There is no international passport photo size. There is a widely copied ICAO-shaped rectangle, two large countries that ignore it, and a growing group of authorities that have stopped publishing a size in millimetres at all because they only accept digital files now.

This page collects the figures for ten authorities, each one taken from the issuing government's own page. Where we could not verify a country, it is not in the table. A short list of accurate rows is worth more than a long list of guesses.

<Callout type="note" title="Quick answer">
**35 x 45 mm** is the most common printed size: UK, India, Ireland, Schengen visas, and the small end of Australia's range.

**2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)** is the United States, for passports and visas alike.

**50 x 70 mm** is Canada, and nobody else.

**New Zealand, Germany and Singapore** no longer publish a printed size for passport photos at all - they specify pixels, percentages or a digital capture at the counter.
</Callout>

<SpecTable
  document="The three dominant printed formats"
  verifiedOn="September 16, 2026"
  rows={[
    { label: "35 x 45 mm", value: "UK, India, Ireland, Schengen visas, small end of Australia" },
    { label: "2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm)", value: "United States passports and visas" },
    { label: "50 x 70 mm", value: "Canada, and nowhere else" },
    { label: "Digital only, no printed size", value: "Germany, New Zealand, Singapore" },
    { label: "Tightest recency rule", value: "United Kingdom - 1 month" },
    { label: "Most prints required", value: "Ireland - 4 identical photos" },
  ]}
/>

## The master table

Printed sizes, head heights and backgrounds, as published by each authority. Every row links to the source at the bottom of this page.

| Country / document | Printed size | Head or face height | Background | Prints | Max age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [**United States** passport](/us-passport-photo) | 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) | 1 to 1 3/8 in (25-35 mm), chin to top of head | White or off-white | 1 | 6 months |
| **United States** visa and DV entry | 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) if scanned | 50-69% of image height | White or off-white | Digital entry | 6 months |
| [**United Kingdom** passport](/uk-passport-photo) | 45 mm high x 35 mm wide | 29-34 mm, chin to crown | Cream or light grey (printed) | 2 | 1 month |
| [**Canada** passport](/canada-passport-photo) | 50 mm wide x 70 mm high | 31-36 mm, chin to crown | White or light-coloured | 2 | 6 months |
| [**Australia** passport](/australia-passport-photo) | 35-40 mm wide x 45-50 mm high | 32-36 mm, chin to crown | White or light grey | 2 | Under 6 months |
| [**India** passport (DPC/SPC/CSC)](/india-passport-photo) | 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm (45 x 35 mm) | Not specified in mm | Plain white | 1 | Recent |
| [**Ireland** passport (paper)](/ireland-passport-photo) | Min 35 x 45 mm, max 38 x 50 mm | Not specified in mm | Plain, per pose guidelines | 4 | 6 months |
| [**New Zealand** passport](/new-zealand-passport-photo) | Not published - digital only | Not specified in mm | Plain, light-coloured | Digital | 6 months |
| **Singapore** passport | Not published - digital photo | Not specified in mm | Per ICA guidelines | Digital | 3 months |
| **Germany** passport and ID | Not published - digital only | Face 70-80% of photo height | Plain, contrasting, shadow-free | Digital | Not specified |
| [**Schengen visa** (German missions)](/schengen-visa-photo) | 35 x 45 mm | Face 70-80% of photo height | Plain, light | Usually 1 | Varies by consulate |

Those "not specified" entries are not gaps. They are the actual state of the published rules, and knowing which countries have stopped giving a millimetre figure saves you hunting for one that does not exist.

## Sizes in inches and pixels

These conversions are arithmetic, not official requirements. No authority we read publishes a DPI figure for a printed passport photo except the US State Department, which asks for 300 pixels per inch when you scan an existing 2 x 2 inch print for a visa application.

| Printed size | In inches | At 300 DPI | At 600 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 in) | 2 x 2 | 600 x 600 px | 1200 x 1200 px |
| 35 x 45 mm | 1.38 x 1.77 | about 413 x 531 px | about 827 x 1063 px |
| 38 x 50 mm | 1.50 x 1.97 | about 449 x 591 px | about 898 x 1181 px |
| 40 x 50 mm | 1.57 x 1.97 | about 472 x 591 px | about 945 x 1181 px |
| 50 x 70 mm | 1.97 x 2.76 | about 591 x 827 px | about 1181 x 1654 px |

Note how small a 35 x 45 mm photo is at 300 DPI: 413 x 531 pixels, well below what several online systems demand. Uploading a print-sized crop to the UK online service, which needs at least 600 x 750 pixels, is one of the most common upload failures there is.

## Digital specifications, where they exist

These are the rules that matter when a form is rejecting your file. They are separate from the printed sizes above, and they are not conversions of them.

| System | Pixels | File size | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| **US visa / DV entry** | 600 x 600, square | 240 kB or less | JPEG |
| **US passport online renewal** | Not specified; you crop in the application | 54 KB to 10 MB | JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF |
| **UK passport online** | At least 600 wide x 750 tall | 50 KB to 10 MB | Not specified |
| **Ireland passport online** | At least 715 wide x 951 tall | 9 MB or less | JPEG |
| **Canada online renewal** | 1200 x 1800 min, 3000 x 4500 max | 200 KB to 5 MB | JPEG |
| **New Zealand passport** | 900-4500 wide, 1200-6000 tall, 3:4 ratio | 250 KB to 5 MB | JPG or JPEG |
| **Singapore ICA e-Services** | 400 x 514 recommended | Up to 8 MB | JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF, PNG |

Our [passport photo size in pixels](/blog/passport-photo-size-in-pixels) guide goes deeper on converting between these and on the extra rules — colour depth, compression ratio, eye height — that sit behind the headline numbers.

## Four families of passport photo size

### The 35 x 45 mm family

The UK, India, Ireland and Schengen visa applications all use a 35 mm wide by 45 mm tall rectangle, and Australia's range starts here too. It derives from the ICAO travel document standard and is what a European photo booth produces by default.

Within the family the details still diverge. The UK wants a printed background that is **cream or light grey**, specifically not white. India wants **plain white** and dark clothing for contrast. Ireland accepts prints up to 38 x 50 mm and wants **four** of them. Same rectangle, four different applications.

### The 2 x 2 inch square

The United States is the outlier that most people meet first. A US passport photo is **2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)**, square, with the head measuring **1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm)** from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, on a **white or off-white** background, taken within the last six months. You submit **one** print with a paper application.

US visa photos, including Diversity Visa entries, use the same square shape expressed digitally: 600 x 600 pixels, JPEG, 240 kB or less, with the head between 50% and 69% of the image height. The full rules are in our [US passport photo requirements](/blog/us-passport-photo-requirements) and [DV lottery photo requirements](/blog/dv-lottery-photo-requirements) guides, the visa form upload in [DS-160 photo requirements](/blog/ds-160-photo-requirements), and what to do when that form refuses your file in [DS-160 photo upload errors](/blog/ds-160-photo-upload-error).

### Canada's 50 x 70 mm

Canada uses a print **50 mm wide by 70 mm high**, with the face **31 to 36 mm** from chin to crown, and requires **two** identical prints taken within six months. Nothing else uses this size, so a Canadian photo cannot be recycled and no other country's photo can be cut down to fit. Canada also attaches the strictest sourcing rule of any country here, which we come back to below and cover fully in our [Canada passport photo requirements](/blog/canada-passport-photo-requirements) guide.

### The percentage family

Germany, and German missions handling Schengen visas, express the framing as a proportion rather than a measurement: the face must occupy **70 to 80 percent of the photo's height**, with 50 to 80 percent allowed for children. India's guidance for children under four asks for **80 to 85 percent**. The US visa specification is also a percentage — 50 to 69 percent — describing a much looser crop.

Percentages travel better than millimetres: they still make sense when the photo is a file rather than a print.

<ToolCTA title="One photo, any of these formats" text="Upload a phone photo and pick the country. We crop to the exact size and check head height, tilt, background evenness, sharpness and exposure before you pay. We don't repaint backgrounds or detect glasses." />

## Head height is the measurement that actually fails

Everyone remembers the print size. Almost nobody measures their face. The published windows, side by side:

| Country | Head or face height | As a share of the print height |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 25-35 mm (1 to 1 3/8 in) | 49-69% of 51 mm |
| United Kingdom | 29-34 mm | 64-76% of 45 mm |
| Canada | 31-36 mm | 44-51% of 70 mm |
| Australia | 32-36 mm | 71-80% of 45 mm |
| Germany / German Schengen missions | Face 70-80% of photo height | 70-80% |

Read the right-hand column and the incompatibility becomes obvious. A correctly framed Canadian photo puts the face at under half the frame height; an Australian one puts it at three-quarters. They are different pictures of the same person, not different crops of one file. It is also why trimming a print never works: trimming changes the denominator.

<GoodBad
  good={{ src: "/images/passport/portrait-white.webp", alt: "Correctly framed passport photo on a plain light background", caption: "Head centred, even lighting, plain light background, neutral expression - the common ground across every authority in this table." }}
  bad={{ src: "/images/passport/reject-tilt.webp", alt: "Passport photo with the head tilted to one side", caption: "A tilted head fails everywhere. Canada asks for shoulders squared to the camera, Australia lists head tilt as unacceptable, and the US and UK both require a full-face view." }}
/>

## Background colour is not universal either

| Country | Background |
|---|---|
| United States | White or off-white |
| United Kingdom (printed) | Plain cream or light grey |
| United Kingdom (digital) | Plain, light-coloured |
| Canada | Plain white or light-coloured |
| Australia | Plain white or light grey |
| India | Plain white, with dark clothing |
| New Zealand | Plain, light-coloured, strong contrast with the face |
| Germany | Plain, single colour, clear contrast with face and hair, shadow-free |

The UK printed rule is the one that catches people. GOV.UK asks for **cream or light grey** on printed photos, which is not the white background a US photo uses. Its photographers' guidance recommends a light grey of 5 to 10 percent. If you are applying to both, you need two photos. Our [UK passport photo requirements](/blog/uk-passport-photo-requirements) guide has the detail.

Expression is the other silent divergence. The US allows a closed-mouth smile; the UK, Canada, Australia and the DV programme all require a neutral face. Our guide on whether you [can smile in a passport photo](/blog/can-you-smile-in-a-passport-photo) runs through it authority by authority.

## How recent does it have to be?

| Country | Maximum age |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 month |
| Singapore | 3 months |
| United States (passport, visa, DV) | 6 months |
| Canada | 6 months |
| Australia | Under 6 months |
| Ireland | 6 months |
| New Zealand | 6 months |

The UK's one-month rule is by far the tightest, and GOV.UK adds that you need a new photo for every new passport even if your appearance has not changed. If a renewal came back rejected, our guide on a [rejected passport renewal photo](/blog/passport-renewal-photo-rejected) covers the usual causes.

## Countries where you cannot take your own photo

This is the section most size tables leave out, and it is more likely to derail an application than any measurement.

**Canada.** Photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio. Photos printed at home are not accepted. The back of the prints must carry the studio's name, complete address and the date. The digital photo used for online renewal must also come from a commercial photographer, saved directly from the original camera file, with scans rejected.

**Germany.** Since **1 May 2025**, applications for German passports, identity cards, electronic residence permits and travel documents accept **only digital biometric photos**, produced either at the authority itself or by a registered photo service that transmits the image through a certified encrypted cloud. Paper photos were allowed under a transitional rule only until 31 July 2025. A photo you take at home cannot enter that pipeline at all.

**Australia.** The Passport Office recommends a professional passport photo provider and states that it does not recommend using an online passport photo service or a mobile app. Its print specification — dye sublimation, not inkjet, on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm — points the same way. See our [Australia passport photo requirements](/blog/australia-passport-photo-requirements) guide.

**India, at a Passport Seva Kendra.** Not a restriction so much as a relief: Passport Seva's instruction booklet says a photograph is **not required** for applications submitted at a PSK or POPSK, because your image is captured at the centre. Photos are only needed for applications lodged at a DPC, SPC or other citizen service centre. Our [India passport photo requirements](/blog/india-passport-photo-requirements) guide explains which route needs what.

**New Zealand and Singapore**, by contrast, both support a photo taken by someone else on a phone, as long as it meets the file specification and is not a selfie.

## How to use this table without getting burned

<Steps items={[
  { title: "Identify the document, not just the country", text: "A US passport photo and a US visa photo share a size but not a submission method. An Indian passport photo and an Indian e-Visa photo have nothing in common. Start from the form you are filling in." },
  { title: "Check whether you are allowed to take it yourself", text: "This decides everything else. If the answer is no, the measurements are the photographer's problem, not yours - though measuring their print before you leave is still worth thirty seconds." },
  { title: "Measure the head, not just the print", text: "Print size is easy and rarely wrong. Head height is the measurement that gets photos returned, and it is the one nobody checks." },
  { title: "Match the background colour exactly", text: "White, off-white, cream and light grey are four different answers, and authorities do distinguish between them." },
  { title: "Never reuse a photo across applications", text: "Different head windows, different backgrounds, different expression rules - and some programmes, like the DV lottery, treat a reused photo as grounds for ineligibility." }
]} />

## Rules that apply almost everywhere

For all the divergence, a handful of requirements show up in every specification we read:

<RuleList items={[
  { text: "Face the camera directly, head straight and centred", ok: true },
  { text: "Eyes open and clearly visible, hair away from the eyes", ok: true },
  { text: "Even lighting with no shadows on the face or behind the head", ok: true },
  { text: "Plain, uncluttered background with clear contrast", ok: true },
  { text: "Natural skin tones, in focus, no red eye", ok: true },
  { text: "Nobody else and nothing else in the frame", ok: true },
  { text: "Retouching, smoothing, filters or AI edits", ok: false },
  { text: "Replacing the background with software", ok: false },
  { text: "Tinted or dark glasses of any kind", ok: false },
  { text: "Hats or head coverings, except for religious or medical reasons", ok: false },
  { text: "Photos cropped out of a group shot or copied from another document", ok: false }
]} />

The editing rule has hardened everywhere. Canada names photo editing software, filters and AI tools as grounds for rejecting an application. New Zealand says not to edit, filter or use AI tools to modify your appearance. Australia lists retouching and an edited background among its unacceptable examples. The DV instructions say a manipulated photograph may make you ineligible. Our guide to [AI-edited passport photos](/blog/ai-edited-passport-photos) works through what that means, and [why passport photos get rejected](/blog/passport-photo-rejected-reasons) covers the rest.

## Countries we left out, and why

We deliberately did not publish figures for countries whose official pages we could not reach or read, even where the numbers are widely repeated elsewhere. **Japan** and **China** are the obvious absences: the commonly quoted figures may well be right, but we could not confirm them on the issuing ministry's own page on the day we checked.

Two entries in the table also carry caveats. Some **Indian missions abroad** publish a 2 x 2 inch specification that differs from Passport Seva's own 4.5 x 3.5 cm booklet, which we cover in the India guide rather than picking one for you. And there is no single **Schengen** photo page: the 35 x 45 mm ICAO standard is common ground, but recency, glasses rules and whether you need a print at all vary by member state, as our [Schengen visa photo requirements](/blog/schengen-visa-photo-requirements) guide shows with real consulate examples.

If you want a figure added, the bar is the same one we used here: a page published by the authority that issues the document.

## Where our tool fits

We are an independent service, not connected to any government. We do the mechanical part: you upload a phone photo, we crop it to the size the authority publishes and check head height, tilt, background evenness, sharpness and exposure. We don't repaint backgrounds (the replace-background switch exists only for the two Indian formats), and we can't detect glasses or judge expression. You see the checks before you decide anything, and payment happens only at download — [$4.99 for the digital file, $6.99 with a 4x6 print sheet](/#pricing), no subscription.

Where an authority requires a studio, as Canada does, or only accepts photos captured at the counter, as Germany now does, we say so on that country's guide instead of selling you a file you cannot use. For everywhere else, start at the [home page](/photo), or read [how to take a passport photo at home](/blog/how-to-take-a-passport-photo-at-home) first.

<Sources items={[
  { label: "US Department of State - Passport photo requirements", href: "https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html" },
  { label: "US Department of State - Digital image requirements for visa photos", href: "https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos/digital-image-requirements.html" },
  { label: "U.S. Embassy mirror - Diversity Visa Program instructions, Submitting a Digital Photograph", href: "https://cm.usembassy.gov/instructions-for-the-2026-diversity-immigrant-visa-program-dv-2026/" },
  { label: "GOV.UK - Photos for passports: printed photo requirements", href: "https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports/photo-requirements" },
  { label: "GOV.UK - Rules for digital passport photos", href: "https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports/rules-for-digital-photos" },
  { label: "Canada.ca - Photos for Canadian passports", href: "https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/photos.html" },
  { label: "Australian Passport Office - Passport photos", href: "https://www.passports.gov.au/PhotoGuidelines" },
  { label: "Passport Seva - Instructions for filling of passport application form (V3.0)", href: "https://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/pdf/ApplicationformInstructionBooklet-V3.0.pdf" },
  { label: "Ireland.ie - Passport photo guidelines", href: "https://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/photo-guidelines/" },
  { label: "New Zealand Passports - Passport photos", href: "https://www.passports.govt.nz/passport-photos/" },
  { label: "Immigration and Checkpoints Authority Singapore - Photo guidelines", href: "https://www.ica.gov.sg/photo-guidelines" },
  { label: "Bundesministerium des Innern - Vereinfachte Ausweisbeantragung ab Mai 2025", href: "https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/kurzmeldungen/DE/2025/04/neue-passbilder.html" },
  { label: "Bundesdruckerei / BMI - Fotomustertafel: Qualitaetsmerkmale biometrischer Fotos fuer Dokumente", href: "https://www.bundesdruckerei-gmbh.de/files/dokumente/pdf/fotomustertafel.pdf" }
]} />

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the most common passport photo size?

The 35 x 45 mm rectangle is the most widely used. The UK, India, Ireland and Schengen visa applications all use it, and Australia accepts it at the small end of its range. The main exceptions are the United States at 2 x 2 inches and Canada at 50 x 70 mm.

### Is a 2x2 inch photo the same as 35x45 mm?

No. A 2 x 2 inch photo is 51 x 51 mm and square. A 35 x 45 mm photo is a rectangle. You cannot trim one into the other, because the head-height rules are measured against the finished print and would no longer be met.

### What size is a passport photo in pixels?

There is no single answer, because pixel rules belong to online systems, not to print sizes. US visa photos are 600 x 600. UK online photos are at least 600 x 750. Irish online photos are at least 715 x 951. Canadian online renewal runs from 1200 x 1800 to 3000 x 4500.

### Which countries won't accept a photo I took myself?

Canada requires photos taken in person by a commercial photographer, including for online renewal. Germany has accepted only digital photos made at the authority or by a registered photo service since 1 May 2025. Australia recommends a professional provider and requires dye-sublimation prints.

### How recent does a passport photo have to be?

It varies widely. The UK requires a photo taken in the last month. Singapore asks for one taken within the last three months. The United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and the DV lottery all use six months.

### Can I use one photo for several countries' applications?

Rarely. Even where two countries use the same print size, the head-height windows, background colours and expression rules usually differ. The UK wants cream or light grey printed backgrounds and no smile; the US wants white or off-white and allows a closed-mouth smile.