OpenPhotoId · Documents
Schengen visa photo: size and requirements, checked in your browser
A Schengen visa photo is 35 × 45 mm, taken no more than three months before you apply, with the face filling 70–80% of the photo (32–36 mm) on a white or off-white background. Those are the rules German missions publish; the EU Visa Code sets the standard, and other Schengen countries’ missions publish their own pages. OpenPhotoId is a free passport photo maker that makes the Schengen visa photo on your own device and checks it before you download or print it. No sign-up, no watermark, and nothing is uploaded.
Schengen visa photo size and requirements
These are the photo rules in the visa FAQ of the German missions in the United Kingdom [1], checked on 26 October 2026. The numbers in the last column point to the sources at the end of the page.
| Rule | What the German missions ask for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Size | printed on photo quality paper, 35 × 45 mm | [1] |
| Taken | recent: no older than three months | [1] |
| Face | 70–80% of the photo, a height of 32–36 mm | [1] |
| Pose | full-face view, directly facing the camera; neutral expression, both eyes open | [1] |
| Background | white or off-white | [1] |
| Glasses | permitted as long as the frames do not cover any part of the eyes | [1] |
| Head covering | none that hides the hair or hairline; religious face coverings are acceptable if the face is fully visible and unshadowed | [1] |
| Not accepted | photos copied or scanned from a driving licence or another official document | [1] |
| Standard | the Visa Code: technical requirements as in ICAO Doc 9303 | [2] |
The German missions also say a photo machine is available at the Embassy in London and at the TLScontact visa application centre (four photos for £10) [1]. Every entry the app supports, with its official page, is on the supported documents list.
One Visa Code, a page for each country
The EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, asks every applicant to present a photograph (Article 10) and lists it among the biometric identifiers, “a photograph, scanned or taken at the time of application” (Article 13). It sets the photo’s technical requirements by the ICAO standard, Doc 9303 Part 1 [2]. It does not print a size or a background colour itself.
The figures above are Germany’s. Missions of the other Schengen countries publish their own photo pages, and OpenPhotoId has not checked them one by one. If you apply to another country, read the photo page of that country’s embassy or visa centre before you print your Schengen visa photo.
What the app makes for a Schengen visa photo
- A 413 × 531 px JPEG, which is 35 × 45 mm at 300 dpi.
- A white background. The app replaces the background with white for this document; you can choose another option under Background.
- The face at 32–36 mm: the head-height check uses 71.1–80% of the photo height, the German missions’ 32–36 mm on a 45 mm photo.
- Glasses are allowed, and the Glasses check reminds you to keep the lenses clear and free of glare.
- Twelve checks run on the finished file: face count, head height, eye line, centring, head tilt, glasses, distance between the eyes, sharpness, even lighting, background, size in pixels and file size.
Printing the Schengen visa photo
A Schengen visa photo is handed in on paper, so the web app tiles it on a 4×6, 5×7, A4 or Letter sheet with cutting guides: 8 photos on a 4×6 in sheet, 10 on 5×7 in, 32 on A4 and 30 on Letter. The German missions ask for photo quality paper, so print the sheet at a photo shop or on a photo printer, at actual size, not “Fit to page”, and measure one photo before you cut: it should be 35 mm wide. More on printing the sheet at actual size.
Before you submit a Schengen visa photo
- Face the camera straight on, with a neutral expression and both eyes open.
- If you wear glasses, make sure the frames sit clear of your eyes.
- Stand a little away from a plain wall, so no shadow falls behind your head, in even light.
- Use a photo taken in the last three months.
- A pass from the app is not an acceptance. The mission or visa centre still checks every photo.
Taking the Schengen visa photo yourself? See how to take a passport photo at home, and which documents need a white background.
Questions
What size is a Schengen visa photo?
35 × 45 mm, printed on photo quality paper, with the face taking up 70–80% of the photo, which is 32–36 mm. These are the German missions’ figures; other Schengen countries publish their own pages.
Is the Schengen visa photo the same for every Schengen country?
The Visa Code sets the technical standard for all of them (ICAO Doc 9303), but each country’s missions publish their own photo page. OpenPhotoId follows the German missions’ page. Check the page of the country you apply to.
Can I wear glasses in a Schengen visa photo?
The German missions permit glasses as long as the frames do not cover any part of the eyes. Taking them off avoids glare.
Does OpenPhotoId upload my photo?
No. The face detector and the matting model run in your browser, so the photo never leaves your device, and after the first visit the app works offline.
Free, private, and on every device
Every feature is free, with no account and no watermark. It runs in any modern browser, on desktop or phone, and there are apps for macOS, Windows and Android; the iPhone and iPad download is coming back soon. The source is on GitLab under MIT or Apache-2.0.
Sources, checked 26 October 2026
- German Missions in the United Kingdom: Visa FAQ, “Are there specific requirements for my passport photographs?”
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), Article 10(3)(c) and Article 13.