Passport Photo Size by Country: Official Sizes, Backgrounds and Head Rules

Passport and visa photo sizes at a glance

Every row below comes from the issuing authority's own website or an official mission page, listed under Sources. Head size means chin to crown (top of the head) unless the row says otherwise.

We left out countries whose rules we couldn't confirm on an official page. If yours isn't listed, look for the "photo requirements" page of its passport office or embassy.

Check whether a self-made photo is allowed

Before making a photo yourself, read what your passport office says about where it must come from. Several of the authorities above are strict about this:

• Canada wants photos taken and printed by a commercial photographer, with no editing at all.
• Australia recommends a professional photo provider and advises against online photo services and mobile apps.
• Pakistan says photos must be professionally taken, not cut down from a larger picture and not edited in software such as Photoshop.
• United Kingdom printed photos can't be cropped down from a larger picture. Digital photos must not be altered by software.

For those passport applications, use a photo studio, or the office's own camera where it has one. A home-made photo crop is better suited to visa forms that accept one, job and exam applications, student and staff IDs, and checking that you have the framing right before you visit a studio.

How to make a passport-size photo with our tool

1. Take a photo facing the camera in front of a plain white or light wall, with the camera not too close (that distorts the face). Use soft, even light from the front so there are no shadows on your face or behind you.
2. Open Passport Size Photo Maker and pick a size. There are shortcuts for 35 × 45 mm and 2 × 2 inch, built-in 33 × 48 mm and 51 × 51 mm options, and a custom size in mm or inches.
3. Drag and zoom until your head sits between the crown and chin guides and your eyes are on the eye line. Compare the head size with the rule for your country in the table above.
4. Leave the background as it is if your rules forbid edits. Background replacement (white, light grey or blue, as in Passport Size Photo Blue Background) is only for forms that don't prohibit altered photos.
5. Download a single JPG for upload, or a printable sheet.

The photo is processed in your browser and never leaves your device.

Printing a sheet on 4 × 6 in or A4

The photo maker can fill a 4 × 6 inch photo print or an A4 page with copies and dashed cut lines, as a JPG or as a true-size PDF.

• Print at 100% or "actual size". "Fit to page" shrinks the photos and the size will be wrong. Measure one photo with a ruler before cutting.
• Use real photo paper. Some authorities set the paper type. Australia asks for glossy dye-sublimation prints of at least 200 gsm, not inkjet, and China asks for glossy photo paper rather than matte or plain paper. A photo shop can print a 4 × 6 sheet cheaply.
• Cut cleanly on the lines. Don't leave white borders unless the rules allow them. China, for example, asks for no edge frame.
• Check how many you need. The US asks for one photo, the UK and Canada for two identical photos, and Australia for two.

Digital uploads: pixels and file size

Online applications usually ask for pixels and KB, not millimetres. The photo maker renders at 300 DPI, so 35 × 45 mm becomes 413 × 531 px and 2 × 2 inches becomes 600 × 600 px.

• UK online applications need at least 600 × 750 px and a file between 50 KB and 10 MB. Upload an uncropped photo showing your head, shoulders and upper body. The service crops it for you.
• Indian passport applications at missions abroad use 630 × 810 px under the ICAO guidelines. That is the same 7:9 shape as 35 × 45 mm, so crop to 35 × 45 and then set the exact pixels in Resize Image.
• Canada's online renewal wants a JPG from a commercial photographer, 1,200 × 1,800 px up to 3,000 × 4,500 px, 200 KB to 5 MB, with the head at 45–50% of the photo height.
• Visa and exam portals often set a maximum such as 50 or 100 KB. Use Passport Photo Under 50KB, or set a limit in the photo maker, or compress afterwards with Compress Image to 100KB.

Always upload the original-quality file the portal asks for. Repeatedly compressing a copy makes faces blocky, and low-resolution photos get rejected.

Common passport photo mistakes

• Shadows on the face or on the wall behind you. Face a window or use two light sources.
• Glasses. The rules differ. The US doesn't allow eyeglasses. Australia doesn't allow them unless you can't remove them for medical reasons. The UK says don't wear them unless you have to. Canada and China allow clear glasses without glare, but not tinted lenses. If in doubt, take them off.
• Smiling. Most authorities in the table ask for a neutral expression, usually with your mouth closed. Canada says not smiling or frowning, and the UK says a plain expression with your mouth closed.
• Head too small or too large. Measure against the head-size rule. Being too close to the camera also distorts the face.
• Wrong background. Patterned, dark or coloured walls get rejected. Note that the UK asks for cream or light grey, while Pakistan and the UAE ask for white.
• Retouched or edited photos. Removing blemishes, smoothing skin or swapping the background is refused by many offices.
• Old photos. Most authorities want a photo from the last 6 months, and the UK wants one from the last month for printed photos. The UAE won't accept the photo already in your passport.
• Hair, hats or head coverings hiding the face. Religious head coverings are generally accepted if your full face, from chin to forehead, is visible.

Check the official page before you apply

Photo rules change. The US, for example, no longer allows eyeglasses in passport photos. The sizes above were checked in October 2026 on the pages listed under Sources.

Before printing or uploading, open your passport office's or embassy's current photo page, confirm the size, head range, background and photo age, and follow it over any general guide, this one included. For a visa, check the instructions of the specific embassy, consulate or visa centre that will handle your application.