Home / Blog / Passport & Visa Passport Photo Requirements by Country Explained (2026)
By Abdulkeni Abdelwahid Updated 2026 14 min Try it now: Get exact specs for your country in one click
Open tool Every country writes its passport photo rules slightly differently — and almost every applicant gets caught out by one small detail: a millimetre off, the wrong head ratio, the wrong background tint. This is the honest country-by-country guide to what actually matters in 2026, including a full comparison table, unit conversions, and the workflow to get it right on the first try. Requirements are updated by governments periodically, so always confirm the latest figures on the relevant official passport or visa authority website before submitting.
The two specs that decide everything
Strip away the country-specific paperwork and almost every passport photo rule comes down to two things:
- Physical size — usually expressed in millimetres or inches.
- Head height — the chin-to-crown distance, usually expressed as a percentage of the photo's total height.
Get these two right and the rest (background, expression, file size) becomes manageable. Get them wrong and the embassy or photo booth will reject you on the spot. Quick refresher on the units used worldwide:
- 1 inch = 25.4 mm
- 1 mm at 300 DPI ≈ 11.81 pixels
- So a 35×45 mm photo at 300 DPI ≈ 413×531 pixels
ImageGates country pages handle the millimetre, inch and pixel conversions for each passport and visa format, so you can use the exact upload-ready pixel size without manual maths.
Comparison table: major countries at a glance
| Country/Zone | Photo size | Head height | Background |
|---|
| United States | 2×2 in (51×51 mm) | 1–1⅜ in (25–35 mm) | White/off-white |
| Schengen zone | 35×45 mm | 32–36 mm | Light grey or white |
| United Kingdom | 35×45 mm | 29–34 mm | Light grey/cream |
| India | 35×45 mm (visa), 51×51 mm (passport) | ~70–80% of photo height | White |
| China | 33×48 mm | 28–33 mm | White |
| Canada | 50×70 mm | 31–36 mm | White |
| Australia | 35×45 mm | 32–36 mm | White/light grey |
This table is a quick-reference starting point, not a substitute for the official spec — always double check against the current published rules for your destination.
ICAO — the international baseline
Most countries adopt the ICAO 9303 standard. The defaults are:
- Photo size: 35×45 mm (the Schengen/UK/AU standard)
- Head height: 32–36 mm (about 70–80% of photo height)
- Plain white or light-grey background
- Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible
- No glasses in most ICAO countries as of recent guidance
Most European, African and Asia-Pacific countries follow this baseline. See our UK, Germany, France and Australia guides for the exact local wording.
United States — the 2×2 inch outlier
The US uses imperial:
- Photo size: 2×2 inches (51×51 mm)
- Head height: 1 to 1⅜ inches (25–35 mm) measured chin to crown
- At 300 DPI: 600×600 pixels
- White / off-white background, no shadows
- Glasses generally not allowed
The DS-160 visa form additionally requires the photo as a JPG under 240 KB with dimensions between 600×600 and 1200×1200 px. See our full USA passport photo guide and the US visa photo guide.
Canada — small but unusual
Canada uses an uncommon size:
- Photo size: 50×70 mm
- Head height: 31–36 mm chin to crown
- Plain white background, neutral expression
- Photo must be recent, and printed submissions typically need a signature or stamp on the back from the photographer
Full breakdown on our Canada passport photo page.
India — the file-size maze
For India, the photo dimensions are fairly relaxed but the digital file rules are strict:
- Photo size: 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) for passport, often 35×45 mm for visa
- White background
- Visa portal upload: usually 10 KB to 300 KB JPG
Use 100 KB compression or 300 KB compression to land safely inside the upload limit. See our India passport photo and India visa photo pages.
Schengen zone — one rule for many countries
Schengen countries broadly accept the ICAO 35×45 mm standard. Where they differ is in:
- Background: Germany typically expects light grey; France and Spain generally accept white.
- Photo age: Most consulates want a photo taken within the last 6 months.
- Quantity: Some require two identical prints attached to the form.
Our Schengen visa photo page covers the consulate-by-consulate quirks.
China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
- China: 33×48 mm, white background, no jewelry on the face. Full guide.
- Japan: 35×45 mm, plain background, ears visible. Full guide.
- Saudi Arabia: 40×60 mm or 51×51 mm depending on visa type, white background. Full guide.
- UAE: 43×55 mm, white background, glasses sometimes accepted. Full guide.
Converting between mm, inches and pixels
The single most common mistake is mixing up units. Here's the cheat sheet at 300 DPI:
- 35×45 mm → 413×531 px
- 2×2 inch → 600×600 px
- 50×70 mm → 591×827 px
- 33×48 mm → 390×567 px
For country-specific output, use the matching ImageGates passport or visa tool; it applies the correct 300 DPI pixel dimensions automatically.
Background, expression, file size — the 3 silent killers
- Background: Pure white generally means RGB values around 245 or higher across the frame. Walls that look "white" often photograph as cream or grey.
- Expression: Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking straight at the camera. No smiling for biometric photos.
- File size: Embassy portals reject anything outside the KB window. Use our image compressor to hit exact KB targets.
Regional differences that trip people up
- Head coverings: Most countries allow religious head coverings as long as the full face from chin to forehead remains visible, but the covering itself usually cannot cast a shadow on the face.
- Infants and babies: Some countries (like the US) allow the child to be photographed lying on a plain white sheet rather than sitting upright, with the size and head-ratio rules otherwise unchanged.
- Reprints from old photos: Nearly every country requires a photo taken recently, typically within the last 3–6 months, so an old passport photo almost never qualifies for reuse.
The fastest workflow for any country
- Open the all-countries page and pick yours.
- Take a fresh photo against a white wall in soft daylight.
- Use our free background remover if the wall isn't clean enough.
- Crop and resize using the country-specific tool.
- Run the compliance checker and compress to the embassy's KB target.
Total time: under 5 minutes. No upload, fast online processing, high-quality results.
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