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Reference

Passport photo sizes by country

Every size we hold, in millimetres, inches and pixels, each one taken from the issuing authority's own published requirements, with the date it was last checked.

The short answer

35×45 mm (1.38×1.77 in, or 413×531 px at 300 DPI) is the most common passport photo size in the world. It covers 32 of the 58 documents we list, across 19 countries. The significant exception is the United States, which uses 2×2 inches (51×51 mm, 600×600 px), square where nearly everywhere else is portrait. It is not US-only: 5 documents here use that square format, including India's OCI card, whose spec differs from India's own passport. A further 9 publish no print size at all and exist only as a digital file.

Size alone never settles it. Two countries can share 35×45 mm and still disagree on head height, background colour and glasses, so treat the table below as the starting point, not the whole specification.

Sizes at a glance

Size (mm)InchesPixels @300 DPIDocuments
35×45 mm1.38×1.77 in413×531 px32 · 19 countries
50.8×50.8 mm2.00×2.00 in600×600 px5 · 2 countries
50×70 mm1.97×2.76 in591×827 px3 · 2 countries
26×32 mm1.02×1.26 in307×378 px3 · 1 country
33×48 mm1.30×1.89 in390×567 px2 · 1 country
30×40 mm1.18×1.57 in354×472 px1 · 1 country
40×50 mm1.57×1.97 in472×591 px1 · 1 country
31×39 mm1.22×1.54 in366×461 px1 · 1 country
50×60 mm1.97×2.36 in591×709 px1 · 1 country

Pixel figures are the print size converted at 300 DPI. Where an authority publishes its own pixel requirement, that one wins. The exact sizes are below.

Every document, grouped by size

Follow any document for its full specification, the official source and the date we last verified it.

35×45 mm · 1.38×1.77 in · 413×531 px

Digital only, no published print size

50.8×50.8 mm · 2.00×2.00 in · 600×600 px

50×70 mm · 1.97×2.76 in · 591×827 px

26×32 mm · 1.02×1.26 in · 307×378 px

33×48 mm · 1.30×1.89 in · 390×567 px

30×40 mm · 1.18×1.57 in · 354×472 px

40×50 mm · 1.57×1.97 in · 472×591 px

31×39 mm · 1.22×1.54 in · 366×461 px

50×60 mm · 1.97×2.36 in · 591×709 px

Where close doesn't count

Most authorities publish a print size and let you work out the pixels. These 5 publish an exact pixel size that the submission portal enforces mechanically. A file one pixel out is refused without a human ever seeing it.

File size limits, including the ones with a floor

Almost everyone publishes a maximum file size. 13 of the documents we list also publish a minimum, and both bounds are enforced, so compressing hard "to be safe" is its own way to fail. China's passport is the tightest window at 20–80 KB.

DocumentAllowed file size
United Kingdom · UK Passport50–10240 KB
India · India Passport (Passport Seva)10–250 KB
Canada · Canada Visitor Visa (TRV)60–240 KB
Brazil · Brazil Passaporte250–10240 KB
China · China Passport (NIA)20–80 KB
China · China Visa (COVA)40–120 KB
New Zealand · New Zealand Passport250–5120 KB
Australia · Australia Citizenship Application70–3584 KB
United Kingdom · UK Visa & Immigration Photo50–6144 KB
India · India e-Visa10–1024 KB
Saudi Arabia · Saudi Arabia e-Visa5–100 KB
Estonia · Estonia Passport1024–5120 KB
Estonia · Estonia ID Card1024–5120 KB

Size is the easy part

Getting the dimensions right is arithmetic. What actually causes refusals is head height outside the permitted band, an uneven background, shadow, or a file that has been edited somewhere that forbids it. The free check measures all of that against your exact document, in your browser, without uploading the photo.

58 documents across 29 destinations. Every figure is taken from the issuing authority's published requirements; each document page shows its source and verification date.

Questions

What size is a passport photo?

There is no single answer, but 35×45 mm (1.38×1.77 inches) is by far the most common. It covers 32 of the 58 documents we list, across 19 countries. The main exception is the United States, which uses 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) square. At 300 DPI, 35×45 mm is 413×531 pixels and 2×2 inches is 600×600 pixels.

What size is a US passport photo?

2×2 inches, or 51×51 mm, square where almost everywhere else is portrait. For digital submission the file must be at least 600×600 pixels. The head must measure 50–69% of the frame height, which is a lower band than the 70–80% most 35×45 mm documents use, so a photo cropped for a European document will usually fail in the US and vice versa.

Is 35×45 mm the same as 2×2 inches?

No, and they are not interchangeable. 2×2 inches is 51×51 mm and square; 35×45 mm is portrait with a 7:9 ratio. Cropping one to the other changes how much of the frame your head fills, which is measured separately and is one of the most common reasons a photo is refused.

What size is a passport photo in pixels?

It depends on whether the authority publishes a pixel spec at all. Most state a print size and leave the pixels to you: at 300 DPI, 35×45 mm is 413×531 px and 2×2 inches is 600×600 px. 5 of the documents we list publish an exact pixel size that their portal enforces, rejecting anything else, including US Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery at 600×600.

Can I use one photo for several countries?

Sometimes, but check before assuming. Even where two countries share 35×45 mm, they can differ on head height, background colour and whether glasses are allowed. France rejects white backgrounds, New Zealand requires a light background that is specifically not white, and head bands vary between roughly 64% and 80% of the frame.

How we handle compliance

  • We check your photo against the official rules. We never retouch your face, and we only normalize the background where the destination country permits it.
  • Every requirement is cited from official government sources, with the verification date shown on the page.
  • What you get is a report of measurements, not a guarantee. Final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.