Passport and visa photo sizes, and how to resize your image
Passport and visa photo requirements are set by each country, and they do not match. The table below lists the specifications published by six official authorities, with the source and the date each one was checked.
Use the requirement for the country issuing the document. An Indian passport photo is not the right size for a US passport, and a photo that passed once may not pass again if the rules have changed since.
Verified requirements
| Country | Print size | Head or face size | Background | Colour | Source checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 45 mm high x 35 mm wide | Not stated as a measurement | Plain white | Colour only | Passport Seva instruction booklet, 22 Aug 2026 |
| United States | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) | 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm), chin to top of head | Plain white or off white | Colour | travel.state.gov, 22 Aug 2026 |
| United Kingdom | 45 mm high x 35 mm wide | 29 to 34 mm, chin to crown | Plain light coloured | Colour | gov.uk, 22 Aug 2026 |
| Canada | 70 mm high x 50 mm wide | 31 to 36 mm, chin to crown | Plain white | Colour or black and white | canada.ca, 22 Aug 2026 |
| Schengen visa | 35 to 40 mm wide | Face fills 70 to 80 percent of the photo | Plain light coloured | Colour | European Commission photo guidelines, 22 Aug 2026 |
| Singapore | See note below | Not stated on the pages checked | Not stated on the pages checked | Colour | ica.gov.sg, 22 Aug 2026 |
Some authorities also publish digital upload rules, which matter when you apply online rather than posting a print.
- United Kingdom. A digital photo must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall. The file must be at least 50 KB and no larger than 10 MB.
- Singapore. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority recommends 400 x 514 pixels for photos uploaded through its e-Services. Accepted file types are jpg, jpeg, heic, heif and png, up to 8 MB. Hard copy photos must have a matte or semi matte, non reflective finish. The photo must not be altered or enhanced in any way.
- United States. The State Department asks for a printed photo on matte or glossy photo paper. Photocopies and scanned photos are not accepted.
- Canada. Two identical photos are required with each application, and they must be original and unaltered.
Singapore has gaps in the table because the ICA pages give a digital specification but not a print size in millimetres. Rather than fill that in from an unofficial source, it is left blank. Check the current ICA page before printing.
Physical size and pixel size are different things
A requirement in millimetres describes a print. A requirement in pixels describes a file. They are not the same measurement, and confusing them is the most common reason a photo comes out the wrong size.
Pixels have no fixed physical size. A 600 pixel wide image can print at 5 cm or at 50 cm. What connects the two is resolution, written as DPI, meaning dots per inch. The formula is short:
pixels = millimetres / 25.4 x DPI
There are 25.4 millimetres in an inch, so dividing by 25.4 converts the measurement to inches, and multiplying by DPI gives the pixel count.
A 35 mm by 45 mm photo at 300 DPI works out as follows. 35 divided by 25.4 is 1.378 inches, multiplied by 300 gives 413 pixels. 45 divided by 25.4 is 1.772 inches, multiplied by 300 gives 531 pixels. So the file needs to be roughly 413 by 531 pixels.
Three points follow from this.
First, if an authority states only millimetres, you choose the DPI. 300 DPI is the usual choice for print, and going below that risks a soft or blocky result.
Second, if an authority states only pixels, use that number exactly. Do not convert it and do not round it. Singapore's 400 by 514 is a specific figure, not an approximation of 35 mm by 45 mm.
Third, enlarging a small photo does not add detail. Scaling a 200 pixel wide image up to 413 pixels stretches the pixels it already has. Start from the largest original you have.
Why photos get rejected
These are drawn from the official guidance for the countries above. Rules differ, so check the one that applies to you.
Wrong background. India requires plain white. The US requires plain white or off white. Canada requires plain white. The UK and the Schengen guidance both require a plain light coloured background. A patterned wall, a shadow behind the head, or a coloured backdrop can all fail.
Head the wrong size in the frame. The UK wants 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown. Canada wants 31 to 36 mm. The US wants 25 to 35 mm from chin to the top of the head. The Schengen guidance states it as a proportion, with the face filling 70 to 80 percent of the photo. Cropping a normal photograph tightly will usually not hit these ranges by chance, so measure.
Shadows. The Indian guidance says distracting shadows on the face or on the background are not acceptable. The Schengen guidance asks for uniform lighting with no shadows and no flash reflections. Even, indirect light from the front avoids both.
Glasses. You may usually wear them, but the rules are strict. The Indian guidance rejects photos where the eyes are hidden behind coloured or dark glasses. The Schengen guidance requires eyes clearly visible with no flash reflection off the lenses, no tinted lenses, and frames that do not cover the eyes. The UK guidance is the same in substance: no sunglasses or tinted lenses, and eyes fully visible without glare.
Expression. The Indian guidance asks for a natural expression, with no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows. The US asks for a neutral expression with both eyes open and the mouth closed. The Schengen guidance asks for a neutral expression and a closed mouth. A smile that shows teeth is a common rejection.
Head coverings. Both the Indian and the Schengen guidance permit head coverings for religious reasons, provided the face is clearly visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, including both edges of the face. Hats and caps worn for any other reason are not permitted.
Age of the photo. The US requires a photo taken within the last 6 months. The Schengen guidance says no more than 6 months old.
Other points. India requires a colour photo and will not accept black and white, computer prints, or photos cut from a group photo. Canada accepts colour or black and white. The photo must not be signed, damaged, torn or creased.
How to resize an image to a specific pixel size
Work out the pixel size you need first, using the formula above or the figure the authority publishes. Then resize.
Our image resizer takes exact pixel width and height. Load your photo, enter the numbers, and download the result. It runs entirely in your browser, so the photo is never uploaded to a server, which matters for a document photo of your own face.
Two things to watch.
Aspect ratio. A 35 by 45 photo is taller than it is wide, at a ratio of about 1 to 1.29. A square US photo is 1 to 1. If your original is a different shape, crop it to the right proportions before resizing, otherwise the image will stretch and the head measurement will be wrong.
File size limits. Where a limit applies, such as the UK range of 50 KB to 10 MB, the file size depends on dimensions, format and compression quality. If the file comes out too large, lower the JPEG quality slightly and check again. If it comes out too small, raise the quality rather than enlarging the image.
Check the source before you apply
Photo rules change. Every specification above was read from the official source on 22 August 2026, and each row links to the page it came from. Before submitting anything, open the link for your country and confirm the numbers still match. An application refused over a photo costs more time than the check does.