Passport and Visa Photo Sizes by Country: the 2026 Reference

Why one photo does not fit every country

Passport and visa photos exist so a machine — and a border officer — can check your face against a template. Every issuing authority publishes its own template: the width and height of the photo, the background colour, and how large your head should appear inside it. The dimensions are the easiest requirement to get wrong and the easiest to get right, because they are pure numbers. This guide covers those numbers for the documents people search for most.

Everything below was compiled in October 2026 as a starting reference. Authorities do change their rules, so always confirm against the official page for the exact document you are applying for before you submit.

The 2026 reference table

All background colours above are what these authorities commonly require — never a substitute for the current official notice. The pixel figures assume 300 DPI, the resolution print services and photo studios expect. A 35×45 mm photo saved at a screen's default 72 DPI is a much smaller image; it only becomes print-correct when exported at 300 DPI — exactly what our passport photo maker does.

How to hit any of these sizes at home

Choose the preset for your document — the tool includes 35×45 mm, 2×2 in, 33×48 mm (China) and 50×70 mm (Canada) — frame your face with the locked crop box, and download. The export is a JPEG at 300 DPI with exactly the pixel dimensions from the table: 413×531 for 35×45 mm, 602×602 for the 2×2 inch sizes, 390×567 for China and 591×827 for Canada.

Take the source photo against a plain, light-coloured wall in even daylight, look straight at the camera with a neutral expression and your mouth closed, and keep your head and the tops of your shoulders in the frame. A sharp, well-lit original keeps the 300-DPI export crisp when it is printed.

What the sizes do not cover

Correct dimensions get you past the measuring stage, not the acceptance stage. Authorities also judge the background, the size of your head inside the frame (commonly around 70–80% of the photo's height — check the official figure for your document), your expression, and how recent the photo is. The tool handles dimensions only; the rest is down to you and the official checklist. It does not digitally replace backgrounds, so shoot against a real light wall.

Three mistakes that reject otherwise-perfect photos

• Stretching a photo into the right shape. A distorted face fails instantly — go back and re-crop the source image to the right aspect ratio instead.
• Screenshotting a larger image. Screenshots are low-DPI captures; export at 300 DPI properly and the print quality survives.
• Submitting an old photo. Most authorities want a recent likeness — check the notice for how recent, and take a new one if in doubt.