How Do You Change the Photo on a Turkish ID Card, Licence or Passport?

How Do You Change the Photo on a Turkish ID Card, What Does It Cost and Where Do You Pay?

Short answer: the photo on the card is not updated on its own; a new photo comes with a new card. Under Turkey's ID Card Regulation a card is issued for birth, replacement, loss, re-registration or acquisition of citizenship; someone who wants a new photo applies for “replacement”, and the old card is taken back and cancelled. According to NVİ's İstanbul directorate (in Turkish) a new card is issued “with a stated reason”. No list of accepted reasons has been published, and nothing in writing says a new photo alone is enough; state your reason, and if unsure ask Alo 199.

Bring your nüfus cüzdanı (the old identity booklet) or ID card, 1 biometric photo taken in the last six months and the paid valuable-paper fee; applicants aged 15 or over are expected to apply in person. Book via randevu.nvi.gov.tr, Alo 199, e-Devlet, NVİ Mobil or a Nüfusmatik kiosk. The regulation also mentions walk-in applications, while NVİ's appointment FAQ says nothing except birth registration is handled without an appointment; practice differs by office, so booking is the safest route.

Under NVİ's 2026 fee table a card issued for replacement costs 220 TL and a lost ID card 440 TL; the administration sets the amounts every year. Pay at a tax office, through the Revenue Administration online (ivd.gib.gov.tr), at a contracted bank or at a PTT branch; abroad, at the consulate. The card reaches your address through NVİ's contracted distribution unit (PTT on provincial pages); NVİ gives no number of days and says “in the shortest reasonable time”. An uncollected card is cancelled after 90 days in Turkey and 180 days abroad. Glasses and age rules are on the Turkish ID card photo page.

Do You Need a New Photo When Replacing a Turkish ID Card?

In practice yes, with one exception: under Article 22 of the ID Card Regulation a new photo is required if the photo in the system “does not belong to an application made within the last six months”. If a photo from an application in the last six months is on file, a new one may not be asked for; someone changing the photo brings a new one anyway. The photo used in the application is returned to its owner after scanning (Article 9).

The yardstick is NVİ's written rules: 50×60 mm, a plain white background without shadows, taken in the last six months. According to NVİ İstanbul, an application with a different size or background cannot be completed or is cancelled at quality control, and the photo must not be cut to 35×45 mm. Under the 2018 instruction the face measures 32–36 mm; photocopies or computer-duplicated photos are not accepted. More: biometric vs standard ID photo, the 6-month rule.

One photo covers the ID card, passport and licence, because NVİ sets the same standard for all three; a single sheet printed on photo paper covers all three renewals (how many ID photos). Upload a phone shot; the AI checks size, head ratio, background, expression and light, cleans the background and crops the frame to 50×60 mm. Download the digital file or get four prints on a 10×15 sheet, cut and shipped (current prices).

How Do You Change the Photo on a Turkish Driving Licence?

A licence also changes only as a new document. NVİ's driving licence FAQ (in Turkish) allows replacement before expiry for “a justified reason” and gives examples such as loss, theft, a change of identity details, tampering or breakage; a photo is not among them, so ask Alo 199 before applying for the photo alone. The natural moment is expiry: M, A1, A2, A, B1, B, BE, F and G licences are valid for 10 years, C and D classes for 5 years.

The difference from the ID card is the photo on file: no official text says the old photo is reused for a licence, and the renewal list always asks for 1 biometric photo taken in the last six months. The file also holds an ID document, the current licence unless lost, a driver health report and a blood-group statement. In 2026 you pay a 1,690 TL valuable-paper fee and a 425 TL foundation fee, 2,115 TL in total. The photo is scanned and returned, and there is no charge for the licence PTT brings to your address.

The health report needs no printed photo: under the Health Reports Regulation in force since 19 May 2026 the driver report is issued in e-Rapor, and any photo it needs is taken at the health facility. Size and glasses details are on the driving licence photo page.

Can You Change the Photo in a Turkish Passport?

No. According to NVİ's passport FAQ (in Turkish), “passport validity is not extended; a new passport is issued for every application.” Anyone wanting a new photo applies for a new passport, and the remaining validity of a valid ordinary passport moves to the new one. Bring any earlier passport that has not been cancelled.

Every age group needs a 50×60 mm biometric photo; photocopies or computer-duplicated photos are not accepted. The duty depends on the duration (6 months, 1, 2, 3 years, over 3 years) and the booklet fee is separate; the amounts are on the passport photo page. Students in Turkey get the passport without the duty until 25, students abroad regardless of age with an extra approval. According to NVİ, PTT cargo brings the passport to provincial centres in 1–2 days and to districts within 4 working days.

Where Does My e-Devlet Photo Come From, and How Is It Updated?

e-Devlet has no photo update service: on 18 October 2026 a search for “fotoğraf” (photo) on turkiye.gov.tr returned no e-service. The ID card photo changes only with a new ID card application. Some e-Devlet services take the photo from the population register: in the Ministry of National Defence's “Askerliğim” service your biometric photo is loaded automatically if you give explicit consent, otherwise the procedure runs through the military branch office; an e-Devlet application for the disability ID card also takes its photo from MERNİS.

ÖSYM follows the ID card too. According to ÖSYM's announcement (in Turkish) the photo is updated in the Candidate System via “Profilim → Fotoğraf Bilgilerim → TC Kimlik Kartı Fotoğrafımı Kullan”, and automatically with an individual application. Under the e-YDS guide ÖSYM cannot change the ID card photo, and apart from TR-YÖS no file is uploaded. Details are in the exam photo guide.

Does a Child Under 15 Need a Photo on the Turkish ID Card?

Not always. According to NVİ, the card of a child under 15 is issued with a photo if this is requested in the application or if it is declared that the card will be used as a travel document. For travel the photo is required: NVİ's instruction of 13 August 2021 calls it “necessary and mandatory”. No official text sets a separate band such as “ages 7–14”.

A card without a photo can be applied for on e-Devlet; for a card with a photo you go to the civil registry office with a 50×60 mm biometric photo taken in the last six months. No other people or objects should appear in a young child's photo. For shooting at home, see the baby photo page.