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Passport and ID photo sizes by country, from official sources

Photo sizes for passports and ID cards in France, Germany, the UK, the US, Canada, Italy, Spain and more, with head size, background colour and digital file limits.

· 8 min read

Every country sets its own size for a passport or ID photo, and a photo that is a few millimetres off is an easy way to have an application sent back. The numbers below were read on official government pages, not on photo-booth or printing sites, and each row says where the figure comes from. They were checked on 11 October 2026; authorities change their rules, so open the linked page before you pay for prints.

The quickest route here: Passport & ID Photo Maker crops a photo to a chosen size at 300 dpi, shows a guide for where the head should sit, and prints a sheet of copies. The sizes 35 × 45 mm, 51 × 51 mm, 33 × 48 mm and 50 × 70 mm are built in, and any other size can be typed in. It runs in your browser, so the picture is not uploaded.

Sizes at a glance

Sizes are width × height. "Head" is the distance from the chin to the top of the head, as each authority defines it.

Country Document Photo size Head Background
France Passport, ID card 35 × 45 mm 32–36 mm Plain, light; white is forbidden
Germany Passport, ID card 35 × 45 mm 32–36 mm Plain, light; neutral grey preferred
Switzerland Passport, ID card 35 × 45 mm 29–34 mm Plain, neutral, no shadows
United Kingdom Passport (printed photo) 35 × 45 mm 29–34 mm Plain cream or light grey
Italy Passport 35 × 45 mm 70–80 % of the photo White
Italy Electronic ID card (CIE) 35 mm wide, at least 45 mm high 70–80 % of the height Plain; light blue, beige, light brown, light grey or white
Spain Passport, DNI 32 × 26 mm Not measured; whole face visible Plain white
Tunisia Passport 35 × 45 mm Not stated White
United States Passport 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) 1 to 1⅜ in (25–35 mm) White or off-white
Canada Passport (printed photo) 50 × 70 mm 31–36 mm Plain white or light
India Passport (printed photo) 35 × 45 mm Not stated Plain white
Australia Passport 35–40 × 45–50 mm 32–36 mm Plain white or light grey
Japan Passport 35 × 45 mm 34 mm ± 2 Plain, light; white recommended
China Passport 33 × 48 mm 28–33 mm White
Schengen visa Short-stay visa 35–40 mm wide 70–80 % of the photo Plain, light

Notes by country

France. The same public-service page covers passport and ID card: 35 × 45 mm, face 32 to 36 mm from chin to top of the head, hair excluded, a photo less than six months old, colour strongly recommended. It says plainly that a white background is forbidden, which surprises people who have a white-background photo from another country. Service-public.gouv.fr, page marked as verified on 8 October 2026.

Germany. The German foreign office's embassy pages give 35 × 45 mm, face 32 to 36 mm (70 to 80 % of the image), plain light background, ideally neutral grey, printed at 600 dpi or more on quality paper. These are embassy pages, not the interior ministry's own photo chart, which we could not open. Example: German embassy in Madrid.

Switzerland. The federal police's photo chart gives 35 × 45 mm, face 29 to 34 mm, plain neutral background without shadows, colour or black and white, on photo paper. For passports, the same office says a colour digital photo is required. The chart itself is undated, so check fedpol for the current version.

United Kingdom. For a paper application, 35 × 45 mm with the head 29 to 34 mm and a plain cream or light grey background, two identical prints, taken within the last month. Online applications use a digital photo instead: at least 600 × 750 pixels, 50 KB to 10 MB, and the service does the cropping. GOV.UK photo requirements.

Italy. The foreign ministry's passport guidance gives 35 × 45 mm, face 70 to 80 % of the photo, white background, taken within six months. The interior ministry's page for the electronic ID card differs: 35 mm wide and at least 45 mm high, eyes 23 to 31 mm above the bottom edge, and several background colours accepted. Photos can be printed, or supplied on a USB stick as a JPG of at least 400 dpi and at most 500 KB. Ministry of the Interior, CIE and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Spain. The Ministry of the Interior's passport page and the DNI page both give 32 × 26 mm on a plain white background, in colour, with the whole face visible. They do not say which side is the width, and a 2017 consular notice quotes different numbers, so confirm with your office before printing. Ministerio del Interior.

Tunisia. For a passport, the national portal asks for four photos of 3.5 × 4.5 cm on a white background. For the ID card it asks for three photos on a white or light background, but the size is printed in a way we could not read reliably. Idaraty.tn.

United States. Passport: 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), head 1 to 1⅜ inches, white or off-white background, a printed photo on photo paper, taken within six months. Photocopies and scans are refused. For a visa application filed online, the digital photo is a JPEG, square, 600 × 600 pixels, at most 240 KB. Passport photos and visa photos.

Canada. Printed photos are 50 × 70 mm with the face 31 to 36 mm, two identical prints, professionally printed. For an online renewal, the digital photo is a JPEG in portrait at least 1,800 × 1,200 pixels, 200 KB to 5 MB, with the face 45 to 50 % of the height. Canada.ca.

India. The passport application booklet asks for a printed colour photo of 4.5 cm high by 3.5 cm wide on a plain white background. Indian embassies publish a digital specification of 630 × 810 pixels, with the face about 80 to 85 % of the photo and a file of at most 250 KB. Those pixel figures come from embassy pages, not from the passport portal itself. Embassy of India, Bern.

Australia. Between 35 and 40 mm wide and 45 and 50 mm high, face 32 to 36 mm, plain white or light grey background, two colour prints. The page recommends against online photo apps. passports.gov.au.

Japan. The foreign ministry's photo page is the reference; the sizes appear in its PDF and in the Japanese embassy's copy: 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, face 34 mm plus or minus 2, taken within six months, plain light background. MOFA.

China. Chinese consulates abroad give 33 × 48 mm, head width 15 to 22 mm and height 28 to 33 mm, white background, taken within six months. These are consulate pages, not a central ministry page. Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles.

Schengen visa. The European Commission's page only requires a photo that follows the ICAO standard and links to a guide: 35 to 40 mm wide, face 70 to 80 % of the photo, plain light background, taken within six months. Each consulate can add its own rules, so look at the page of the one you apply to. European Commission.

Brazil. For adults, the Federal Police takes the picture at the appointment, so no photo is brought. A printed 5 × 7 photo on a white background is requested only for children under five. Polícia Federal.

Countries we could not confirm

Morocco, Algeria, Portugal and Mexico are missing from the table on purpose: their official pages could not be opened by our checks, and we do not publish figures copied from photo-booth sites. For Belgium, the interior ministry's criteria give a face of 70 to 80 % of the photo on a plain light background but no size in millimetres. If you apply in one of these countries, use the photo specification on your authority's own website or ask the office that takes the application.

How to make a photo that fits

  1. Take the picture facing the camera, in even light, with a neutral expression, both eyes open and the face sharp.
  2. Crop to the size above, keeping the head within the range given. Passport & ID Photo Maker shows a guide for that, and Crop image does the plain crop.
  3. For a digital upload, match the pixel and file-size limit. Resize image sets exact pixels and Resize image in KB brings the file under a size cap.
  4. For prints, choose the sheet size. A 10 × 15 cm sheet takes four 35 × 45 mm photos.

Questions people ask

Can I use the same photo for every country? Not reliably. A 35 × 45 mm photo fits many European documents, but France forbids a white background, the United States wants a square photo, and Canada's is 50 × 70 mm.

Is a photo taken with a phone accepted? For printed photos, most authorities want a professional print on photo paper. For digital applications, a phone photo can be accepted if it meets the pixel, file and background rules. The authority's page decides.

Can I print passport photos at home? Canada says home printing is refused. The United Kingdom asks for plain white photo paper, and Australia asks for thermal dye-sublimation prints rather than inkjet, so a home printer is unlikely to qualify. Check the page for your country.

Why does the head size matter? Each authority gives a range for the face, and a photo outside it can be sent back even when the overall size is right.

Next steps

Tools used in this guide

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