Netherlands Visa Photo — 35×45 mm, Chin-to-Crown 26-30 mm

What Does the Photomatrix Define for the Netherlands Visa Photo?

The Netherlands is the country that gathers its biometric photo acceptance criteria into a single official document and **publishes measurable millimetre values point by point**. The document is called the **photomatrix** (Fotomatrix model 2020); it is issued by the identity data agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and is also published in English on the official Dutch photo requirements page. It sets out size, face length and width, resolution, background colour, lighting, position, expression and glasses rules under separate headings.

The scope distinction matters: the photomatrix formally binds the photo used in **Dutch travel and identity documents** (passport, ID card, driving licence). The photo requirement for a short-stay **Schengen Type C** visa instead flows from Article 13 of Regulation 810/2009 via the EU Schengen visa policy, which ties technical requirements to ICAO Doc 9303. Even so, the Dutch visa checklist asks for a photo that "meets Dutch requirements", which makes the photomatrix the shared reference for both routes in practice. The common Schengen frame lives on the Schengen visa photo page.

What Are the Measurable Values in the Dutch Photomatrix?

The values in the table are taken one-to-one from the photomatrix published by the Dutch government; none of them is interpretation. The resolution row deserves particular attention: 35×45 mm is **413 × 531 pixels** at 300 dpi, and roughly **551 × 709 pixels** at the **400 dpi** the photomatrix asks for. A file cropped to the right size can still be refused if its resolution falls short. The general technical background of the size is covered in the 35×45 mm guide.

The second point is measurement logic: the photomatrix states the **chin-to-crown** distance directly in millimetres (26-30 mm), while the "face fills 70-80% of the frame" phrasing common in EU guidance is a surface ratio description. The two define the same magnitude by different routes; in a Dutch file **the millimetre band is what binds**. Because the 8th edition of ICAO Doc 9303 defers portrait quality criteria to ISO/IEC 39794-5, national matrices fill that gap with their own numbers — which is exactly what the Netherlands has done.

Do You Need to Bring a Printed Photo to the VFS Appointment?

Dutch Schengen applications filed from Türkiye are collected at **VFS Global** centres; the official Dutch application page lists eight cities: Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Bursa, Edirne, Gaziantep, Istanbul and Izmir. The checklists on the same source carry a sentence that sets the Netherlands apart from most countries: if you apply **through an external service provider**, you do not need to submit a photo — **a digital photo will be taken at your appointment**. Since the Türkiye channel is VFS Global, that exception applies in practice.

The legal basis is Article 13 of the Visa Code: the photograph may be "scanned or taken at the time of application", and biometric identifiers may also be collected by external service provider staff under consular supervision. That does not make preparation pointless, though. The written Dutch requirement on the checklist — colour, no more than 6 months old, 3.5 × 4.5 cm, white or light-coloured background — applies to any frame you bring; and the MVV plus Dutch passport and ID procedures run in the same cities under different rules. The process thresholds are equally explicit: apply up to 6 months ahead but **no later than 45 days** before the trip; fingerprints are taken from age 12; the passport must be under 10 years old, hold at least 2 empty visa pages, remain valid at least 3 months after you leave Schengen and bear your signature. Other countries sit in the visa photo guide.

How Do the Dutch Ear and Glasses Rules Differ From Germany?

The photomatrix parts company with Schengen's strictest enforcer on two points. First, **glasses**: the Netherlands leaves them to the applicant's choice — the conditions are fully transparent lenses, fully visible eyes and no glare or shadow on the lenses. On the Germany visa photo side, glasses come off without exception. Second, **ears**: the photomatrix does not require them to be visible, as long as the width of the face is — a genuine relief for applicants whose hair frames the face or who wear a headscarf.

On the background, the Netherlands accepts three tones together: light grey, light blue or white, with the single condition that the background be plain, one colour, without fade, and contrast sufficiently with the head. That flexibility resembles countries accepting two tones, such as the Greece visa photo. The permitted list is equally detailed: a beard, a wig, a different hairstyle, a long fringe (as long as eyes and face remain fully visible), a feeding or oxygen tube, lipstick and other make-up, facial piercings and tattoos, and earrings are all allowed. Hats are not — the only exceptions are religion or belief and medical hair loss, and such a covering must be plain, one colour and contrast with the background. A child photo with closed eyes is not accepted; children under 6 are exempt from the position and expression requirements, but a supporting hand must not be visible.

Is the Photo the Same for Schengen C and the MVV (National D)?

Stays up to 90 days for tourism, business, family and friend visits and medical treatment fall under **Schengen Type C**; the application goes to a VFS Global centre and the photo is captured digitally at the appointment. For stays beyond 90 days the Netherlands uses the national D visa sticker called the **MVV**: first the sponsor in the Netherlands or the applicant files for a residence permit with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND); after a positive decision an embassy or consulate appointment is booked for the MVV sticker, and you bring **a printed photo that meets Dutch requirements** — that is, a photomatrix-compliant frame. The quantity and extra documents follow the list in the IND decision letter, so no number should be assumed here.

The same photomatrix also governs passport and ID card procedures for Dutch nationals living in Türkiye; if you apply for a passport and an ID card together, two photographs are required. For the sizing logic of domestic documents the passport photo guide is separate. Other applications share the same 35×45 mm size: the UK visa uses it but with different upload and background logic, while the Schengen common standard describes the baseline sitting above national preferences. Because vesikalik.com.tr produces a separate output per target from one shot, the 400 dpi print for the photomatrix band and the digital frame kept for the Schengen file can be prepared in the same session.