head 70–80 %
Free: cropping, background replacement, check
14-day refund if the authority rejects the photo
SourceCypriot missions (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus) and VFS Global visa centres
Verified
Quick answer: A Cyprus visa photo must be 35 × 45 mm. Plain light grey background without shadows or patterns. Head occupies 70–80% of photo height. Neutral expression, clear lenses only, no glare. Last verified .
Requirements
| Format | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 70–80% of photo height |
| Background | Plain light grey background without shadows or patterns. |
| Pose | Face directly into the camera, no rotation or tilt. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows, overexposure, and reflections not permitted. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| Millimetres | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Centimetres | 3.5 × 4.5 cm |
| Inches | 1.38 × 1.77″ |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 413 × 531 px |
| Pixels at 600 dpi | 827 × 1063 px |
Cyprus issues its own visa (it is in the EU but outside the Schengen area), and the photo rule is written by the mission or the visa centre where you apply, so the pages read give three different sizes. VFS Global in India asks for «2 passport-sized photos, signed on the back, not older than 6 months (35mm x 45mm) in color, with the face covering 70–80 % of the height of the photo and without glasses»; VFS Global in the UAE writes the ICAO-style specification — no more than 6 months old, 35–40 mm in width, head and top of the shoulders so that the face takes up 70–80 %, sharp and high quality, skin tones natural, eyes open and clearly visible with no hair across them, facing square on to the camera; and the High Commission in Pretoria asks for «two recent colour photos sizes 4.13cm x 5.31cm». Most lists ask for two photographs, one of which goes on the visa application form.
A recent colour 35 × 45 mm photo with the face at 70–80 %, a plain white background and no glasses satisfies the first two lists; for Pretoria use the size it names.
Examples and mistakes
A photo that will be accepted, next to the six most common reasons Cyprus visa photos get rejected.
Typical reasons a photo is rejected under the rules Cypriot missions (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus) and VFS Global visa centres publishes: what is wrong and what to change.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| A photo of the wrong size for the list of the mission (35 × 45 mm, a width of 35–40 mm, or 4.13 × 5.31 cm) | Print the size named on the list of your mission or visa centre. |
| A photo older than six months, or black-and-white or retouched | Take a new colour photo within six months, unretouched. |
| Glasses (on the India list), hair across the eyes, a head turned or tilted, or a face outside 70–80 % | Take glasses off, keep the eyes clear and face the camera squarely with the face at 70–80 %. |
How to take it
Background: light grey
The tool puts in the required background. Stand half a metre from a plain light wall, face a window and shoot without flash — then there are no shadows on your face or on the wall.
Head: 70–80 % of the photo height
Camera at eye level, about a metre away; head and shoulders in the shot. The tool crops it to 35 × 45 mm.
Clear lenses only, no glare
If you wear glasses, check the shot: no glare on the lenses, eyes clearly visible.
Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open
Look straight into the lens with your head level; keep hair away from your eyes and eyebrows.
An ordinary selfie will do: we fix the background, light and framing ourselves — to this document's rules. The preview is free.
Head straightHold the phone at eye level and your head straightens by itself.
Face uncoveredMove your hair away so your eyes and eyebrows show.
No glare on glassesStand so that no light reflects in the lenses.Printing and submission
| 10 × 15 cm · 4 × 6″ | 8 (4 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 36 (6 × 6) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
A Cyprus visa is applied for at a Cypriot embassy, high commission or consulate or at its VFS Global visa centre, with the application form, two photographs of the size the list names and the other documents.
The visa page of the mission or the VFS Global Cyprus page of your country
Two colour photos 35 × 45 mm within 6 months (India); 4.13 × 5.31 cm at Pretoria.
Authority page| Authority | Cypriot missions (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus) and VFS Global visa centres |
|---|---|
| Source | Cyprus visa photograph requirements PDF |
| Verified |
Questions
Two colour photos, usually 35 × 45 mm and not older than 6 months, with the face covering 70–80 % of the height, no glasses on the VFS India list, signed on the back; the VFS UAE list gives a width of 35–40 mm with the ICAO-style rules, and the Pretoria High Commission asks for 4.13 × 5.31 cm.
35 × 45 mm on the VFS India list, a width of 35–40 mm on the VFS UAE list and 4.13 × 5.31 cm at the High Commission in Pretoria.
Two on the lists read here (VFS India, Pretoria), one of them attached to the application form.
Cyprus issues its own visa, outside the Schengen area, and its lists give their own sizes; a 35 × 45 mm colour photo with the face at 70–80 % fits the VFS India list.
The Cyprus visa photo must be 35 × 45 mm. The head must occupy 70–80% of the photo height.
Plain light grey background without shadows or patterns. The wall should be evenly lit, with no shadow around the head and no pattern. You don’t need a studio backdrop: the tool sets the right background colour.
Consulates usually ask for a photo taken within the last six months, sometimes within three. Take a new one that looks like you today.
Often yes, but not always: tourist, student, work and transit visas can have different size or background rules. Compare the requirements of each Cyprus visa — if they match, one photo will do.
We refund the payment in full. Email us within 14 days of purchase with your order number and the consulate’s rejection notice.
Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. If you keep them on, tilt them slightly downwards by lifting the arms a little above your ears: this usually moves reflections of a window or lamp off the lenses.
35 × 45 mm = 3.5 × 4.5 cm = 1.38 × 1.77 inches. At 300 dpi that is 413 × 531 pixels; at 600 dpi, 827 × 1063 pixels.
Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. The face must stay fully visible from chin to forehead and on both sides, with no shadow across it.
Yes. The same 35 × 45 mm format and head size apply to: EU blue card, EU long-term residence permit, ID card, national visa (Type D), residence card for family member of an EU citizen.