Schengen visa photo
Produce a 35 x 45 mm portrait as a digital file for Schengen visa applications.
Prepare your file
JPEG, PNG, WebP or BMP. You can also drag a file here.
The file stays in this tab. It is not uploaded.
This specification changes between application cycles
Schengen states share a common photo standard, but each consulate runs its own application portal with its own file size and format limits. Check the portal you are applying through before you upload.
Last reviewed .
What this form requires
Official rules and our own recommendations are labelled separately, so you can tell which is which.
- Official requirementThe photograph measures 35 mm wide by 45 mm high.
- Calculated from the official figure35 x 45 mm at 300 DPI is 413 x 531 pixels. This tool exports at that size.
- Official requirementThe face occupies roughly 70-80% of the frame height.
- Official requirementPlain light background, sharp focus, neutral expression, full face towards the camera.
- DocuFix recommendationA 200 KB ceiling is used here as a safe default. Individual consulate portals may allow more or less.
What causes rejections
- Assuming every Schengen consulate uses the same upload portal. The photo standard is shared; the file limits are not.
- A background that looks white to the eye but is grey or shadowed in the photo.
- Cropping so the head fills the frame, which pushes head height above the 80% limit.
What this tool can and cannot check
Checked automatically
- Exact pixel dimensions
- File size under 200 KB
- JPEG output in the sRGB colour space
- That the file is a real image, not a renamed HEIC or PDF
Judged by a person or the portal
- Whether your expression is neutral
- Whether hair or a head covering obscures your face
- Whether the photo is recent enough
- Head height, which the crop guide targets but does not measure
- Whether the photograph is genuinely of you
Passing every automated check here does not mean your application will be accepted. It means the file will not fail for a technical reason.
How your image is handled
Your file is read into this page, decoded, drawn onto a canvas at the target size and re-encoded. Every step runs on your device. No network request carries the image, so nothing is stored on our side and nothing can be recovered from us later.
Re-encoding through a canvas also converts the file to the sRGB colour space and strips the original EXIF metadata, including any location tag your camera wrote into it.
Questions
- What size is a Schengen visa photo?
- 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. At 300 DPI that is 413 x 531 pixels, which is what this tool produces.
- Is the same photo valid for every Schengen country?
- The photograph standard is common across Schengen states. The digital upload limits are set by each country’s own application system, so confirm the file size and format on the portal you are using.
Sources
- [1]European Union — Visa Code and common photograph standards for Schengen visas
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the source.