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Visa Photo Guide: Sizes and Rules by Country

Whichever country you apply to, three things change in a visa photo: the size, the background tone and the digital file rule. This guide collects the current requirements of 15+ countries in one table; the AI produces your photo to the selected country's rules in 30 seconds.

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Biometric photo with background removed and cropped by AI
Raw selfie before biometric processing
Before After

Key takeaways

  • Europe (Schengen, UK, Russia): 35×45 mm portrait format
  • US family (visa, Green Card, India): 51×51 mm square
  • K-ETA, Umrah/Hajj and similar need a digital file only
  • Common rule: last 6 months, neutral expression, light uniform background

Where is it used?

One hub for all visa applications including Schengen, US, UK, Canada, Australia, China, Russia, Japan, India, UAE, South Korea K-ETA and Umrah/Hajj.

Technical specifications

Coverage
15+ countries and visa types
European format
35×45 mm (413×531 px @300 DPI)
US format
51×51 mm / 600×600 px square
Digital applications
K-ETA 700×700, Umrah/Hajj 200×200 px
Common rules
Last 6 months, neutral expression, light background

Related document sizes

Official photo sizes for documents related to this page, with pixel equivalents.

Document Physical size Pixels (300 DPI) Background Note
EU Passport & Schengen Visa 3.5 × 4.5 cm 413 × 531 px White or light grey ICAO compliant
US Passport & Visa 5.1 × 5.1 cm (2×2 in) 600 × 600 px White Square format required
United Kingdom Passport 3.5 × 4.5 cm 413 × 531 px Cream / Light grey ICAO compliant
Canada Visa 3.5 × 4.5 cm 413 × 531 px White IRCC, back-of-print note
Australia Visa 3.5 × 4.5 cm 413 × 531 px White ICAO compliant
China Visa 3.3 × 4.8 cm 390 × 567 px White Compatible with most countries
Russia Visa 3.5 × 4.5 cm 413 × 531 px White Compatible with most countries
Germany Visa 3.5 × 4.5 cm 413 × 531 px White or light grey ICAO compliant

How it works

Visa Photo Guide: Sizes and Rules by Country — get it right in 4 steps.

  1. Pick the destination country in the wizard

    Schengen, US, UK, Canada, China, Russia and 15+ formats are ready; size, background and pixel rules apply automatically.

  2. Take a single selfie in front of a plain wall and upload it

    Phone at eye level, daylight is enough. The AI maps the face and checks the country rules within seconds.

  3. Let the AI produce the crop and background per country

    Head ratio, eye line and background tone are set to the chosen country's standard; the digital file comes out at the right pixel size.

  4. Download the digital file or order prints

    Download the JPEG for the consulate portal immediately, or order a 10×15 print sheet delivered to your address.

From your photo to delivery: how it works

  1. Take Your Photo ~30 sec

    Upload a shot taken at home with your phone; no studio visit needed.

  2. AI Analysis ~1-2 sec

    A 478-point face mesh checks head ratio, background, glasses and expression.

  3. Auto Fix instant

    Background turns white and the crop is applied to the official size automatically.

  4. Digital Delivery instant

    Download an application-ready JPEG matching the required size and file limit.

  5. Print & Shipping 1-3 business days

    Printed ID photos are shipped to your address (optional).

What Is a Visa Photo and Why Does It Change by Country?

A visa photo is a biometric photograph used to verify the applicant's identity in consular and border systems. The base framework is global: the ICAO Doc 9303 standard defines facial proportions, expression and background uniformity. On top of that base, however, each country adds its own size, background tone and digital file rule — Schengen wants 35×45 mm, the US wants a 51×51 mm square, and South Korea's K-ETA wants no print at all.

That is why "I had one ID photo taken, I'll submit it everywhere" is the most common rejection cause in visa applications. The right approach is to pick the destination country's format from the start and produce the photo to that rule. The table below summarises all country guides on this site; each row's detail page explains pixel, DPI and portal rules further.

Visa Photo Sizes by Country (2026)

Main visa types and their photo requirements (2026)
VisaSizeBackgroundNote
Schengen (29 countries)35×45 mmWhite / light greyHead ratio 70-80%
US visa & Green Card51×51 mm (2×2 in)White600×600 px digital
United Kingdom35×45 mmLight grey / creamMin. 600×750 px digital
Canada35×45 mmWhiteIRCC; chin-crown 31-36 mm
China33×48 mmWhiteStrict biometric checks
Russia35×45 mmWhite / light greyE-visa 450×600 px
Japan45×45 mmWhiteSquare format
India51×51 mmWhite350-1000 px square
UAE / Dubai43×55 mmWhiteDigital 508×650 px
South Korea K-ETADigital onlyWhite700×700 px
Umrah / HajjDigital onlyWhite200×200 px, Nusuk portal

For detailed rules, open the country guides: Schengen visa photo, US visa photo, UK visa photo, Canada visa photo, Germany visa photo, Greece visa photo, China visa photo, Russia visa photo, Japan visa photo, India visa photo, UAE/Dubai visa photo, Australia visa photo, South Korea K-ETA photo, Green Card (DV Lottery) photo and Umrah/Hajj visa photo.

Two Big Size Families: 35×45 mm and the 2×2 inch Square

Most of the world's visa photos fall into two families. The first is the Europe-centred 35×45 mm portrait format: the Schengen Area, the UK, Russia, Canada and Australia share this size (with small head-ratio differences). The second is the US-centred 51×51 mm (2×2 inch) square: the US visa, Green Card / DV Lottery and India's e-visa belong here. Exceptions with their own sizes exist too, such as China (33×48 mm) and Japan (45×45 mm).

The practical takeaway: if you apply to several European countries in the same period, one correctly processed 35×45 mm photo is usually enough; but when the family changes — say Schengen followed by the US — the photo must be regenerated in the new format. Cropping and scaling breaks the head ratio and risks rejection; the wizard recalculates the crop from scratch for every format.

Most Common Visa Photo Rejection Reasons

The mistakes consulates and outsourcing firms (VFS Global, TLScontact, iDATA) reject most often are: a photo older than 6 months, a shadowed or patterned background, smiling or an open mouth, glare on glasses, a head framed too small or too large, and wrong pixel/file size in digital uploads. All of them cost you the appointment when noticed after the shoot.

Our analysis engine measures each of these criteria — background uniformity, head ratio, eye line, expression, glare — on the frame you upload and shows a red-yellow-green report. Analysis is free; try different frames before the application and submit the one that passes.

From a Home Shot to the Application in 30 Seconds

The process has three steps: pick the destination country in the wizard, upload a single selfie taken at eye level in front of a plain wall, download the AI result. The system maps the face with MediaPipe FaceLandmarker's 478-point mesh, builds the crop to the country's head-ratio band and shifts the background to the required tone with the BiRefNet model. The output works both as the digital file for consulate portals and as a print.

Where prints are required (a Schengen file usually needs 2 printed photos), photos laid out with cut marks on a 10×15 sheet are shipped within Turkey. For digital-only applications (K-ETA, Umrah/Hajj, India e-visa) downloading the file is enough. For domestic documents such as passports and ID cards, switch to the biometric photo guide.

Do's and Don'ts

Do

5
  • Check the country's current photo rule before applying
  • Use a recent photo taken within the last 6 months
  • Prefer a white or very light uniform background
  • Neutral expression: mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
  • For digital applications, respect the portal's pixel and KB limits

Don't

5
  • Don't blindly reuse a photo shot for one country in another with different rules
  • Do not smile, open your mouth or raise your eyebrows
  • No lens glare on glasses; shooting without glasses is safest
  • Do not apply filters, beautification or feature-changing retouching
  • No patterned, shadowed or gradient backgrounds
Good to know

FAQ

Should I remove glasses for the photo?
For Turkish ID cards, passports and most visa applications glasses should be removed; lens glare, tinted lenses or thick frames can cause rejection. Our analysis flags glare, dark lenses and thick frames as warnings. Prescription glasses without glare may be allowed for driving licences in some cases, but shooting without glasses is safest.
For which countries can I generate valid photos?
The wizard offers about twenty document and country formats: Turkish ID, passport, driving licence, Schengen, US, UK, Canada, Australia, China, Russia, private security, firearms licence and ICAO 35×45 mm, among others. The AI checks ICAO 9303 plus country-specific rules (size, background, head height) and, when suitable, produces a print-ready ID photo in your chosen size. For unlisted documents use the generic 35×45 mm (international) or 50×60 mm (TR) format. Final acceptance rests with the authority.
What are the visa photo sizes and requirements?
The most common international visa photo is 35×45 mm biometric; US visas use a 51×51 mm (2×2 in) square. The background must be white or a very light plain colour, the photo taken within the last 6 months, and the head should fill about 70-80% of the frame. Choose the target country in the wizard — the system applies the right pixel, DPI and file-size rules automatically.
Can I wear a headscarf in a visa photo?
A headscarf may be worn for religious reasons; however the hairline, eyebrows, ears/cheeks and chin must be fully visible, and no fabric or hair may cross the face boundary. Choose a non-transparent, plain-colour scarf and avoid decorative accessories or loose strands. Our analysis automatically checks that the chin-to-forehead face frame is visible in the correct proportion.
Can I smile in a visa photo?
No — a neutral expression is required for visa, passport and official ID photos; smiling, showing teeth, an open mouth or raised eyebrows are grounds for rejection. Keep your lips gently closed in a natural pose and your eyes open and normally wide. Our analysis flags smiling, open-mouth and squinting cases as warnings automatically.
Do I need a paper photo or a digital file for visa applications?
It depends on the country: the US (DS-160), UK and Australia primarily want a digital JPEG; Schengen, China and Russia application centres usually also require physical prints. The safest approach is to download the single JPEG for upload and order a 10×15 print sheet with multiple copies for the physical requirement — our tool produces both from the same biometric frame. That way you have the file and the prints ready on appointment day.

How much does an ID photo cost? (2026)

Photo analysis and the biometric compliance check are completely free. Digital file and print prices are below — identical to the live prices in the order wizard.

Cargo: 100.00 TRY Prices include VAT.

Why vesikalik.com.tr?

  • 10+ years of studio experience
  • 5,000+ ID photos printed
  • 35,000+ AI analyses run
  • ~1.6 sn average analysis time
  • 478 point face analysis
  • 30+ document & visa standards

Is your photo ready?

Skip the photographer; take your photo at home, run the compliance check and download your print-ready photo in seconds.

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