Passport & ID Photo Size Guide by Country (US 2×2, Schengen 35×45, India)
Every country sets its own rules for passport and ID photos, and the details are unforgiving — the wrong dimensions, a background that is not plain enough, or a face that sits too small in the frame are the usual reasons a photo is sent back. Getting it right the first time starts with knowing the exact size your authority wants, then cropping to it precisely.
This guide lists the common photo sizes for the US, the Schengen area, India, the UK, and Canada, explains the background-colour and DPI rules that trip people up, and shows how to make a compliant photo yourself. Treat the figures as representative starting points and always confirm the current official specification before you submit — the rules change, and small differences between visa, passport, and national-ID categories are common.
What an ID photo specification actually covers
Behind every requirement are three separate things, and your photo has to satisfy all of them at once. Physical size is the print dimensions — 35 × 45 mm or 2 × 2 inches — and, for a digital upload, the equivalent in pixels. Head size is how much of that frame your face fills, usually given as a chin-to-crown measurement or a percentage of the height. Background is the colour and how plain and shadow-free it must be.
A fourth, quieter set of rules governs the photo itself: a neutral expression, both eyes open, even lighting, usually no glasses, and taken recently — often within the last six months. These matter as much as the measurements and are just as likely to cause a rejection.
Tip. The single most common mistake is head size, not overall dimensions. A photo can be exactly 35 × 45 mm and still be refused because the face is too small or sits too low in the frame.
Common passport photo sizes by country
The world roughly splits into two size families: the 2 × 2 inch square used by the United States and several countries that follow its visa rules, and the 35 × 45 mm portrait used across Europe and much of Asia. Representative specifications (confirm against your own authority):
United States: 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), or 600 × 600 pixels for a digital upload, on a plain white or off-white background. The head should measure roughly 25–35 mm (1 to 1⅜ inches) from chin to crown, and glasses are not permitted.
Schengen area (most of Europe): 35 × 45 mm with a light-grey or off-white background and the face filling about 70–80% of the height. Many Schengen countries now expect a biometric-standard photo.
India: 35 × 45 mm with a plain white background for passport applications; many Indian online portals additionally want a specific pixel size such as 200 × 230 px inside a tight KB range for the upload.
United Kingdom: 35 × 45 mm printed, on a plain cream or light-grey background, with the head between about 29 and 34 mm from chin to crown.
Canada: a larger 50 × 70 mm (2 × 2¾ inches) with a plain white background, the head 31–36 mm, and the photographer's name and the date printed on the back.
Even within one country the size can differ between a passport, a visa, and a national ID card, so read the specification for the exact document you are applying for.
Background colour rules
Almost every authority wants a plain, uniform, shadow-free background — but the exact colour varies. The US and India generally require white or off-white; the Schengen area and the UK usually prefer a light grey or cream, because pure white can wash out against pale skin or clothing. Some exam and ID portals ask for a light-blue background instead.
If your photo was taken against a busy or coloured wall, you do not have to reshoot. Use Remove Background to cut out the subject and drop in a clean white, grey, or light-blue backdrop, then crop to size. Keep it honest — replace only the background, never edit your face — and check that a replaced background is allowed, as a few authorities require an otherwise unedited photo.
DPI and pixels: printing versus uploading
A physical size like 35 × 45 mm only becomes a number of pixels once you fix the resolution. Print photos are typically 300 DPI (dots per inch), so a 35 × 45 mm photo works out to roughly 413 × 531 pixels, and a US 2 × 2 inch photo at 300 DPI is 600 × 600 pixels — which is exactly why the US digital standard is 600 × 600.
For printing, the file also has to carry the right DPI metadata so the lab prints it at the intended physical size. PDF AutoPilot's Passport Photo Maker writes real DPI metadata into the file, so a 35 × 45 mm photo saved at 300 or 600 DPI prints at exactly that size.
Tip. For a digital upload, the pixel dimensions and the file size in KB are what matter, not DPI. For a printed photo, DPI is what pins the image to the correct physical size.
Make a compliant photo in PDF AutoPilot
You can turn an ordinary front-facing photo into a passport-size one in a couple of steps, entirely in your browser. Start with a sharp, well-lit shot against a plain wall, facing the camera with a neutral expression.
- 1If the background isn't plain, open Remove Background and drop in a white, light-grey, or light-blue backdrop.
- 2Open the Passport Photo Maker and pick your country's size — US/India 2 × 2 in, Schengen 35 × 45 mm, or a custom size in millimetres.
- 3Drag and zoom the photo until your head sits between the guide lines for the correct chin-to-crown height.
- 4Download a single photo at the exact pixel size and DPI, or a print-ready 4 × 6 in / A4 sheet with cut lines.
Tip. Positioning is manual by design — line your head up with the on-screen guides rather than trusting automatic cropping, which often places the face too high or too low for the specification.
Digital uploads: pixels and file size
Online applications add their own constraints on top of the physical size: an exact pixel dimension and a maximum — sometimes also a minimum — file size in KB. The US Diversity Visa lottery, for example, wants a 600 × 600 pixel JPEG under a strict KB cap, while Indian government portals commonly ask for 200 × 230 pixels inside a 20–50 KB window.
When a form specifies pixels and KB rather than millimetres, use the Exam Photo Resizer to hit both exactly — it resizes to the precise pixels and searches JPEG quality until the file lands inside the KB range. For the full method on hitting a KB target without wrecking quality, see the companion guide on resizing photos for exam and government forms.