U.S. STATE · STATE ID CARD
Montana State Identification Card Photo Requirements
Find out whether you need to make a photo for a state ID card, where the photo is taken, and what is known about renewing or replacing the card remotely.
Sources reviewed: October 18, 2026
Should you make a photo?
Do not prepare your own photo unless the agency or your transaction instructions specifically ask for one.
This page covers a state identification card. It does not automatically apply to driver licenses, learner permits, or every exception.
Issuing agency: Montana Motor Vehicle Division
Where the photo is taken
Montana ID cards are handled at an MVD Driver Exam Station by appointment. The pages reviewed do not explicitly say a new photo is taken at each station visit.
Online or mail renewal and replacement
MVD's official pages conflict. The renewal page says ID and license renewal can be done online, that MVD uses the most recent image on file, and that you cannot update your photo online; its eligibility list (U.S. citizen, previous renewal not done online or by mail) is written for driver licenses. The replacement page says a lost ID can be replaced online. But MVD's ID card page says Montana ID cards require an in-person visit to a Driver Exam Station and that mail-in is not available for ID cards. Check with MVD before relying on online renewal for an ID.
Photo law and rules
A photo-specific statute or rule for this credential has not yet been summarized on this page.