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Passport and visa photo sizes, compared

Every specification on this site in one table: print size, head height, background and maximum file size, sortable by any column. Each row links to the full page for that country and to the official source it was read from.

The clusters

17 of the 32 specifications here share the same 35 × 45 mm print size: France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Schengen Area, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom. That is the closest thing to a default, and it is why a generic "35 × 45 mm" passport photo cropper works for a lot of countries and is wrong for the rest.

The outliers each use their own size: 50 × 70 mm (Brazil, Canada); 51 × 51 mm (Thailand, United States); 33 × 48 mm (China); 55 × 55 mm (Kenya); 35 × 50 mm (Malaysia); 26 × 32 mm (Spain); 40 × 60 mm (Vietnam) . Crop to the wrong one and the photo is rejected before anyone looks at your face.

6 entries publish no printed size at all, because the specification is digital-only or the photo is not supplied by the applicant: Indonesian Passport Photo, Philippine Passport Photo, Singapore Passport Photo, Swedish Passport Photo, UK Visa Photo Upload, US Visa & DV Lottery Digital Photo.

Backgrounds that are not white

"Plain white" is a common default, not a universal rule. 9 of the specifications here call for something else, including a colour or an explicit rejection of white:

  • France: Plain light-coloured — light blue or light grey. White is explicitly not allowed.
  • Germany: Solid, light, neutral — medium grey for light hair, light grey for dark hair. No pattern or shadow.
  • New Zealand: Plain light-coloured — explicitly not white
  • Schengen Area: Plain, light-coloured, uniform, without pattern or shadow
  • South Africa: Light grey or plain cream
  • Switzerland: Monochrome, uniform, neutral, without shadow, with clear separation between the background and the head
  • Thailand: Plain light background
  • United Kingdom: Plain light grey or plain cream
  • United Kingdom: Plain light-coloured background

Countries that photograph you on site

9 of the specifications here have the photo taken at the application appointment rather than accepting one you supply. There is nothing to crop for these — check the country's own page before spending time preparing an image you will not submit:

Every specification

Showing 32 of 32
Country Document Print size Head height Background Max file size Spec Source
Brazil Passport 50 × 70 mm — Not published for applicant-supplied photos — Brazilian Passport Photo Official source
Canada Passport 50 × 70 mm 31–36 mm Plain white or light-coloured 5 MB Canadian Passport Photo Official source
China Passport 33 × 48 mm 28–33 mm White — Chinese Passport Photo Official source
France Passport 35 × 45 mm 32–36 mm Plain light-coloured — light blue or light grey. White is explicitly not allowed. — French Passport & CNI Photo Official source
Germany Passport 35 × 45 mm 32–36 mm Solid, light, neutral — medium grey for light hair, light grey for dark hair. No pattern or shadow. — German Passport & ID Photo Official source
India Passport 35 × 45 mm — Plain white — Indian Passport Photo Official source
Indonesia Passport — — White — captured on site — Indonesian Passport Photo Official source
Ireland Passport 35 × 45 mm — Completely plain light grey, white or cream 9 MB Irish Passport Photo Official source
Italy Passport 35 × 45 mm 70–80% White, with uniform lighting — Italian Passport Photo Official source
Japan Passport 35 × 45 mm 32–36 mm White is recommended; a plain light blue is also accepted — Japanese Passport Photo Official source
Kenya Passport 55 × 55 mm 70–80% White — Kenyan Passport Photo Official source
Malaysia Passport 35 × 50 mm 25–30 mm White, without shadow — Malaysian Passport Photo Official source
Mexico Passport 35 × 45 mm — White — Mexican Passport Photo Official source
Netherlands Passport 35 × 45 mm 26–30 mm Light grey, light blue or white — plain, a single uniform shade, contrasting with the head — Dutch Passport & ID Card Photo Official source
New Zealand Passport 35 × 45 mm 80% Plain light-coloured — explicitly not white 5 MB New Zealand Passport Photo Official source
Pakistan Passport 35 × 45 mm — Plain white 5 MB Pakistani Passport Photo Official source
Philippines Passport — — Not applicable — captured on site — Philippine Passport Photo Official source
Schengen Area Visa 35 × 45 mm 70–80% Plain, light-coloured, uniform, without pattern or shadow — Schengen Visa Photo Official source
Singapore Passport — — White 7.8 MB Singapore Passport Photo Official source
South Africa Passport 35 × 45 mm 70–80% Light grey or plain cream — South African Passport Photo Official source
South Korea Passport 35 × 45 mm 32–36 mm Plain white, with no frame or border — South Korean Passport Photo Official source
Spain Passport 26 × 32 mm 50% Uniform white, smooth, without shadow — Spanish Passport & DNI Photo Official source
Sri Lanka Passport 35 × 45 mm 70–80% Plain light background — white, light blue or light grey — Sri Lankan Passport Photo Official source
Sweden Passport — — Not applicable — captured on site — Swedish Passport Photo Official source
Switzerland Passport 35 × 45 mm 29–34 mm Monochrome, uniform, neutral, without shadow, with clear separation between the background and the head — Swiss Passport & ID Card Photo Official source
Thailand Passport 51 × 51 mm 70–80% Plain light background — Thai Passport Photo Official source
United Arab Emirates National ID 35 × 45 mm 70–80% Plain light-coloured, white — UAE Emirates ID & Visa Photo Official source
United Kingdom Passport 35 × 45 mm 29–34 mm Plain light grey or plain cream 10 MB UK Passport Photo Official source
United Kingdom Visa — — Plain light-coloured background 6 MB UK Visa Photo Upload Official source
United States Passport 51 × 51 mm 25–35 mm White or off-white, no shadows, texture or lines — US Passport Photo Official source
United States Visa — 22–35 mm Plain white or off-white 240 KB US Visa & DV Lottery Digital Photo Official source
Vietnam Passport 40 × 60 mm — White — Vietnamese Passport Photo Official source

This is not official advice. img-fix is not affiliated with any government or immigration authority. Every figure links back to the country page that names its own source and access date, and requirements change without notice — check the official source before you submit.