again at no charge. Just tell us the reason the administration gave, that is what lets us correct the right parameter.
Can I have the digital file only?
Yes, and that is what most online forms expect. We deliver at the required dimensions and file size, for instance a square of at least 600 pixels for the US DS-160 form.
Do you shoot to other countries' standards?
Yes. We check the current sheet from the issuing authority before shooting, because specifications change. Tell us the country and the document type when you book.
Do you travel to homes and care homes?
Yes, quoted separately, and it is a frequent request. We bring the background and the lighting, which makes the photograph possible for someone who cannot get into town.
Where are you and how do we get there?
Chemin de Joinville 26, in Cointrin, in the commune of Meyrin, five minutes from the airport and a quarter of an hour from the centre. Served by public transport, with parking outside.
Need a portrait rather than paperwork?
A portrait for LinkedIn, a CV or the press follows no standard at all: it looks like you and it works for you. Different sitting, different page.
Drop in at the studio
Tell us the document and the country, and we prepare the template before you arrive. Answer the same day.
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