Is a Schengen visa photo the same as a passport photo?

In frame, often yes: the Schengen 35 × 45 mm print is the size of the Indian passport photo and of the Canadian visitor-visa minimum. The fill differs: Passport Seva wants the face at 80 to 85 per cent of the photograph, the German specimen sheet 70 – 80%, so an Indian passport print is framed too tight for a German consulate. A US passport photo is a 2 × 2 inch square.

Can I use one photo for several countries?

One original photo, yes; one finished file, rarely. The same portrait can be cut to 7:9 for Schengen and a Canadian visitor visa, 5:7 for a Canadian permanent resident, a square for the United States, 4:5 for the UK and 3:4 for Australia, provided the head is framed for the strictest rule. Cut each version from the original: squaring a 7:9 file removes about 22 per cent of its height.

What DPI should the file have?

Only the countries that describe a print care. The United States names 300 pixels per inch for a scanned photo, which makes 2 inches 600 pixels; the German specimen sheet asks for a 600 dpi print, so a 600 DPI file is the easiest match; Canada’s permanent resident upload clears its 715 × 1000 floor from 364 DPI, so 600 passes. The UK and Australian pages never mention DPI.

Does the US accept 35 × 45 mm?

No. The Department of State page gives 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) for the print and a square of at least 600 x 600 pixels for the upload, head at 50 %–69 % of the height. Squaring a 35 × 45 mm photo leaves 35 × 35 mm, which usually takes the hair or the chin; cut the US square from the original instead.

How old can a visa photo be?

Six months for the United States, the Dutch Schengen checklist, both Australian pages and Canada’s visitor-visa specification; 12 months on Canada’s permanent resident page. The UK visa guidance sets no age and the German checklist says only “recent”, so a photo under six months old passes every list here.

Do I need printed photos or a digital file?

The UK wants a file only; Australia a file for the online form and a 45mm x 35mm print for a paper form; the United States describes both a print and a 600 × 600 upload; Canada’s visitor-visa page says to provide two photographs; the German Schengen checklist lists one photo and the Dutch one a 3.5cm by 4.5cm print unless you apply through an external service provider, which takes a digital photo at the appointment.

Visa Photo Size by Country: Print Sizes, Pixels and File Limits Compared

Updated 12 October 2026 · Figures taken from 12 documents listed below

There is no single visa photo size; each country sets its own frame. Most ask for a 35 × 45 mm print, the United States wants a 2 × 2 inch square, and Canada’s permanent resident photo is 50 × 70 mm. For uploads the shape is given in pixels instead: at least 600 × 750 for the UK, at least 600 × 600 for the US, and a preferred 1200 × 1600 for Australia.

Below, the official figures for the Schengen area, the United States, the UK, Australia and Canada sit side by side, with India’s passport photo for comparison, to show which countries share a frame.

Schengen (German and Dutch checklists): 35 x 45 mm print; no pixel or KB figure on either list
United States: 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) print; JPEG of at least 600 x 600 px; 240 kB cap for a DV entry
United Kingdom: Digital only: at least 600 x 750 px, jpg or jpeg, 50KB to 6MB
Australia (online): JPEG, 1200 x 1600 px preferred, 70Kb to 3.5Mb
Australia (paper form): 45mm x 35mm print
Canada (visitor visa): Two prints, frame at least 35 mm x 45 mm; no pixel or KB figure
Canada (permanent resident): 50 x 70 mm print; digital 715 x 1000 to 2000 x 2800 px, 4 MB or less
India (passport, for comparison): 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm print; 630*810 pixels

A United States passport standing open on a colourful world map, with a stamped passport page beneath it — Every country sets its own visa photo frame; the map is the only thing these rules have in common.

Make the file now

Find your country in the table and type its width and height in millimetres into the resizer below (35 and 45 are filled in to start); the mm resizer stores the DPI in the file, so a lab prints it at that size. Open the full resize image in mm page.

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Width (mm)Height (mm)

DPI

Pixels per inch when printed. 300 is standard for photos and documents.

Lock aspect ratio

If the shape is different

Visa photo size by country: the figures side by side

Five sets of rules, three kinds of measurement. Schengen consulates and Canada describe a print in millimetres; the United States uses inches and adds a pixel minimum for the upload; the United Kingdom describes only a digital file, in pixels and kilobytes; Australia does the same online but names a 45mm x 35mm print for its paper form.

Every figure keeps the units of its official page; “not stated” means the page is silent, not that a rule is hidden.

Official visa photo requirements compared
Country	Print	Digital	File	Head rule	Background	Max age
Schengen (Germany, Netherlands)	35 x 45 mm	not stated	not stated	32 – 36mm face (German sheet)	bright, ideally neutral grey; white or light-coloured	6 months (Dutch list); “recent” (German list)
United States	2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm)	600 x 600 px minimum, square	JPEG; 240 kB for a DV entry	1 to 1 3/8 in, or 50 %–69 % of height	plain white or off-white	6 months
United Kingdom	not stated	at least 600 x 750 px, upright	jpg or jpeg, 50KB to 6MB	not stated	plain light-coloured	not stated
Australia (online)	not stated	1200 x 1600 px preferred	JPEG, 70Kb to 3.5Mb	not stated (head and shoulders)	neutral or light grey	6 months
Australia (paper form)	45mm x 35mm	not applicable	not applicable	not stated (head and shoulders only)	plain	6 months
Canada (visitor visa)	at least 35 mm x 45 mm, two photos	not stated	not stated	31 – 36 mm chin to crown	plain white or light-coloured	6 months
Canada (permanent resident)	50 mm x 70 mm	715 x 1000 to 2000 x 2800 px	.jpeg or .jpg, 4 MB or less	31 – 36 mm chin to crown	plain, untextured and white	12 months
India (passport)	4.5 cm x 3.5 cm	630*810 px	not stated	face 80 to 85 % of the photograph	white	“recent”

How to turn millimetres into pixels at a DPI

A print size becomes a pixel count only once you fix the DPI, the pixels per inch of the print: millimetres ÷ 25.4 × DPI, rounded. Take the United States square at 300 DPI, the scanning density its page names: 2 inches × 300 is 600, so the 2 × 2 inch print and the 600 × 600 upload are one photo. Start from 51 mm instead and 51 ÷ 25.4 × 300 gives 602, because 51 is itself a rounding of 50.8; type inches when a page gives inches.

At 300 DPI, 35 × 45 mm becomes 413 × 531 pixels, one file that covers the Schengen print, Australia’s paper-form photo and the Canadian visitor-visa minimum. Canada’s 50 × 70 mm permanent resident photo comes to 591 × 827 at 300 DPI, under the 715 × 1000 floor of its upload rule; any DPI from 364 clears it, and the Canada page uses 600, or 1181 × 1654 pixels.

Head-size rules side by side

Resizing sets the frame but never moves the head inside it, so the head rule is the one most people fail.

The United States gives it both ways, 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches (22 mm to 35 mm) or 50 %–69 % of the image height. Canada gives 31 mm to 36 mm from chin to crown on both its pages, which is 69 to 80 per cent of a 45 mm frame but only 44 to 51 per cent of a 70 mm one. The UK and Australian pages set no figure and ask only for head and shoulders in view.

Head-size rules in the official wording
Country	Rule as written	Share of frame height
United States	1 inch to 1 3/8 inches (22 mm to 35 mm); 50 %–69 % of the image height	50 to 69 %
Canada	31 mm (1 1/4″) to 36 mm (1 7/16″), chin to crown	69 to 80 % of 45 mm; 44 to 51 % of 70 mm
Schengen (German specimen sheet)	70 – 80% of the photo, 32 – 36mm	70 to 80 %
United Kingdom	none; “show your head, shoulders and upper body”	not stated
Australia	none; “a full-face view of the applicant’s head and shoulders”	not stated
India (passport)	face 80 to 85 % of the photograph	80 to 85 %

Refusal reasons that are the same everywhere

Background: every page wants it plain and light; white or off-white for the United States, plain light-coloured for the UK, neutral or light grey for Australia’s upload and plain for its paper form, plain white or light-coloured on the Canadian visitor-visa sheet and plain, untextured and white for a permanent resident. A patterned wall or a shadow calls for a new photo, not an edit.

Age: six months for the United States, the Dutch checklist, Australia and the Canadian visitor-visa specification; 12 months on Canada’s permanent resident page; none in the UK visa guidance. Glasses: the UK says not to wear them unless you have to; the German specimen sheet bars tinted lenses, flash reflections and frames across the eyes.

Copies and edits: Australia states that a scan of a photo or a photograph of a photo is not acceptable, and the UK rules out a scan or photo of another photo of you; Australia wants the file unedited, the UK bans alteration by software, and Canada any alteration of a digital photo.

File limits: when to compress and when to add kilobytes

Only four kilobyte figures exist: the UK’s 50KB to 6MB, Australia’s 70Kb to 3.5Mb, 240 kB for a US Diversity Visa entry and 4 MB or less for a Canadian permanent resident upload; the Schengen checklists, the Canadian visitor-visa specification and the rest of the US page give none.

A JPEG of a face on a plain wall at these pixel sizes normally lands inside the windows: in this site’s tests a 600 × 750 file weighed about 60 to 150 KB and a 1200 × 1600 file 110 to 510 KB. The floors are crossed more often than the caps: a picture forwarded through a chat app can fall under 50KB or 70Kb, and the KB increase tool raises it.

Compress only when a cap is named and the result card shows you over it; the KB reducer’s output carries no DPI, so keep the resized file for printing.

Which page to use for each country

Each of the five countries has its own page, set to its frame; the mm resizer below covers any print size without one.

Schengen visa photo size page: 35 × 45 mm at 300 DPI, 413 × 531 pixels, DPI stored.
US visa photo size page: 2 × 2 inches at 300 DPI, 600 × 600 pixels.
UK visa photo size page: 600 × 750 pixels, the 4:5 minimum.
Australia visa photo size page: 1200 × 1600 pixels, the 3:4 upload.
Canada visa photo size page: 50 × 70 mm at 600 DPI, 1181 × 1654 pixels; for the visitor-visa minimum, type 35 and 45 below.
Any other country: type its millimetre figures into the resizer below, or switch to pixels.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Schengen visa photo the same as a passport photo?: In frame, often yes: the Schengen 35 × 45 mm print is the size of the Indian passport photo and of the Canadian visitor-visa minimum. The fill differs: Passport Seva wants the face at 80 to 85 per cent of the photograph, the German specimen sheet 70 – 80%, so an Indian passport print is framed too tight for a German consulate. A US passport photo is a 2 × 2 inch square.
Can I use one photo for several countries?: One original photo, yes; one finished file, rarely. The same portrait can be cut to 7:9 for Schengen and a Canadian visitor visa, 5:7 for a Canadian permanent resident, a square for the United States, 4:5 for the UK and 3:4 for Australia, provided the head is framed for the strictest rule. Cut each version from the original: squaring a 7:9 file removes about 22 per cent of its height.
What DPI should the file have?: Only the countries that describe a print care. The United States names 300 pixels per inch for a scanned photo, which makes 2 inches 600 pixels; the German specimen sheet asks for a 600 dpi print, so a 600 DPI file is the easiest match; Canada’s permanent resident upload clears its 715 × 1000 floor from 364 DPI, so 600 passes. The UK and Australian pages never mention DPI.
Does the US accept 35 × 45 mm?: No. The Department of State page gives 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) for the print and a square of at least 600 x 600 pixels for the upload, head at 50 %–69 % of the height. Squaring a 35 × 45 mm photo leaves 35 × 35 mm, which usually takes the hair or the chin; cut the US square from the original instead.
How old can a visa photo be?: Six months for the United States, the Dutch Schengen checklist, both Australian pages and Canada’s visitor-visa specification; 12 months on Canada’s permanent resident page. The UK visa guidance sets no age and the German checklist says only “recent”, so a photo under six months old passes every list here.
Do I need printed photos or a digital file?: The UK wants a file only; Australia a file for the online form and a 45mm x 35mm print for a paper form; the United States describes both a print and a 600 × 600 upload; Canada’s visitor-visa page says to provide two photographs; the German Schengen checklist lists one photo and the Dutch one a 3.5cm by 4.5cm print unless you apply through an external service provider, which takes a digital photo at the appointment.

Sources

Schengen visa checklist (German Missions in the United States, Auswärtiges Amt)“One (1) recent biometric passport photo (35 x 45 mm; see specimen photos)”
Sample photos for visa applications (German Missions in the United States)“The face must take up 70 – 80% of the photo. This corresponds to a height of 32 – 36mm.”
Checklist: Applying for a Schengen visa for tourism (Government of the Netherlands)“colour photo ... no more than 6 months old ... 3.5cm by 4.5cm ... white or light-coloured background ... If you are applying for a visa through an external service provider, you do not need to submit a photo. A digital photo will be taken at your appointment.”
Photo requirements for visas (U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs)“In JPEG (.jpg) file format; Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size; 600x600 pixels in dimension; square aspect ratio (height must equal width)”
U.S. Passport Photos (U.S. Department of State)“attach one color photograph 2x2 inches in size”
Take a photo of your face for a visa application or permission (GOV.UK, published 12 February 2026)“at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall ... at least 50KB and no more than 6MB ... a jpg or jpeg file ... vertically orientated”
Photograph, ImmiAccount help text (Department of Home Affairs, Australia)“in digital JPEG format between 70Kb and 3.5Mb, the preferred resolution is 1200x1600 pixels”
Photograph - Passport, ImmiAccount help text (Department of Home Affairs, Australia)“Provide a recent passport photograph (45mm x 35mm). This should be of the head and shoulders only, and should show the person facing the camera, against a plain background and must be less than six months old.”
Temporary Resident Visa application photograph specifications (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)“The frame size must be at least 35 mm x 45 mm (1 3/8″ x 1 3/4″). ... The size of the head, from chin to crown, must be between 31 mm (1 1/4″) and 36 mm (1 7/16″).”
Permanent resident card photo specifications (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)“Photo size: 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 inches wide by 2¾ inches long) ... between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels ... File size: 4 MB or less”
Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications (Passport Seva, Ministry of External Affairs)“The photograph should be in color and dimensions should be 630*810 Pixels.”
Instruction Booklet for Passport Application Form, V3.0 (Passport Seva)“Paste your recent passport size photograph (4.5 cm length x 3.5 cm width) in colour in the box meant for affixing the photograph”

Other size guides

Passport Size Photo Size in India: 3.5 × 4.5 cm in Every Unit