Specs

Passport Photo Size in Pixels: Digital Specs by Country

Passport photo size in pixels for online applications in the US, UK, Canada and India, plus how 2x2 in and 35x45 mm prints convert to pixels.

By Antoine Duno
Updated September 19, 20269 min read

Searching for "passport photo size in pixels" usually means one of two things. Either you're uploading a photo to an online application and the form is rejecting your file, or you're preparing a digital file to print and want the head size to come out right on paper.

These are different problems with different answers. This guide separates them clearly, then lists the official digital specs for several countries.

Printed vs. digital: why pixels mean different things

A printed photo has a physical size, such as 2 x 2 inches or 35 x 45 mm. Pixels only matter because they decide how sharp the print is. The link between the two is resolution, measured in dots or pixels per inch (DPI or PPI):

pixels = inches x DPI

A digital photo for an online application never gets printed by you. The authority's system checks the file directly, so what counts is the pixel dimensions, file size, file type and how your head is framed within the image. Many online systems don't use a physical size at all.

Mixing these up causes common errors, like uploading a tiny 413 x 531 pixel crop to a form that requires at least 600 x 750.

Digital passport and visa photo specs by country

These are the file requirements for online applications, taken from each authority's official page. Always double-check the page for your specific application before uploading, because systems change.

Application	Pixel dimensions	File size	Format	Source
US nonimmigrant visa (DS-160)	Square, 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200	240 KB or less	JPEG	State Department
US Diversity Visa entry	600 x 600, square	240 KB or less	JPEG	State Department
US passport online renewal	Not specified; crop in the application	54 KB to 10 MB	JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF	State Department
UK passport online	At least 600 wide x 750 tall	50 KB to 10 MB	Not specified on GOV.UK	GOV.UK
Canadian passport online renewal	1200 x 1800 minimum, 3000 x 4500 maximum (width x height)	200 KB to 5 MB	JPEG	Canada.ca
Indian e-Visa	Square (height equals width); no pixel range published	10 KB to 1 MB	JPEG	Indian e-Visa portal
Indian regular visa (online form, via an Indian mission)	Square (height equals width); no pixel range published	10 KB to 300 KB	JPEG	Indian visa online instructions

Extra rules that matter as much as pixels

US visa photos (DS-160):

Color, 24 bits per pixel, sRGB color space
Compression ratio of 20:1 or less
Head height (chin to top of hair) between 50% and 69% of the image height
Eye height between 56% and 69% of the image height, measured from the bottom, per the State Department's photo composition template
If you scan an existing 2 x 2 inch print, scan it at 300 pixels per inch

US online passport renewal:

Don't scan or photograph a printed photo
Frame the photo so the bottom edge is at your shoulders, with a little room around your face
Don't text the image to yourself; it can lower the quality

UK online passport:

If you take the photo on your own device, include your head, shoulders and upper body, and don't crop it. GOV.UK says the cropping is done for you.
You can also get a photo code from a photo booth or shop, which GOV.UK says is more likely to be approved.

Canadian online renewal:

Head (chin to crown) between 45% and 50% of the photo's height
Must be taken in person by a commercial photographer. Home photos don't qualify.

India (two different limits):

The e-Visa upload takes a square JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB, and says "without spectacles".
The regular visa online form asks for the same square JPEG but caps it at 300 KB, and asks for the head to measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm). A file made for the e-Visa's 1 MB limit can be too big for the regular form, so compress it below 300 KB if that is your route. Our tool's India visa format is sized for the e-Visa limit.

Printed passport photo sizes converted to pixels

If you're preparing a file to print, use this table. It shows the pixel dimensions a correctly sized photo has at common print resolutions. 300 DPI is a widely used minimum for sharp photo prints.

Printed size	Used for	At 300 DPI	At 600 DPI
2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm)	US passport and US visa prints	600 x 600 px	1200 x 1200 px
35 x 45 mm	UK passport, Schengen visas, many others	about 413 x 531 px	about 827 x 1063 px
50 x 70 mm	Canadian passport	about 591 x 827 px	about 1181 x 1654 px
4 x 6 in photo sheet	Printing several photos at once	1200 x 1800 px	2400 x 3600 px

The official physical sizes come from the US State Department, GOV.UK and Canada.ca. The pixel values are simple conversions, not official requirements.

Head size matters more than pixel count

A file with the right pixel dimensions can still fail if your head is the wrong size inside it. Printed head-size rules:

Document	Head size rule
US passport	1 to 1 3/8 in (25–35 mm), bottom of chin to top of head
UK passport	29–34 mm, chin to crown
Canadian passport	31–36 mm, chin to crown
Schengen visa (German missions)	Face 32–36 mm, or 70–80% of the photo

At 300 DPI, a US head height of 25–35 mm works out to roughly 295–413 pixels inside the 600 x 600 image. More on that exact size is in 600x600 photo.

How to print a passport photo from a digital file

Crop to the exact aspect ratio (1:1 for 2 x 2 in; 7:9 for 35 x 45 mm).
Set the resolution so the physical size is correct. A 600 x 600 pixel image tagged at 300 DPI prints at exactly 2 x 2 inches.
Place photos on a 4 x 6 inch canvas if you want several copies on one print, keeping each photo at its true size.
Print at 100% scale. Turn off "fit to page," "fill" or borderless auto-scaling, which quietly resize the image.
Measure the print with a ruler before you submit it.

Paper and print quality rules vary. The US accepts matte or glossy photo-quality paper. The UK requires prints "printed to a professional standard" and not cut down from a larger picture, so check your country's rules first. More detail in our guide on how to take a passport photo at home.

Common file errors and fixes

Error	Likely cause	Fix
"File too large"	Uncompressed or very high-resolution image	Export as JPEG at high quality, and reduce dimensions only down to the allowed range
"File too small"	Heavy compression or a tiny crop	Re-export from the original file at higher quality
"Invalid dimensions"	Image not square, or below the minimum	Crop to the required ratio from the original, uncropped photo
"Unsupported format"	HEIC uploaded to a JPEG-only form	Convert to JPEG without applying filters or edits
Photo looks blurry after upload	Image sent by messaging app, or upscaled	Transfer the original file by cable, email or cloud storage
Face not detected	Shadows, tilt, or head too small in frame	Retake with even lighting and closer framing

What about Schengen and other visa photos?

Most Schengen visa applications don't use a standardized pixel spec for applicants. Consulates usually ask for a printed 35 x 45 mm photo or take your facial image at the appointment. The Netherlands, for example, says that if you apply through an external service provider, a digital photo is taken at your appointment. See our Schengen visa photo requirements guide for details.

For the appearance rules that apply regardless of file format, see our US passport photo requirements and UK passport photo requirements guides.

Key takeaways

Digital and printed photo specs are separate. Check which one your application needs.
Online forms set their own pixel, file-size and format limits, and they differ a lot between countries.
For printing, pixels only make sense alongside DPI. At 300 DPI, 2 x 2 inches is 600 x 600 pixels.
Head position within the image matters as much as the pixel dimensions.
Never upscale, filter or retouch to meet a spec. The issuing authority decides whether your photo is acceptable, and many reject altered images.

If you want the crop and the byte budget handled for you, start with our tool, then check the finished file's pixels and kilobytes against the table above.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 2x2 inch passport photo in pixels?

At 300 DPI, a 2 x 2 inch photo is 600 x 600 pixels; at 600 DPI it is 1200 x 1200 pixels. The US State Department's digital image rules for visa applications accept square images from 600 x 600 up to 1200 x 1200 pixels.

What is 35x45 mm in pixels?

At 300 DPI, 35 x 45 mm is about 413 x 531 pixels. At 600 DPI it is about 827 x 1063 pixels. Whether that is enough depends on the authority: a UK online passport photo, for example, must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall.

What size in pixels is a UK digital passport photo?

GOV.UK says a digital passport photo must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and between 50 KB and 10 MB. If you take the photo on your own device, don't crop it: the service does that for you.

Does a US online passport renewal photo have a pixel size?

The State Department's online renewal page doesn't list a fixed pixel size. It requires a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 KB and 10 MB, and lets you crop and reposition the photo in the application.

Sources

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