August 3, 2026 · 9 min
Passport Photo Size Guide: Exact Dimensions by Country (mm, cm, pixels)
The standard passport photo size is 35x45mm (3.5x4.5cm), used by the UK, EU, Australia, India, China, Pakistan, and most of the world, while the United States uses a square 2x2 inches (51x51mm). At 300 DPI the 35x45mm size works out to 413x531 pixels, and the US 2x2in size to 600x600 pixels. Beyond the outer dimensions, every country also fixes how tall your head must appear, the background color, and your expression, and online application forms usually cap the file size in kilobytes. This guide gives you the exact numbers in mm, cm, and pixels by country, plus the head-height and file rules that cause most rejections.
The direct answer: standard sizes by country
Two formats cover almost every passport application worldwide. The 35x45mm portrait rectangle is the international default; the US 2x2 inch square is the main exception, shared by a few countries that follow the US standard.
Print these at the exact millimeter size and you will meet the physical spec. For online uploads, use the pixel equivalents further down.
- 35x45mm (3.5x4.5cm): UK, EU/Schengen, Australia, New Zealand, India (Indian passport), China, Pakistan, Nigeria, most of the world
- 2x2in (51x51mm): United States, and applications following the US standard (e.g. US visa photos)
- 50x50mm: some Canadian and other square-format uses (check the specific authority)
- Canada uses 50x70mm: one of the few larger portrait formats, with a 31-36mm chin-to-crown head height
Passport photo size in pixels (at 300 DPI)
For online applications you submit a digital file, so pixels matter more than millimeters. Passport authorities specify photos at 300 DPI, which fixes the pixel dimensions for each physical size. The conversion is pixels = millimeters divided by 25.4 times 300.
If your camera or phone photo is larger, crop and resize the image to the exact pixel dimensions required, or set the physical size directly when you resize by millimeters.
- 35x45mm at 300 DPI: 413x531 pixels (the most common online requirement)
- 35x45mm at 600 DPI: 826x1063 pixels (some forms ask for higher)
- US 2x2in at 300 DPI: 600x600 pixels (US minimum; up to 1200x1200 accepted)
- 50x70mm (Canada) at 300 DPI: 590x826 pixels
- India online (Indian passport) commonly accepts around 4.5x3.5cm: 531x413 or a square crop per the portal
Head height and positioning rules
Getting the outer size right is only half the job, the face must fill a precise portion of the frame. Head height is measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head (crown), and every authority sets a target range. Photos are rejected far more often for wrong head size or position than for wrong outer dimensions.
Center your face, look straight at the camera, keep the head level, and leave a small even margin above the hair.
- UK / EU (35x45mm): head 29-34mm chin to crown (about 70-80% of the frame height)
- US (2x2in): head 25-35mm (1-1.375in), roughly 50-69% of the frame; eyes 1.125-1.375in from the bottom
- Australia: face 32-36mm chin to crown
- India: face should cover about 70-80% of the photo, centered
- Keep both eyes open, visible, and level; no hair covering the eyes
Background and expression requirements
Almost every country now requires a plain, light, uniform background and a neutral expression. Busy or colored backgrounds, shadows behind the head, and smiling are among the top rejection reasons.
Shoot against an evenly lit off-white or light-grey wall, face the light source to avoid shadows, and keep a relaxed, mouth-closed expression. Stand roughly half a metre from the wall so your body does not cast a shadow behind your head, and use soft, diffused daylight rather than direct flash, which flattens features and creates hotspots on the forehead and nose.
- Background: plain white or light grey, uniform, no patterns, no shadows (US and UK both specify a plain white/off-white background)
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight at the camera
- No glasses in most countries now (US bans glasses since 2016; UK strongly discourages)
- No head coverings except for religious or medical reasons, and the full face must still be visible
- Even lighting, no harsh shadows on the face or behind the head, no red-eye, no flash glare
File-size limits on online forms
Online passport and visa portals cap the upload file size, and this catches people out because a 413x531 photo straight from a phone crop can still be several megabytes. You must compress the JPEG to fit the byte limit without dropping below the required pixel dimensions.
The fix is to lower the JPEG quality, not the pixel dimensions, until the file drops under the cap. Reducing quality from 100% to around 70-80% typically cuts a passport JPEG to a fraction of its size with no visible loss at this small print size. Compress to a target kilobyte size while keeping the exact pixels intact by using a tool that lets you compress an image to a specific KB target. Typical online limits:
- US State Department online (DS-160 / passport): 240 KB max, JPEG, 600x600 to 1200x1200 px
- India Passport Seva: often 10 KB to a few hundred KB depending on the form section
- UK online passport: accepts larger files but needs at least 600x750 px and good quality
- Schengen visa portals: commonly 50 KB to 1 MB depending on the country's system
- Always compress after cropping/resizing, so you preserve the required pixel dimensions
How to make a compliant passport photo
You can produce a spec-perfect passport photo from a normal head-and-shoulders photo in a few steps, entirely in your browser, nothing is uploaded, which matters for an ID photo. Start from a well-lit, front-facing shot against a plain light wall.
The fastest route is a dedicated maker that crops to the right ratio, positions the head, and outputs the correct size for your country. If you need to fine-tune afterwards, resize and compress to the exact pixel and KB targets.
- Generate a country-correct crop and layout with the passport photo maker
- Set the exact physical size (35x45mm etc.) via resize by millimeters
- Hit an exact pixel target (413x531, 600x600) with resize by pixels
- Shrink the JPEG under the form's limit using compress to KB
Quick checklist before you submit
Run through this list to avoid the most common rejections. A minute of checking beats a rejected application.
- Correct outer size for your country (35x45mm or 2x2in)
- Correct pixel dimensions at 300 DPI (413x531 or 600x600)
- Head height inside the required chin-to-crown range
- Plain light background, no shadows, even lighting
- Neutral expression, eyes open, no glasses, head level
- File under the portal's KB limit, saved as JPEG
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard passport photo size?
35x45mm (3.5x4.5cm) for most countries including the UK, EU, Australia, India, China, and Pakistan. The United States is the main exception at 2x2 inches (51x51mm). At 300 DPI these equal 413x531 pixels and 600x600 pixels respectively.
What is the passport photo size in pixels?
A 35x45mm photo at 300 DPI is 413x531 pixels, and a US 2x2in photo at 300 DPI is 600x600 pixels. For higher-DPI forms, 35x45mm at 600 DPI becomes 826x1063 pixels.
What size is a US passport photo?
2x2 inches (51x51mm), square. Digitally that is 600x600 pixels minimum at 300 DPI, up to 1200x1200, saved as a JPEG under 240 KB with the head between 1 and 1.375 inches (50-69% of the frame).
How tall should the head be in a passport photo?
It depends on the country. UK and EU require 29-34mm chin to crown (about 70-80% of the frame), while the US requires 25-35mm (roughly 50-69%). Wrong head height is one of the most common rejection reasons.
What background color is required for a passport photo?
A plain, uniform white or light-grey background with no patterns and no shadows. Combine that with even lighting, a neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open, and no glasses in most countries.
What is the maximum file size for an online passport photo?
It varies by portal. The US State Department caps uploads at 240 KB, India's Passport Seva often needs a few KB to a few hundred KB, and Schengen portals typically allow 50 KB to 1 MB. Compress to fit after cropping, keeping the required pixel dimensions.
Can I make a passport photo from a regular photo?
Yes. Start with a well-lit, front-facing shot against a plain light wall, then crop to the correct ratio, position the head, and output the exact size and pixel count for your country. A passport photo maker automates the crop and layout.
Tools used in this guide
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