Passport & Visa Photo Specs by Country

How to use this reference

Pick a country, then a document type — the card shows the published spec: print size in millimetres, digital pixel window, head-height band, file limits, background, photo age and glasses rule. Below the card, the source line names the issuing authority and the date we last checked it. The index underneath jumps to any of the sixteen specs in the dataset; the filter narrows it by country, document or number.

The specs that produce the most rejections are the ones where channels differ — India’s passport (exactly 630×810 px since 1 September 2025) versus India’s e-visa (still square), or China’s 33×48 mm paper print versus its wider COVA pixel window. Those cards carry an explicit note about which rule is enforced where.

Converting between mm and pixels

Spec sheets mix units: paper sizes in mm, upload windows in pixels, print resolution in dpi. The converter translates between them — the rule is px = mm ÷ 25.4 × dpi, so a 35×45 mm photo at a lab-standard 300 dpi is 413×531 px.

The specs most people look up

• US passport & visa — the 2×2 in spec, the DS-160’s 600–1200 px / ≤240 KB upload, and the DV lottery’s exact 600×600 px.
• India passport & e-visa — the September 2025 ICAO switch: 35×45 mm, exactly 630×810 px, 10–250 KB, face 80–85% — and the separate square e-visa spec.
• UK passport — 45×35 mm, ≥600×750 px online, 50 KB–10 MB, and the softer glasses/background rules.
• Schengen visa — the harmonized 35×45 mm ICAO photo and how consulate upload rules diverge.
• China visa — 33×48 mm paper vs the COVA 3:4 pixel window.
• Canada passport — the 50×70 mm outlier with its smaller 44–51% head band.

For the standard underneath most of these, read ICAO Doc 9303 explained. If a portal rejected your photo, why photos get rejected maps each rejection to the spec field that triggers it, and the spec change log tracks requirements that moved. New to the units? How to read a spec sheet decodes them.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are these specs?

Every spec row names its issuing authority (the State Department, GOV.UK, Passport Seva, COVA…) and carries a last-verified stamp — the dataset was reviewed in September 2026. Where published detail is thin or inconsistent, the card is flagged verify with authority instead of guessing a number. Rules still change between reviews, so for a live application always confirm on the linked official page.

Why do some specs list two different sizes?

Because paper and digital are separate requirements. China's visa wants a 33×48 mm paper photo but its COVA portal enforces a 354–420×472–560 px upload — a different shape. India's passport photo went digital-first in September 2025 (exactly 630×810 px) while its e-visa stayed square. The card shows both where both exist.

What does the head-size percentage mean?

It's the crown-to-chin distance — top of the head (hair included) to the bottom of the chin — as a share of the photo's height. ICAO-style specs want 70–80%; the US wants 50–69%. Two countries can share a print size and still reject each other's framing, which is why the percentage matters more than the paper size.

Is this the same as a photo checker?

No — this is the reference layer. A checker measures your file against a spec; this site is where the spec itself lives, with sources and verification dates. If you need to validate or produce a photo, the spec card tells you the exact numbers to aim for.

Why does a spec say 'verify with authority'?

Some requirements are genuinely under-published — Brazil's head band and file rules differ between the Federal Police and consular posts — or enforced differently across posts. Rather than repeat a number we can't confirm, the card marks the gap and links the authority that owns it. That's a feature, not a missing row.