Free digital passport photo in Finland

Introduction

If you live in Finland, when it’s time to renew or update your ID (such as an ID card, passport, or residence permit), you’ll need a digital passport photo - which typically costs around €20. Fortunately, you can get the digital photo for free by taking it yourself and submitting it to the Lupahallinnon valokuvapalvelin (Permit Administration Photo Server). This is essentially what photo services do for you - but today I’ll show you how to do it yourself, step by step.

Prerequisites

Ability to use strong identification in Finland.
Basic photo-editing skills.

Step-by-step

Use your phone or a camera to take the photo.
Use a photo editor (e.g., Photoshop) to adjust the image so it meets the official quality requirements.
Export the final image at exactly 500 × 653 pixels.
Go to lupakuvienvastaanotto.fi and create an account if it’s your first time.
Enter your phone number and email address, then click Luo käyttäjätili.
Click Uusi kuva to upload your edited photo.
Name the image, then click SEURAAVA.
Follow the on-screen instructions.
Enter the phone number and email address where you want the retrieval code sent.
Done - check your phone and email for the retrieval code.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve just saved €20 on a digital passport photo.