Visa photo size and requirements by country (2026)

A visa photo is not a portrait, it is a biometric identification photo. Authorities compare it against your passport and the picture taken at the border, so dimensions, head size, background and expression are precisely defined.

That is also why countries differ: each system is calibrated to its own measurements. A photo the Finnish police accepts is often the wrong size for an Indian or Chinese application.

For a Russian visa the photo is 35×45 mm on a white background. The same 35×45 mm size also works for Thailand. China requires 33×48 mm with a tightly defined head size.

India and the United States use the square 51×51 mm (2×2 in) format. A Turkish visa needs an unusually large 50×60 mm photo. For the Finnish passport and residence permit (Migri) the size is 36×47 mm, delivered today as an electronic photo code straight into the police system.

The full size table is on our photo service page, and rarer countries are covered on request.

Beyond dimensions, the background (almost always pure white), head height relative to the frame, neutral expression and a straight gaze are checked. Glasses are banned or heavily restricted in many countries, and the head must be uncovered except for religious headwear.

Recency is its own rule: most countries accept a photo no older than 6 months. Applying with an old passport photo is a common rejection reason.

In a self-taken photo the head size rarely lands in the required range, the background is uneven and lighting leaves shadows. Automated checks reject such photos and processing starts over.

At our office the photo is taken directly to the destination's dimensions and background rules, printed on the spot and, if we handle your application, attached straight to it.