Photo requirements for temporary residence permits for adults and children in 2021: size

The Russian Migration Department registers an increased interest of foreign citizens in obtaining a temporary residence permit (TRP), which is associated with the submission of a certain package of papers. One of the documents established by the rules is a high-quality photograph of the person receiving the permit. Naturally, this should not be an amateur, but a professionally taken official photo. The photo requirements for temporary residence permits in 2021 are not so complicated, but failure to comply with them can create unnecessary problems.

What is RVP

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many people with family and other ties to Russia remained outside the Russian Federation. In addition, there are also labor migrants who would like to legalize their stay in the country, so every year more and more applications are submitted to the branches of the migration authorities of the Russian Federation to legalize residence and employment in Russia. A temporary residence permit is a document that legalizes residence in Russia and the right to work in the country before obtaining a residence permit or Russian citizenship.

Externally, a temporary residence permit looks like a stamp in a passport or other document of a foreign citizen, which makes it possible to identify his identity. The permit is issued in accordance with the quota established for the region, which is determined by the state authorities of the country, the validity of its document is 3 years.

Having received a temporary residence permit from regional authorities, a foreign applicant can legally work in this region or engage in business activities, use medical care, freely leave the country or enter back.

Photo requirements for temporary residence permit 2021: what photographs are needed for a temporary residence permit?

Any foreign citizen or stateless person has the right to obtain a temporary residence permit in the Russian Federation. This will give him the opportunity to find an official job and obtain a residence permit. In order for the migration service to accept a set of documents for consideration, you must follow the laws and recommendations, including submitting a photo to the temporary residence permit in the required format. You can find out the exact parameters of the photo on the official website of the State Unitary Enterprise for Migration Affairs. However, the structure of this resource is complex, so finding the necessary information will take considerable time. To simplify this task for users, basic information about preparing documents for a temporary residence permit is presented on our website.

How many photographs are needed?

Let us clarify that for people of all ages there are the same requirements for photographs for temporary residence documents. But for children, photographs are needed that are taken just before submitting documents. Below we will explain what this means. The number of photographs for the migration service depends on the state from which the foreigner arrived:

More pictures (4) are needed for people coming from countries where a visa regime has been introduced with Russia.
Stateless persons must present 3 photos.
For migrants from “visa-free” territories, two photographs are enough.

However, employees of municipal branches of the Federal Migration Service recommend preparing 3 cards for the last category, one of them will be attached to your personal file.

Options

The photo on the RVP is allowed in color or black and white, but it must be remembered that its size is always 3.5 * 4.5 cm. The height of the head should be 3.2-3.6 cm, the width - 1.8- 2.5 cm. There are a few more nuances that need to be taken into account before making a card:

The paper for the photograph is matte, since the image on gloss can be blurry and difficult to scan.
The face is photographed only from the front and occupies at least 60% of the card area. You cannot turn or tilt your head or wear jewelry that covers your face. Excessive facial expressions, such as smiling, are not allowed.
Headwear is not allowed in the photo. This does not apply to people whose religious beliefs do not allow them to be bareheaded in public. But even in this situation, the oval of the face cannot be covered; it must be visible in full.
If a visitor wears glasses, it is advisable to wear them when taking pictures. However, matte or colored lenses and thick frames are excluded, since these elements distort the appearance. The medical bandage, which the applicant wears according to the doctor’s indications, may also not be removed if it does not block the face.
Photos taken on the eve of admission to the Federal Migration Service are attached to the documents for the temporary residence permit. This requirement especially applies to children, whose appearance, unlike adults, changes quickly. The photograph of an adult applicant must not be taken earlier than 6 months before the application. If a person has changed his hairstyle or has scars on his face, the migration service may have questions.

In addition to the listed rules, there are individual characteristics that the photographer must take into account.

Image standards

An application for a residence permit may be rejected if technical requirements are not met. You can check them with professional photographers:

You cannot use retouching and other types of photo correction, print distortions, or the “red eye” effect;
the background for the photo is chosen grayish or blue, and not white or black;
Bent corners or ovals in the submitted photo are excluded.

If you deviate from the standards set out above, submitting documents for a temporary residence permit may result in refusal. Therefore, you should not waste your time and money; it is better to remember or write down all the necessary rules.

Type of documents

It is not always possible to present papers for temporary residence permits in electronic form. Before you draw up documents this way, you need to find out that this is allowed. The digital file attached to the set of papers should not exceed 0.3 MB in size. It is executed in jpeg format.

How can I simplify the procedure?

The most convenient option is to take a photo in the department of the Federal Migration Service where the application is being submitted. But this is not possible everywhere. Sometimes migration service employees recommend one or another professional who can take such photographs with high quality.

When you come to a specialist, it is better to immediately explain that the photo is being taken for a temporary residence permit in the country and clarify whether the specialist is familiar with the technical rules.

If not, they should be stated.

Nowadays, many programs have been created for making photographs yourself using a webcam. They can be used, but only if you are sure that the photo will be of high quality and without retouching.

Even if the applicant has printed cards on hand, it is worth asking the photographer for an electronic version. A similar version of the image may be needed to collect a package of papers in the future or check for compliance with technical recommendations.

You can get an unequivocally positive answer when submitting documents and photos for a temporary residence permit after consulting with a professional lawyer dealing with migration issues.

Package of documents for registration

To be able to temporarily live and work in Russia, you need to prepare documents for submitting a temporary residence permit.

application for issuing a temporary residence permit – 2 copies;
internal passport, as well as international passport (if you have one);
photo measuring 3.5 by 4.5 cm (2 copies for those coming from a visa-free country; 3 for stateless persons; 4 for those arriving on a visa);
medical documents confirming the absence of diseases established by a special list;
certificates confirming knowledge of the Russian language, history, and laws of the Russian Federation (instead of a certificate, you can submit a diploma or certificate obtained before 1991 on the territory of the USSR);
a certificate of no criminal record with a notarized translation into Russian (for foreigners who entered Russia on a visa);
migration card indicating entry into the Russian Federation;
confirmation of migration registration;
receipt of payment of state duty.

In 2021, you can submit documents to the territorial office of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at your place of temporary residence, the MFC, or online - on the State Services portal.

What should the photo look like?

The number of photographs directly depends on whether the migrant has citizenship of another state. Foreigners who are citizens of countries from which entry is required with a visa, submit 4 photographs. If a citizen of another state crosses the borders of Russia without a visa, he must submit 2 photographs. The stateless person brings 3 photographs.

In the migration department of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you can get information about what photographs are needed for a temporary residence permit. Photos must be 3.5*4.5cm in size. Photos must be matte. A glossy photo may become blurry. Color and black and white photographs are suitable for RVP.

Certain requirements are imposed on the image:

Photographs must be taken strictly from the front;
A citizen should not wear a head covering (exceptions are religious beliefs);
the image must consist of 60% of the citizen’s face;
the size of the head is 3.2-3.6 cm in length, 1.8-2.5 cm in width;
the presence of a headdress should not interfere with the image of the oval face;
an applicant wearing glasses must be wearing them in the photograph;
the use of tinted or colored glasses is prohibited;
photo size – maximum 300 KB;
photo format – .JPEG;
lighting should be uniform;
white background is undesirable;
the rules allow a light background (blue or gray);
"Red eyes" in a photograph make it unacceptable;
It is prohibited to retouch the photograph;
the photograph must be new and correspond to the applicant’s appearance at the time of contacting the migration service officer.

Basic requirements for photographs

The main criteria that a photo on a temporary residence permit must meet are the following:

Size – 35 by 45 mm.
Color or monochrome photo without a color background.
The face occupies 60% of the photo area, the image must be clear.
The photo is taken strictly from the front, without turning or smiling.
Without a headdress (if a headdress is required, for example for Muslims, the face must still be clearly visible).
If the applicant constantly wears glasses, the photo must be taken with glasses (colored, tinted glasses and contact lenses are prohibited).

Photos can be submitted in either paper or electronic form. Which option to choose depends on how you are going to submit documents for a temporary residence permit.

Paper version

If you have made an appointment at the GUVM or MFC department, then along with the package of established documents you need to bring photographs printed on paper.

The following requirements apply to photographs taken in paper form:

size – 35 by 45 mm;
color/monochrome image;
there should be no smile on the person’s face, the image is strictly frontal;
lack of headdress.

If the photographer does not know about the photo requirements for the RVP, warn him about the following nuances:

When printing, only matte paper is used, since gloss does not stick well to documents and the print may slip off;
no corner needed;
It is unacceptable to submit a photograph with defects, that is, wrinkled, “chewed” or torn.

Electronic variant

If you submit a package of documents through the State Services portal, then the photographs must be taken in electronic form. In this case, ask the photographer to record the result of your collaboration on an electronic storage medium (disc, flash drive, etc.).

Essentially the same requirements apply to electronic photography:

lack of a smile on the face, strictly full face;
without headdress;
no color background, monochrome image;
positioning the face in the center of the frame.

In addition, you should pay attention to additional requirements:

size – at least 300 kbytes (smaller sizes may fail when printing, the face in the photo will appear “cubed”);
format – jpg;
a clear, clear photograph of the applicant, who must be dressed appropriately for the occasion.

What should the image be like?

The photo requirements for the 2021 RVP are as follows:

The oval of the face should occupy at least 70% of the entire photo;
the height of the applicant’s head is from 32 to 36 mm, and the width is from 18 to 25;
the background is grey, light gray or light blue. White is not allowed;
the face is positioned from the front without tilting or slight turns;
It is unacceptable to have any accessories in the photo that cover the image of the face;
headwear is permitted only to those persons whose religious beliefs oblige them to wear it at all times;
Glasses are allowed if the applicant wears them constantly for medical reasons. Glasses lenses should not be too massive, darkened or distorting the oval of the face;
the face is completely open, regardless of the presence of mandatory accessories;
facial features are clearly distinguishable and visible;
eye color corresponds to the real one, without the use of dark or colored lenses;
there can be no red eyes that occur during poor-quality shooting;
the facial expression is calm, without tension or an open smile.

Baby photos

The requirements for photographs for minors are no different from those for adults, although there are some peculiarities:

Since the child is growing quickly and his appearance is changing, it is recommended to take a photo 3-5 days before submitting documents. If the photo was taken much earlier, the migration service may refuse to accept it on the grounds that the photo does not reflect the real appearance of the child;
if the baby does not yet have citizenship for various reasons, you must attach 1 more photograph;
In a photograph of a small child, the hands of the parents holding them should not be visible; the image of a crying baby is also unacceptable.

It is not recommended to paste a child’s photo on your own – this will be done by specialists.

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Taking a photo for a child

When filing a petition for a child, you should also take into account some subtleties regarding the photograph. Considering the fact that children constantly grow and change, and, say, a temporary residence permit is issued for three whole years, we can assume that during this period your baby may become simply unrecognizable.

In this case, the requirements state that the child must be photographed just a few days before submitting the documents.

The situation is somewhat more complicated with newborns, who can still hardly sit or hold their head up, and there should be no strangers in the photo. In this case, you can photograph the baby in a lying position, but so that his eyes are open and he is looking directly at the photographer.

Where and how to take a photo

In the process of preparing documents for obtaining a temporary residence permit, it is worth taking the necessary photographs in advance in a professional photo studio.
Usually photographers are well acquainted with the requirements for photographs for documents, but if any difficulties arise in this matter, it is better to clarify, list the main criteria for correct photographs, which we discussed just above. Photos for documents today can be taken in many offices of migration authorities, which have special cameras installed. In this case, you will be photographed directly while submitting documents, in accordance with the established rules. You just need to find out in advance whether the department you are going to contact has such equipment.

Even if you only ordered paper photographs from the salon, ask the photographer to duplicate the image, that is, write the electronic version onto a disk or flash drive. It is possible that you will have to reprint the photo or you will decide to submit the entire package online, etc.

What successful and unsuccessful photos look like

According to the requirements established by law, photographs must be extremely clear and “have an official appearance”; the head must not be turned even at a slight angle in the picture, and there must be no “red eye” effect.

This is what successful photos look like.

Examples of unsuccessful photos.

The man has dark glasses on his face, hiding his eyes.
One child is shot half-turned, against the backdrop of a crib and toys, and there is also a red-eye effect; another baby has a hat on his head.
Here are more examples of successful and unsuccessful photos.

To which department do documents for temporary residence permits be submitted?

Submitting an application and documents for a temporary residence permit online will save you from many problems - you don’t need to go anywhere or stand in line. You just need to go to the State Services portal and find the section of the corresponding service. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to obtain this service on a regular basis, since the service often breaks down and is subject to modifications. You should first check whether the service is working at the time you need.

How to get a temporary residence permit in Moscow

To obtain a temporary residence permit, you must contact the Migration Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow at the address: Moscow, st. B. Ordynka, 16/4, building 4. Hotline number.

You can also contact the Multifunctional Migration Center at the address: Moscow, village. Voronovskoe, Varshavskoe highway, 64 (building 1, p. 47). Submission of documents is carried out in zone A.

Of course, it is more convenient to take a photo at the migration office where you are submitting documents, but since this is not possible everywhere, it is better to check with the service employees where and with whom you can take a photo.

Contacting an experienced lawyer, who can also tell you whether these photos meet the requirements, or even recommend the “right” photo studio, will benefit your case.

You can make an appointment from 8 am to 8 pm, for which you need to come to the migration center with a package of documents (including photos). They will be pre-screened and an appointment date will be set.

How to get a temporary residence permit in St. Petersburg

Documents for registration of a temporary residence permit can be submitted to the Migration Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, which is located at the address: St. Petersburg, per. Krylova, 5.

Reception of citizens regarding registration of temporary residence permits is carried out in the following mode:

Tuesday and Thursday – from 17.00 to 20.00;
Monday – from 11.00 to 13.00;
Friday – from 10.00 to 13.00.

What does the photo on the RVP look like?

When preparing a package of documents for a temporary residence permit, make sure that the photo meets the requirements listed above, not forgetting also the generally accepted legal standards for photographs:

if several photos are located next to each other, then there should be space for cutting between them;
the image is made in the shape of a rectangle, circles, ovals, etc. are not allowed;
do not leave white corners and do not round corners.

If the photo was taken taking into account the recommendations given, then FMS employees will accept them with a package of documents for consideration.