Turkey e-Visa Photo: JPG or PNG, 200x200 px Minimum

Turkey's e-Visa portal has changed. The application at evisa.gov.tr now starts with Create Profile, and the profile needs a photo. The site's own instruction text says: "A profile photo is required. Please upload a biometric photo to your profile." The file the upload box accepts is JPG, JPEG or PNG, up to 4 MB, and at least 200 x 200 pixels, and the portal checks that a face is visible in it before it lets you continue.

Required

Yes — a biometric photo on your profile

Formats

JPG, JPEG, PNG

Maximum file size

4 MB

Minimum dimensions

200 x 200 pixels

Framing (portal text)

Face centred; photo covers shoulders to top of head

Face size (linked ICAO PDF)

32–36 mm, 70–80% of the photo

Photo age (linked ICAO PDF)

Taken within the last six months

Background (linked ICAO PDF)

No pattern or shadow; white for dark hair, grey for fair hair

Expression (linked ICAO PDF)

Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and visible

Source: Republic of Türkiye Electronic Visa Application System

A note on how we read this. The portal is a JavaScript application, so its pages arrive empty and fill in from the site's own content feed. On September 20, 2026 we read that feed — the text the portal itself serves to visitors — plus the photo rules its upload component enforces and the ICAO document it links to. We did not create a profile or start an application, so we have not seen the payment step.

Where the photo fits in the application

The portal's home page describes four steps: Create Profile, Upload Files, Make Payment, Download the e-Visa. The photo goes on the profile. If you try to apply without one, the portal's own wording is "A profile photo is required. Please upload a biometric photo to your profile."

The upload checks the file before accepting it. Its rules are: extension .jpg, .jpeg or .png (file type image/jpeg or image/png); size at most 4 MB; and — this is the part most third-party pages miss — at least 200 x 200 pixels. Reject an image smaller than that and the portal tells you the minimum and the size of what you uploaded. If the system cannot find a face in the picture, its message reads "Add a photo with your face clearly visible." So the portal does run a face check, not just a file check.

The framing instruction on the same screen: "Your face should be in the center of the photo, and the photo should cover the area from your shoulders to the top of your head." That is a head-and-shoulders portrait crop — the ordinary biometric shape, taller than wide.

The ICAO document the portal links to

Next to the upload, the portal offers a "View ICAO photo standards" link that opens a PDF hosted on evisa.gov.tr itself. That document is where the detail lives, and it is stricter than the file rules:

• Age: taken within the last six months, biometric, per ICAO standards. Photocopied or computer-multiplied photos are not accepted.
• Face: face and hairstyle centred and completely visible; face height between 32 and 36 mm, comprising 70 to 80% of the photograph; sharp contrast and detail.
• Pose: looking directly at the camera, eyes open and clearly visible, hair not covering the eyes; head upright, not turned; no smile or other expression; mouth closed; both sides of the face from chin to hairline fully shown.
• Background: no pattern or shadow — white if your hair is dark, midtone grey if your hair is fair.
• Light: even on the face, with no reflection, shadow or red eye.
• Glasses: eyes must be clearly visible with no reflection on the lenses; sunglasses and coloured glasses are not allowed; frames must not cover the eyes.
• Head coverings: only the kind a person wears out of necessity; the face must be visible from the tip of the chin to the forehead, no shadow on the face, and the covering must be a different colour from the background. Hats and caps are out.
• Children: nobody else and no objects in the frame.

One honest caveat: the PDF's opening line describes the photo as being for "residence permit transactions" — Türkiye reuses its ICAO photo document for the e-Visa upload. The link is the portal's own, so treat it as the operative standard, but know it was written for a different process. The hijab in a passport photo guide covers the chin-to-forehead rule generally, and glasses in passport photos explains why glare fails photos everywhere.

What the 200 x 200 minimum and 4 MB limit mean for your file

A phone photo is several thousand pixels on each side, so the 200 x 200 minimum is a floor you will pass without trying — it exists to stop thumbnails and heavily compressed copies, not to define a target. The 4 MB ceiling is the binding limit: export at JPEG quality around 85, or reduce dimensions, if a phone file overshoots it. Our passport photo file size guide explains the compression trade-offs, and digital passport photo upload covers getting a clean file into a portal in general.

The portrait crop matters more than the pixels. Keep the whole head and the top of the shoulders, centred, with a small margin above the hair. Do not pad a landscape photo with borders to make it fit, and do not stretch a square photo into a portrait — the face check is looking for a real face in a normal position. A PNG is accepted, but a JPEG is the safer choice: it is what every camera produces natively, and it cannot accidentally be a screenshot.

Who needs the photo — and who needs a visa at all

The FAQ's eligibility list covers about 50 nationalities — India, China, Egypt, Pakistan, South Africa and Vietnam among them. Citizens of the US, UK and most of the EU are not on it because they enter Türkiye visa-free for tourism; the home page's eligibility check will tell you "You are exempt from visa" before you spend anything. If your nationality needs the e-Visa, the FAQ adds three rules worth knowing: your passport must be valid at least 60 days beyond the duration of stay granted; apply at least 48 hours before departure; and the fee is only charged on an approved application, so a failed application costs nothing but a used e-Visa is never refunded. Some nationalities must also fly on Turkish Airlines, Pegasus or Onur Air, and some get multiple-entry visas — the portal shows your terms after you pick your country and travel document.

Every traveller needs their own e-Visa, and because the photo sits on a profile, each person in a family uploads their own.

If your trip continues past Türkiye, the neighbouring portals ask for different files entirely: Egypt's e-Visa lists no photo at all on its public pages, Kenya's eTA accepts "a selfie or passport-type photo", and Saudi Arabia's eVisa demands exactly 200 x 200 px. Further along the same routes, Indonesia's online visa caps both its files at 200 kb. For a document we can size and check against published rules, start with the photo tool.

1. 1

   Check you need an e-Visa

   Run the portal's eligibility query with your passport nationality before preparing anything. Exempt nationalities are told so on the home page.

2. 2

   Shoot against a plain light wall

   White if your hair is dark, grey if fair. Stand clear of the wall, face a window or two matching lamps, camera at eye level. Hair off the eyes, glasses off if you can.

3. 3

   Frame head and top of shoulders

   Face centred, upright, mouth closed, looking straight at the lens. The photo should run from the shoulders to the top of the head.

4. 4

   Export JPG or PNG under 4 MB

   At least 200 x 200 px — any normal camera crop passes. Avoid messaging-app copies and screenshots.

5. 5

   Upload it to your profile first

   The profile photo is a prerequisite: the portal says you must complete your profile before the application continues.

Checklist before you upload

• Recent photo, taken within the last six months
• JPG, JPEG or PNG, under 4 MB and at least 200 x 200 px
• Face centred, shoulders to top of head, eyes open, mouth closed
• Plain background — white for dark hair, grey for fair hair — no shadow
• Profile completed before starting the application
• Sunglasses, tinted lenses or glare on glasses
• Hat or cap; head covering that hides chin-to-forehead edges
• A thumbnail, screenshot or chat-app copy under 200 px
• A photocopied or multiplied photo — the ICAO document bans it
• Paying a third-party site instead of evisa.gov.tr

Frequently asked questions

Does the Turkey e-Visa application need a photo?

Yes. The current portal at evisa.gov.tr works on a profile system, and its own text says a profile photo is required and asks you to upload a biometric photo. The application bar shows four steps: Create Profile, Upload Files, Make Payment, Download the e-Visa.

What file type and size does the Turkey e-Visa photo upload accept?

JPG, JPEG or PNG, with a maximum file size of 4 MB, according to the upload rules the site's own code enforces. The same code requires the photo to be at least 200 x 200 pixels and rejects smaller images with an error message naming the minimum.

What does Turkey's e-Visa portal mean by ICAO photo standards?

The upload screen links to an ICAO-standards PDF hosted on evisa.gov.tr. It asks for a biometric photo taken within the last six months, face and hair centred, face height 32 to 36 mm covering 70 to 80% of the photo, neutral expression, and no shadows or reflections.

What background does the Turkey e-Visa photo need?

The ICAO document the portal links to says the background must be without pattern or shadow: white for people with dark hair, midtone grey for people with fair hair. A plain white wall satisfies the rule for most applicants.

Can I wear a head covering in a Turkey e-Visa photo?

The portal's ICAO document allows a head covering only when the face is fully visible from the tip of the chin to the forehead, with no shadow on the face, and the covering must be a different colour from the background. Hats and caps are not permitted otherwise.

Do US or UK citizens need a Turkey e-Visa at all?

Probably not for tourism. The portal's FAQ lists the nationalities eligible for an e-Visa, and the US, UK and most EU states are not on it because they are visa-exempt. The home page runs an eligibility check that will say so before you pay anything.

Sources

• Republic of Türkiye Electronic Visa Application System - home page (application steps, eligibility check)
• evisa.gov.tr - Frequently Asked Questions (eligibility list, passport validity, fees)
• evisa.gov.tr - ICAO photo standards PDF linked from the profile photo upload