Something strange is going on with passport photos. Nobody likes them and they are never fun. We are not allowed to laugh, we have to look straight into the camera, the lighting has to be boring, as a photographer we are not allowed to edit anything.......

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But it doesn't have to be that bad. Of course I have been specially trained to take a good passport photo of you, which meets all government biometric rules. But besides that, as a professional portrait photographer, it's my job to get the best out of everyone who appears in front of my camera . So that even after years of using your passport or driver's license you can still say: yes, I looked good on that!

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RDW-certified: renew your Dutch driving license directly online

We are affiliated with Pasfoto-Organisatie / Phocs Card Service - the official organization in the Netherlands for RDW-approved passport photographers. This means that you can renew your Dutch driving license directly online with us. You no longer have to make an appointment with the municipality first. Read all about this service from the RDW and the exact procedure here.

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Please note: if you have your foreign driving license converted into a Dutch driving licence, this is unfortunately not yet possible.

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What to wear?

The most important thing is that you wear outerwear that stands out against a white background. So wear red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, dark gray, purple or whatever you like and don't wear white, light gray, cream or pastel shades. A pattern is also allowed. If you have very white or platinum colored hair, we will use a light blue background. In that case, don't wear light blue. If you come with a baby, make sure that the baby wears a T-shirt, sweater or closed cardigan over the romper that you can put your hand under. And no white or pastels for the baby either.

 

Furthermore, you are not allowed to wear a hat, cap or sunglasses and we will ask you to take them off if you have very large or shiny earrings or jewellery. If you wear a hijab, it must be completely solid in color. Any undercloth must be in the same color as the hijab itself.

 

If you wear glasses, you can keep them on. However, sometimes we ask you to take off the glasses. It kind of depends on the circumstances. Are the photos for the online driver's license application or are the photos for something other than a passport or ID card, glasses are usually not a problem.

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Of course you can wear make-up, but it should not be shiny. It is therefore best to use a matte eyeshadow and do not wear a highlighter. If you are very shiny, we use powder. After each use, all make-up materials are cleaned and then disinfected with pure alcohol. Of course you can also bring your own powder.

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Think about this too

If you have booked a studio shoot with us, you can immediately book a passport photo session. You already have your Sunday suit on, maybe you even have booked make-up and you are already in the flow of taking beautiful pictures. Ten to one that the passport photos will also be very beautiful at that time. And who doesn't want that?

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What does city hall say about passport photos

The municipality of Almere states this on its site about providing a passport photo:

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If you apply for a driver's license, identity card or passport, you must submit a recent and good-looking passport photo. The government has strict requirements for passport photos. Civil Affairs must adhere to these requirements. Are you asking for a new driver's license or travel document (passport or identity card)? Make sure you bring correct passport photos. Passport photos are required meet the following requirements:

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• The passport photo with a good resemblance is no more than 6 months old at the time of the application

• If for religious or ideological reasons the head may remain covered, the head covering must be smooth and monochromatic and
  must contrast with the background.

• Sufficient contrast with the (even and light grey, light blue or white) background

• Natural display color face

• No reflection (e.g. from shiny skin or glasses)

• Good lighting (no shadows should be visible, and the photo should not be washed out)

• You have a neutral look

• Your eyes are fully visible

• Your head is photographed straight from the front

• You look straight into the camera

• Your mouth is closed

• Your head is uncovered (unless you can prove in writing that it is religious, philosophical or medical

• reasons make this impossible)

• If your head must be covered: your face must remain clearly visible

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Unfortunately, it often happens that Almeerders show up with a non-usable passport photo. They must then have new photos taken

and come back to Civil Affairs another time. Of course this is very annoying. We therefore ask you to check whether your

passport photos meet the above requirements.

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EXAMPLES PASSPORT PHOTOS

You can find examples of what passport photos should and shouldn't look like in the photo matrix. You will also find what more requirements

the government imposes on passport photos and what exceptions there are for children under the age of 6.

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CERTIFIED PHOTOGRAPHER

We advise you to have your passport photos taken by a certified photographer. Have you had photos taken, but are you unsure whether they are good?

are? Then consult a certified photographer.

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Just to clarify everything for you

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- If you need photos for your Dutch passport, driver's license, ID card or to apply for a visa, we follow the official guidelines for biometric passport photos of the Dutch government and RDW (you get a guarantee)

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- If you need photos for your foreign passport, we have the rules and requirements of the relevant country on file or will check them for you. However, it may happen that a country adjusts the requirements. Therefore, always take the form that you receive from your consulate with you when you have the passport photo taken. In general, the consulate is the first to receive the new rules.

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- If the passport photos are for the renewal of your Dutch driver's license, we can arrange this for you directly online

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- If you want printed passport photos, you can wait for them; they are printed directly for you in format 3.5 x 4.5 cm

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- You will then receive 6 of them in a neat folder to take home

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- If you want passport photos on which you smile, that is also possible

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- We work by appointment

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- Would you rather come without an appointment, you can do that too, of course. Just come by when we are open

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- I also specialize in babies and small children

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- And all that for €23.00

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- If you book your passport photo session following a studio shoot, you only pay €21.00

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- Do you want printed photos with your RDW online application? Then you only pay € 10.00 for the prints

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- Do you want the digital file by email? That is also possible! For € 10.00 extra we will email the photo to you

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- And finally: you can pin with us, but you can also pay in Euros. - You want to settle your payment immediately? Go to the webstore