Schengen area · Visa
Schengen visa photo
There is no single Schengen photo page: every consulate publishes its own checklist, and they differ on recency (3 or 6 months) and background shade. We hold the strictest common values — 35 x 45 mm, face 70 to 80 percent of the height — and your consulate's checklist always wins.
Requirements verified October 6, 2026 — always confirm with the issuing authorityThe check is free and runs on your device. You pay only if you download the finished file: $4.99, or $6.99 with a 4 × 6 in print sheet.
The exact specification
The same numbers the checker applies, drawn from our Schengen area guide. The official source of each value is listed under the table.
- Printed size
- 1 × 35 × 45 mm
- Print rules
- Printed on photo-quality paper. Photocopies, scans and photos copied from other documents are not accepted.
- Digital file
- No online upload spec published
- Head size
- 32–36 mm chin to crown
- Background
- Plain white, off-white or light grey (France forbids pure white)
- Glasses
- Consulates differ. Germany (London) allows frames that cover no part of the eyes; Spain (Los Angeles) rules out dark or reflective lenses. Removing them is the safe choice.
- Taken within
- the last 3 months
Where these values come from
- Printed size, Print rules, Head size, Background, Glasses, Taken within: checked against EUR-Lex - Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, the Visa Code (Articles 10 and 13); EUR-Lex - Regulation (EU) 2021/1134 amending the Visa Code (live facial image); European Commission - Applying for a Schengen visa; ICAO - Doc 9303, Machine Readable Travel Documents; German Missions in the United Kingdom - Visa FAQ (photo requirements); NetherlandsWorldwide - Checklist Schengen visa for tourism; Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles - Schengen visas; Consulate General of Italy in New York - Tourism and transit visas; Service-Public - Quelle photo fournir pour un titre d'identité ? (French identity-photo background rule), as set out in our Schengen Visa Photo Requirements (2026): Size and Rules guide.
About background editing. Consulate checklists expect an unedited photo apart from cropping.
What the free check covers
We measure
- Head size against the published window
- Eye position, where the authority sets one
- Head tilt and rotation
- Background brightness and evenness
- Sharpness and exposure
Only you can confirm
- Glasses — we can't reliably detect them, so we flag rather than pass
- Expression and mouth position
- Red eye
- Filters, retouching or AI edits made before upload
We are an independent service, not affiliated with any government. The issuing authority always makes the final decision — a pass here means your photo meets the published measurements we can check.
What does a failure look like? See our accepted and rejected passport photo examples, with the fix for each one.
Common questions
Schengen visa photos follow ICAO standards and are almost always 35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm). German missions, for example, ask for the face to take up 70 to 80% of the photo, which is 32 to 36 mm. Check your consulate's checklist, since details can vary.
It depends on the consulate. The Netherlands accepts photos up to 6 months old, while the German Embassy in London asks for photos no older than three months. Use a photo taken as recently as possible and check your consulate's own checklist.
Some consulates allow it. The German Embassy in London permits glasses as long as the frames don't cover any part of the eyes, and the Spanish Consulate in Los Angeles rules out dark or reflective glasses. Removing your glasses is the safest choice.
Not always. The Netherlands says applicants using an external service provider don't need to submit a photo because a digital photo is taken at the appointment. Other consulates still ask for a printed photo, so follow your own consulate's checklist.
Keep reading
Troubleshooting Schengen Visa Photo Rejected at VFS? 9 Causes
Why visa centres send Schengen photos back: size, face height, age, background, glasses, edits and copies, with each consulate's own rule and the fix.
Read the guide
Visas Schengen Visa Photo Requirements (2026): Size and Rules
Schengen visa photo requirements: 35x45 mm size, face height, background, glasses and recency, and how Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands differ.
Read the guide