Schengen Visa (EU) Passport Photo

Schengen Visa (EU) passport photo requirements

Accepted across Schengen-area visa and residence applications.

What's different about a Schengen Visa (EU) photo

A Schengen visa photo follows the ICAO 9303 standard that underpins machine-readable travel documents across the whole area: 35 × 45 mm, a light and uniform background, and the face occupying roughly 70–80% of the frame. Because the standard is shared, one compliant photo works whether you are applying through the French, German, Spanish or Portuguese consulate.

Where consulates differ is in the background shade they prefer. Light grey is the most widely accepted and the safest single choice; some accept off-white or pale blue. A pure white background is occasionally refused because it leaves no contrast against light hair or clothing, which is the opposite of the US requirement.

Schengen Visa (EU) photo rules in detail

Which consulate

You apply to the country that is your main destination, or your first point of entry if the trip is evenly split. That consulate's published photo sheet is the one that governs your application.

Glasses

Permitted only if the eyes are fully visible — no tint, no reflection, and frames that do not cross the eyes. Many consulates simply advise removing them.

Expression

Neutral, mouth closed, looking directly at the camera. The photo has to work as a biometric template, which is why expression is enforced closely.

Head size

32–36 mm from chin to crown, roughly 70–80% of the frame height, centred with the eyes on a horizontal line about halfway up.

Biometrics

Fingerprints are collected at your appointment and are valid across applications for 59 months, but the photo must be recent for every application.

Photos must have been taken within the last 6 months. The authority for these rules is the Consulate of your destination country (standard set by ICAO 9303) — check there before you apply, since requirements do change.

Babies and children

Children need their own visa application and their own photo, including infants. Under-12s are exempt from fingerprinting but not from the photo requirement. Babies may be photographed lying on a plain light-grey sheet, with the eyes open where possible and no other person in the frame — a hand supporting the head is the most common reason an infant photo is sent back.

How the Schengen Visa (EU) application works

Applications are lodged at the consulate or, increasingly, at an outsourced visa centre such as VFS Global or TLScontact. The centre will usually check your photo at the counter and sell you a compliant one on the spot if it fails.

Arriving with a photo you know is compliant is worth doing anyway: the counter check is quick and the fallback booth is expensive, and a photo rejected there means paying twice on a day you have already taken off work.

Why Schengen Visa (EU) photos get rejected

• A background that is too dark, patterned, or shows a visible shadow.
• Head too small in the frame — the most common single failure against ICAO framing.
• Reflections on glasses under the consulate's own lighting check.
• A photo reused from a previous application and now older than six months.
• Prints on ordinary paper rather than photographic stock, which read as soft.

How to make your Schengen Visa (EU) photo

1. 1. Upload a portrait

   A clear, front-facing photo with even lighting. The background is removed automatically.

2. 2. Fit the guides

   The 35×45 mm frame is pre-selected — line your head up with the crown and chin guides.

3. 3. Download or print

   Export the exact size at 300 DPI, or a 6×4 inch sheet of copies for any photo kiosk.

Preguntas frecuentes

Passport photo sizes for other countries