Czechia Visa Photo — 35×45 mm, Eyes-to-Chin at Least 13 mm

What Is the Czechia Visa Photo Size? (35×45 mm and the 13 mm Rule)

A Czech visa photo must be **35×45 mm in portrait**, but the measurable core criterion is not the crop — it is **at least 13 mm from the eyes to the bottom of the chin**. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states this value explicitly in its official photo specification and grounds it in Article 13 of the EU Visa Code (810/2009) together with Act No 326/1999 Coll. on the residence of foreign nationals. Instead of the "head-height band" its neighbours use, Czechia makes a measurable part of the face the lower bound: a frame under 13 mm is deficient even when the crop is exactly 35×45 mm. For the sizing logic see the 35×45 mm guide.

The Interior Ministry's technical specification adds two rules: **at least 2 mm of clearance above the head**, and a background in any plain tone **from white to light blue** — with **light grey** accepted where needed. That is a comparatively wide band inside Schengen; unlike states locked to a single mandatory tone, Czechia recognises several light tones at once. In return, **retouching and digital processing are strictly banned**: beautified or re-coloured frames are not accepted. Even the print's physical properties are defined: thickness 0.13-0.27 mm, corners straight or rounded to a 3 mm (±0.5) radius.

What Is the Difference Between Schengen C and the Czech National D Visa?

Stays of up to 90 days fall under **Schengen Type C** and follow the same rules in every Schengen state; the general frame lives on the Schengen visa photo page. Plans beyond 90 days move to the **national D** heading. Czechia's official fee schedule does not treat that heading as one line but as **six separate D categories** spread over two price tiers: long-term visa and residence permit at CZK 2,500; employee card, Blue Card, intra-company transfer card and the business visa at CZK 5,000. That granularity is the most concrete official signal that Czech files cluster around long-stay purposes such as work and study.

For the photo, the difference shows up in two places. First **quantity**: a long-term visa application officially takes **2 photographs**, while for Schengen C the photo is affixed to the application form; for the other D categories the list on the form governs. Second **document freshness**: supporting documents for long-stay applications may as a rule be no older than 180 days, but the passport, registry documents, diplomas and **the photograph** are excluded — for the photo the test is not a day count but whether it matches your current appearance.

Where Do You File: VFS Global or the Consulate?

Czechia collects its **Schengen C** applications in Türkiye at VFS Global visa centres, which operate in Ankara, Antalya, Istanbul and Izmir, and your province of residence decides which one you use. Consular jurisdiction is split too: the Embassy in Ankara covers provinces such as Ankara, Adana, Konya and Trabzon, while the Consulate General in Istanbul covers western provinces including Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa and Edirne. Filing a C application directly at the consulate is possible only for family members of EU citizens, holders of diplomatic or service passports, official delegations and urgent humanitarian cases; on a compliant file a decision usually arrives within 15 calendar days.

**National D visa and residence permit applications, however, are not filed with VFS Global**; the appointment comes directly from the Embassy in Ankara or the Consulate General in Istanbul and the application is made in person. An identically sized photo therefore passes two different inspection points: a private service provider's counter and a consular officer. For contrast see the Germany visa photo page — in Germany short-stay applications run through iDATA and the background tone is locked to a single mandatory value; in Czechia the background band is wider but the measurement criterion (13 mm) is more specific.

Does Consular Biometrics Replace the Paper Photo?

No — and this is the point most often confused in Czech files. The biometric data taken at the consulate for a long-stay application is the **fingerprints**; the **facial record** used on the card **is not taken there**. The official rule is unambiguous: biometric data **cannot be captured when the application is submitted**. After a positive decision a long-stay visa is issued so the residence permit can be collected; **within 3 working days** of entering the country you must report in person to the competent Interior Ministry office, biometrics are captured there, and the card is handed over **within 60 days at most** of providing them. The paper photo's job is to anchor identity in the file: because the facial record comes later, the frame you bring has to match the face you show that day.

During the proceedings the authority may invite you for an interview, request missing documents, take your fingerprints or make a pictorial record of you. The practical consequence: a retouched or outdated frame is not merely an aesthetic choice but a risk of inconsistency with the facial record captured later. Do not confuse this with a residence permit issued in Türkiye; the standard for foreigners living in Türkiye is separate (50×60 mm, white background) and is explained in the residence permit photo guide. For passport rules see the passport photo page.

How Recent Must the Czech Photo Be and Where Else Is It Used?

Czechia does not write a fixed expiry date for the photo. Supporting documents for long-stay applications cannot be older than 180 days, but the photograph is an **exception** to that rule: the test is whether the frame matches your current appearance. That flexibility cuts both ways — a frame shot a year ago that still reflects how you look can be accepted, while a six-month-old frame taken before you shaved your beard can be questioned. The safe line is the ICAO guideline reachable from the European Commission's Schengen visa policy page: no more than 6 months old, face 70-80% of the frame, plain light background, no shadows or flash reflections.

The same 35×45 mm frame works as a size for other Schengen applications too; the Greece visa photo uses the same measurement and the full breakdown sits in the visa photo sizes by country table. Some applications share the size but word the background rule their own way — the UK visa, for instance. Watch the glasses question: Czechia bans only sunglasses and glare and as a rule permits prescription glasses, whereas Germany rejects glasses outright. If you plan several country files from one shoot, base everything on a **glasses-free** frame and produce background and crop separately per target — since vesikalik.com.tr generates a target-specific output from the same shot, that finishes in one session.