Visa Photo Size by Country: US, UK, Schengen, Canada and Australia Specs
Every country publishes its own visa photo specification, and getting it wrong is one of the most common avoidable reasons for application delays. The differences are small but strict: the US wants a square 2x2 inch photo, most of Europe wants 35x45 mm, Canada wants 50x70 mm. This guide collects the commonly cited specs in one table, explains the head-size and background rules that apply almost everywhere, and shows how to produce each size locally, with no upload of your face to any converter site, at pdfpixel.tech.
The size table (commonly cited specs)
United States: 2x2 inches (51x51 mm), which is about 600x600 pixels for the online DS-160 style upload, JPEG format. United Kingdom: 35x45 mm (about 413x531 pixels at 300 DPI). Schengen countries: 35x45 mm, same as the UK pattern. Canada: 50x70 mm (about 591x827 pixels at 300 DPI). Australia: 35x45 mm. Japan: 45x45 mm (about 531x531 pixels).
These are the widely published figures, but embassies update specs and some run their own photo tools, so the embassy or official application portal always wins. Verify on the official site before submitting, and treat any third-party spec page, including this one, as a starting point.
Head size and framing rules that apply nearly everywhere
Beyond the paper size, the rules that cause most rejections are consistent: the head, measured from chin to crown, must occupy a defined band of the photo height (for the US commonly cited as 50-69 percent), eyes open and clearly visible, facing the camera squarely, neutral expression, photo taken recently.
Frames, head coverings and glasses follow their own rules per country (religious head coverings are generally permitted if they do not shadow the face; glasses rules have tightened in several countries). Passport Photo Maker frames head and shoulders to the standard band, and Image Cropper gives exact manual control of the chin-to-crown share.
Background and lighting
Plain white or off-white background, no shadows on the backdrop or the face, even lighting without flash hotspots, and no other objects or people in frame. A wall plus daylight from a window at 45 degrees is enough; direct sun creates hard shadows that fail review.
If your background is busy, Background Remover strips it locally and Passport Photo White Background drops the subject onto a clean white backdrop. Both run in your browser, which matters because this is a picture of your face plus, often, a copy of your passport page nearby.
Digital upload specs and file sizes
Online visa systems commonly require JPEG under a size cap (the US online upload is commonly cited as 240 KB maximum, with square dimensions between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels). Other portals state their own caps. The safe recipe: produce the photo at the required pixel dimensions first, then compress to sit comfortably under the cap.
Resize to 2x2 Inch and Resize to 35x45 mm produce the exact canvases, and Image Compressor hits a precise KB target in one pass. Order matters: resize, then compress, never the reverse.
Print specs and DPI truth
For printed visa photos, the physical size in millimetres is what counts, and the print must be produced at real resolution, roughly 300 DPI. A 35x45 mm print needs a 413x531 pixel image with correct DPI metadata; a stretched low-resolution image prints soft even if it looks fine on screen.
Our tools stamp true DPI metadata (JFIF and pHYs chunks) so the print shop software reads the right physical size, and Resize in CM lets you verify centimetre dimensions directly. The deeper explanation is in our photo pixels at 300 DPI guide.
Try it free: Resize to 2x2 Inch | runs entirely in your browser, no uploads and no signup.