ICAO 9303 — the Passport Photo Standard
ICAO Doc 9303 is the portrait standard most national photo specs derive from — 35×45 mm, face 70–80%. Which countries follow it, which override it.
Almost every document photo spec on earth is a variation on one document: ICAO Doc 9303, the standard for machine-readable travel documents. Understanding it explains why spec sheets rhyme — and where they deliberately don’t.
The baseline portrait
The Doc 9303 portrait guidance asks for a photo that a machine can measure: frontal pose, face centred, eyes open and level, neutral expression, mouth closed. The canonical frame is 35×45 mm with the head filling about 70–80% of the height (≈32–36 mm crown→chin), on a plain light background, printed on photo-quality paper. No retouching, no filters, nothing that changes the face’s geometry.
That template is why 35×45 mm shows up from Tokyo to Berlin: it isn’t a coincidence, it’s a standard.
Who follows it — and who doesn’t
| Follows the ICAO family | Overrides it |
|---|---|
| Schengen visa — 35×45 mm, 32–36 mm | United States — 2×2 in square, 50–69% head |
| UK — 45×35 mm, 29–34 mm | Canada — 50×70 mm, 44–51% head |
| Germany, France (national passports) | China — 33×48 mm, 58–69% head |
| Japan — 35×45 mm, tighter 34±2 mm | India (since 2025) — ICAO frame but 80–85% face |
| Australia — 35×45 mm inside a 35–40×45–50 window | Brazil — 5×7 cm under-5s; consulates publish 2×2 in |
| New Zealand — 35×45 mm | India e-visa — square digital upload |
India is the interesting case: it adopted ICAO in September 2025 — moving off the US-style 2×2 in — but set the face band tighter (80–85%) than the standard’s 70–80%. “ICAO compliant” and “meets the national spec” are close cousins, not synonyms.
The parts every spec borrows
Beyond size, the 9303 checklist is the source of the soft rules you see everywhere: evenly lit face with no shadows, no head coverings except religious/medical (face fully visible), no glasses or glare obscuring the eyes, no red-eye, natural skin tone, no digitally altered features. When a national sheet says nothing about expression or lighting, the ICAO defaults are still what the officer applies.
Why it exists at all
Machine-readable zones and face-matching gates need consistent input. A photo that’s too dark, tilted, or framed loosely doesn’t just annoy an officer — it fails the biometric check the border runs. The spec’s fussiness is the price of automated borders.
Sources
Related: reading spec sheets · Schengen visa photo · India’s ICAO switch.
Frequently asked questions
What is ICAO Doc 9303?
The International Civil Aviation Organization's standard for machine-readable travel documents — passports, visas, ID cards. Part of it specifies the portrait: frontal pose, face filling roughly 70–80% of a 35×45 mm frame, plain light background, neutral expression, no retouching. It's the template most national photo specs are built on.
If my photo meets ICAO spec, does it work everywhere?
Usually but not automatically. ICAO is a baseline countries override: the US stayed square (2×2 in), Canada kept 50×70 mm, China uses 33×48 mm, India adopted ICAO in 2025 but tightened the face band to 80–85%. A 35×45 mm ICAO-compliant photo is the right starting point for most of the world — then check the national band.
Why do so many spec sheets say 'ICAO compliant'?
Because border gates read faces automatically now. The portrait rules exist so a camera can find and measure a face: frontal, centred, evenly lit, unobstructed. 'ICAO compliant' signals the photo will parse in machine reading — the details beyond that are national choice.
Where do the 35×45 mm and 70–80% numbers come from?
The portrait annex of Doc 9303: a 35×45 mm frame with the face occupying about 70–80% of the height — enough cheek and forehead detail for biometric matching. Schengen visa guidance and most European passport rules quote the same numbers almost verbatim.