Visa photo size for the US, Schengen, India, China and more

Visa photo sizes at a glance

A visa photo is not always the same as a passport photo for the same country. These are the visa rules from each government’s or embassy’s own pages, checked in October 2026:

Embassies in different countries sometimes add their own rules, such as how recent the photo must be. If the embassy you apply through has a checklist, it wins.

US visa photo size

For a US visa, the photo is uploaded with the DS-160 form. The State Department’s digital image rules ask for:

• A square image, at least 600 × 600 pixels and at most 1200 × 1200 pixels.
• JPEG format, 240 KB or less, in colour (24-bit, sRGB).
• A compression ratio of 20:1 or lower, which means don’t squeeze a large photo down to a tiny file.
• The head, from chin to the top of the hair, between 50% and 69% of the image height.
• No glasses, which haven’t been allowed in new visa photos since November 1, 2016, except for medical reasons.

If a printed photo is needed, it is 2 × 2 inches, the same as a US passport photo, with the head 1 to 1⅜ inches from chin to top of head on a plain white or off-white background. A 600 × 600 px photo saved at good JPEG quality is usually well under 240 KB; if not, compress it to a 240 KB target without changing the pixel size.

Schengen visa photo size

Schengen countries follow the international ICAO passport photo standard: 35 × 45 mm, a biometric photo with the face straight on. German missions, for example, ask for:

• 35 mm wide and 45 mm tall.
• The face 32 to 36 mm from chin to hairline, about 70 to 80% of the photo’s height.
• A plain, light, single-coloured background and an even, neutral expression.
• A recent photo. Missions set the limit; some say 6 months, others less.

You apply to the country you will mainly visit, so use that country’s embassy checklist. The 35 × 45 mm size is the same across the Schengen area.

Indian visa and e-Visa photo size

The official Indian visa site has two sets of photo rules:

Indian passport photos are 35 × 45 mm, but the visa photo is square, so don’t reuse a passport size photo without cropping it. A square crop at 600 × 600 px fits both visa rules.

China visa photo size

Chinese embassies and consulates ask for a 33 × 48 mm photo, which is narrower and taller than most:

• Head height 28 to 33 mm and head width 15 to 22 mm.
• A white or nearly white background.
• For the online form, 354 × 472 pixels at least and 420 × 560 at most, JPEG, 40 KB to 120 KB.

Some of the online systems cap the upload at 354 × 472 px, so that exact size is the safest choice. In the passport photo maker, enter 33 × 48 mm as a custom size.

Canada and UK visa photos

Canada: for a paper visitor visa application, IRCC asks for two identical photos with a frame of at least 35 × 45 mm and the head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown. If you apply online, follow the photo instructions in your application, which can differ from the paper rules.

United Kingdom: you don’t send a photo with a UK visa application. It is taken at the visa application centre during your biometrics appointment, or with the UK Immigration: ID Check app against a plain, light background.

Making a visa photo at the right size

1. Take a straight-on photo. Face a window, stand a little way in front of a plain light wall and keep a neutral expression.
2. Choose the size. Pick US or Schengen in the passport photo maker, or enter the country’s size, such as 33 × 48 mm for China.
3. Set a KB limit if the form has one. Choose 240 KB for a US visa, or type the limit the form gives.
4. Check before you upload. Open the file and confirm its pixel size and KB match the rules.

For a square visa photo from an existing picture, crop image can cut a 1:1 square and resize image sets the exact pixels. The passport photo size guide lists passport sizes by country.

Why visa photos get rejected

• Wrong shape. A 35 × 45 mm passport photo uploaded where a square one is needed, or the other way round.
• Head too small. A photo cropped from a wider shot leaves the face too small for the rule.
• File over the limit, or squeezed too hard. Reduce the pixels to the minimum allowed before lowering the quality.
• Shadows or a coloured background. Stand away from the wall and use even light from the front.
• An old photo. Reusing the photo from a previous visa or passport often breaks the “recent photo” rule, and a photo that no longer looks like you can be refused even if it is technically valid.
• Glasses, filters or editing. US visa photos can’t show glasses, and no country accepts beauty filters or edits to your face.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State: Digital Image Requirements. 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 px, JPEG, 240 KB or less, 20:1 compression or lower
• U.S. Department of State: Photo Requirements (visas). 2 × 2 in printed photos
• U.S. Department of State: Photo composition template. Head 50% to 69% of the image height; no eyeglasses since November 1, 2016
• German Embassy Warsaw: Visa photo requirements (PDF). 35 × 45 mm, face 70 to 80% of the photo, 32 to 36 mm
• Indian Visa Online: Instructions (regular visa). JPEG, 10 KB to 300 KB, square, head 25 to 35 mm
• Indian Visa Online: e-Visa. JPEG, 10 KB to 1 MB, height and width equal
• Consulate General of China in Los Angeles: Photo requirements for visa. 48 × 33 mm, head 28 to 33 mm, 354 × 472 to 420 × 560 px
• Government of Canada: Temporary resident visa photograph specifications. At least 35 × 45 mm, head 31 to 36 mm
• GOV.UK: Using the UK Immigration: ID Check app. Photo taken in the app or at the visa application centre