Schengen Visa Photo — 35×45 mm
One photo format serves 29 Schengen states, but its head-height rule is the tallest going: 32–36 mm, or 70 to 80 percent of the frame. This checker measures your photo against the ICAO geometry the consulates apply, verifies background evenness, and crops to print-perfect 35×45 — free, on-device.
Loading the tool…
How it works
- Drop a recent front-facing photo against a plain light background.
- Confirm the crown line; the head band here is taller than most countries'.
- Read the measurements — head height is where Schengen applications fail.
- Export for print at 600 DPI and make two identical copies.
Worth knowing
The Schengen photo is the ICAO 9303 portrait applied with continental strictness: 35×45 mm, head filling 70–80% of the height — a band whose floor, 32 mm, is higher than the UK's ceiling. Photos framed to feel natural, with air above the hair, routinely measure 28–30 mm and fail. If one number on this page deserves your attention, it is the measured head height.
Background guidance across member states converges on plain light grey as the preference, with uniform lighting and no shadow lines; some consulates accept white, few accept anything darker. The check here reports your backdrop's measured colour family and its evenness in ΔE terms, which catches the sidelight shadow that eyes adapted to the room cannot see.
What Schengen does not have is a single digital-file specification. Requirements for pixel dimensions and byte limits vary by member state and by the visa centre (VFS, TLS, BLS) handling your application — some want uploads, most still want two identical 35×45 prints on photographic paper at 600 DPI or better. This page deliberately does not invent a universal upload spec where none exists; check the consulate handling your file, and use the print export here, which is the constant across all of them.
The two-identical-prints requirement is where the print-sheet tool earns its place: tile the exported photo onto one 10×15 cm sheet, print it at any photo kiosk for less than a coffee, and cut along the marks — six identical, regulation copies from a single print.
The Schengen head-height floor of 32 mm is taller than the UK's 34 mm ceiling allows at its top end — the same physical photo can simultaneously pass UK rules and fail Schengen ones, which is why one "European" photo does not fit all.
What this tool will not do
- It will not state a universal digital upload size — none exists across Schengen; the consulate or visa centre handling your application sets its own.
- It will not simulate photographic paper: consulates expect prints on photo stock, not office-paper printouts.
Schengen visa photo requirements (ICAO 9303; verify uploads with your consulate)
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 × 45 mm, two identical copies |
| Head height | 32–36 mm — 70–80% of frame height |
| Background | Plain light grey preferred; uniform, no shadows |
| Print quality | Colour, photographic paper, ≥ 600 DPI |
| Recency | Within 6 months |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, eyes to camera |
| Glasses | Only if eyes fully visible; no tint or glare |
| Digital spec | Varies by member state and visa centre — no single rule |
Questions people ask
Is the Schengen photo the same for all member countries?
The printed 35×45 ICAO format is shared, so one compliant photo works across the area. Digital submission specs are not harmonised — each consulate or visa centre defines its own upload rules where uploads exist at all.
Why do Schengen applications fail on head size so often?
Because 70–80% of frame is much tighter framing than a natural portrait. Most casual photos measure under the 32 mm floor. Measure before you print — that is this page's whole purpose.
White or grey background for a Schengen visa?
Light neutral grey is the safest choice and the stated preference in consolidated guidance; some consulates accept white. Whatever the colour, evenness matters — the ΔE check here flags gradients and shadows.
How many photos do I need?
Two identical prints is the standard ask; some centres take one and scan it. Print a tiled sheet and you have spares for the next application, since the format recurs.
Can I use the same photo for a French visa and a German one?
Yes, if it is inside its six-month validity at each application — the format is common. What you cannot reuse is an old photo: recency is checked against the application date.
Usually the next step
More in Document & ID Photos
This page processed nothing on any server — there is no server. The technical explanation.