Passport photo sizes: a reference guide
Photo requirements are specified in millimetres, judged by a human, and change without notice. This is what the numbers mean, how they convert to pixels, and why photos get rejected.
Read this first. Photo requirements are set by each issuing authority and change without notice. The figures below are the widely-published standards and are accurate at the time of writing, but they are a starting point, not authority. Always check the current official specification for your country and document type before submitting. No tool, including ours, can guarantee acceptance.
The three sizes that cover most countries
Despite the apparent variety, the great majority of passport photos worldwide use one of three formats.
35 × 45 mm: the international standard
This is by far the most widely used size. It is the standard across the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Schengen area. India, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa and many others use it too. If you are not sure and you are not American, this is the likely answer, but confirm it.
2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm): the United States
The US uses a square photo for passports and visas. Because it is square, a portrait-oriented crop from a normal photograph always needs recomposing rather than simply resizing. US visa applications submitted online have their own separate pixel requirements, typically a minimum of 600 × 600 px.
33 × 48 mm: China
Chinese passport and visa photos use this slightly narrower, taller format. Online submissions frequently carry their own pixel and file size limits in addition to the physical dimensions.
Other sizes in regular use
| Size | Used for |
|---|---|
| 50 × 70 mm | Canada, Brazil |
| 35 × 40 mm | Some regional ID documents |
| 25 × 35 mm | ID cards, staff badges, some student records |
| 20 × 25 mm | "Stamp size" photos, common on Indian forms |
Converting millimetres to pixels
A digital image has no physical size. It has a pixel count. Physical size only exists once you decide a print resolution. The conversion is:
pixels = millimetres ÷ 25.4 × DPI
So a 35 × 45 mm photo at 300 DPI is 413 × 531 pixels. The same file printed at 150 DPI would come out 70 × 90 mm, twice the intended size and visibly soft. This is why the DPI you print at matters as much as the pixel dimensions you export.
| Physical size | 200 DPI | 300 DPI (standard) | 600 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 × 45 mm | 276 × 354 | 413 × 531 | 827 × 1063 |
| 51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in) | 400 × 400 | 600 × 600 | 1200 × 1200 |
| 33 × 48 mm | 260 × 378 | 390 × 567 | 780 × 1134 |
| 50 × 70 mm | 394 × 551 | 591 × 827 | 1181 × 1654 |
| 25 × 35 mm | 197 × 276 | 295 × 413 | 591 × 827 |
| 20 × 25 mm | 157 × 197 | 236 × 295 | 472 × 591 |
300 DPI is the working standard. Below it, printed photographs look soft and are frequently rejected. Above it there is rarely any benefit unless the authority specifically asks. Our passport photo cropper does this arithmetic for you and outputs at the exact pixel size.
Head size and position
This is where most rejections originate, and it is the part no cropping tool can verify for you. Authorities specify the photo dimensions and how much of the frame your head must occupy.
Typical requirements (again, verify yours):
- Head height (chin to crown) is usually 70-80% of the total photo height. The UK specifies 29-34 mm within a 45 mm photo; the US specifies 25-35 mm within a 51 mm photo.
- Eye position is often specified as a distance from the bottom edge. The US, for example, wants the eyes between 28 mm and 35 mm from the bottom.
- Headroom: a small but visible gap above the hair. The crown should not touch the top edge, and the head should not float in the middle of the frame.
- Centring: face square to the camera, not turned or tilted.
The practical approach is to photograph with more space around the subject than you need, then crop down. Cropping in is always possible; inventing image outside the frame is not.
Why photos get rejected
Dimensions are the easy part and rarely the actual problem. In practice, rejections cluster around a short list.
- Shadows on the face or behind it
- This is the single most common cause. Overhead lighting casts shadows under the eyes and nose; a subject standing close to a wall casts one behind. Light the face evenly from the front and stand at least half a metre from the background.
- The background is not plain or not the right shade
- Most authorities specify plain white, off-white or light grey. Patterned wallpaper, visible corners, furniture edges and colour casts from coloured walls all fail. Colour-key editing can even out a wall that really is plain, but it cannot rescue a busy one.
- Expression or glasses
- Authorities want a neutral expression, mouth closed, with both eyes open and clearly visible. Many countries, including the UK and the US, now refuse photographs wearing glasses at all. Check before assuming yours are acceptable.
- Print quality
- Home printing on plain paper is a frequent failure: ink bleeds, colours shift and the surface is wrong. Use photo paper, or take the file to a print shop.
- The photo is too old
- Most authorities require a photograph taken within the last six months, and one that reflects your current appearance.
- Digital retouching
- Removing blemishes, smoothing skin or reshaping features generally invalidates a photograph. Adjusting brightness and cropping are fine; altering your appearance is not.
Printing at home or at a shop
The cheapest reliable route is to tile several copies onto one standard 6 × 4 inch photo print and cut them out. Any print shop or supermarket kiosk produces 6 × 4 prints for a small sum, on proper photo paper.
At 300 DPI, a 6 × 4 inch sheet fits eight 35 × 45 mm photos, or six US 2 × 2 inch photos. Our passport photo cropper generates that sheet with faint cut guides.
Two things to get right when printing:
- Print at 100% scale. Never "fit to page" or "shrink to fit". Those silently resize everything and your carefully calculated millimetres stop being millimetres.
- Ask for a standard photo print, not a document print on plain paper.
If you are submitting digitally instead, check whether the portal caps file size as well as dimensions. Many do, and our file size reducer will hit a specific byte target without you guessing at quality settings.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a passport photo in pixels?
It depends on the print resolution, because a digital image has no inherent physical size. A 35 × 45 mm photo is 413 × 531 px at 300 DPI, or 827 × 1063 px at 600 DPI. A US 2 × 2 inch photo is 600 × 600 px at 300 DPI.
Can I take a passport photo with my phone?
Yes, and modern phone cameras are more than sharp enough. The difficulty is lighting, background and head position, not the camera. Use even front lighting, stand well away from a plain wall, and have someone else take it so the framing is straight.
Does my passport photo have to be printed professionally?
It has to meet the authority's print quality standard, which usually means photo paper rather than plain paper. A 6 × 4 inch print from any shop or kiosk is normally sufficient and inexpensive.
How recent does a passport photo need to be?
Most authorities require one taken within the last six months that reflects your current appearance. If your appearance has changed significantly, use a newer photo regardless of the date.
Can I wear glasses in a passport photo?
Increasingly, no. The UK and the US both now generally refuse photographs wearing glasses. Where they are permitted, frames must not obscure the eyes and there must be no glare or reflection. Check your authority's current rule rather than assuming.