head 70–80 %
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14-day refund if the authority rejects the photo
SourceMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Greece — Greek embassies and consulates (mfa.gr)
Verified
Quick answer: The recommended Greece visa photo size is 35 × 45 mm. Plain light background without textures or noticeable gradients. 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 background without textures or noticeable gradients. |
| Pose | Strictly full face, head without rotation or tilt, shoulders level. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Sunglasses and heavily tinted glasses prohibited; eyes must be fully visible. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows on the face and background not permitted. |
| Head covering | No headwear. |
| Attire | Neutral clothing, shoulders visible, without uniform or distracting accessories. |
| 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 |
The photograph for a Greek Schengen visa is set by the Greek embassies and consulates on mfa.gr, and the pages differ in detail. The Consulate General in Vancouver asks for «a recent photograph conforming to ICAO standards», and the same for a long-term national visa, in colour.
The Embassy in Tokyo gives the detail: one passport-size, high-quality colour photo taken within 6 months, with a white background, the entire face taking up 70–80 % of the photo and clear from the jaw to the forehead and from one ear to the other, with no hair over the eyes, eyebrows or any part of the face, no shadings or light reflection; sunglasses and glasses with coloured lenses are prohibited; and do not staple or glue the photo to the form. The Embassy in Islamabad asks for three recent passport-sized colour photographs taken within the last 6 months, no side pose, no hat, no veil, no Photoshop.
No page gives a size in millimetres — an ICAO 35 × 45 mm print is the usual passport size.
Examples and mistakes
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for Greece visa applications. These are the differences that most often determine whether a document photo is accepted.
Typical reasons a photo is rejected under the rules Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece — Greek embassies and consulates (mfa.gr) publishes: what is wrong and what to change.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| A photo older than 6 months, or a side pose, hat or veil | Take a new front-facing photograph within 6 months, head uncovered. |
| A background that is not white, shadings or light reflection on the face | Use a white background with even light and no reflections. |
| Sunglasses or coloured lenses, or hair covering the eyes, eyebrows or face | Take the glasses off and keep the hair away from the face. |
| A face smaller than 70 % of the photo, an edited photo, or one stapled or glued to the form | Fill 70–80 % with the face, do not edit, and do not staple or glue it. |
How to take it
Background: plain light
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 Greek Schengen visa is applied for at the Greek embassy or consulate (or its visa application centre) that covers your place of residence, with the form, the passport, the printed photograph(s) and the fee; fingerprints are taken unless registered in the VIS in the previous 59 months.
The visa page of the Greek mission that covers you on mfa.gr
Tokyo: one colour photo on white, face 70–80 %; Islamabad: three colour photos; Vancouver: one ICAO photograph.
Authority page| Authority | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece — Greek embassies and consulates (mfa.gr) |
|---|---|
| Source | Schengen visa requirements — recent photograph conforming to ICAO standards |
| Verified |
Questions
A recent colour photograph conforming to ICAO standards; at Tokyo one passport-size high-quality colour photo within 6 months on a white background with the face taking up 70–80 %, clear without shadings or reflection, no sunglasses or coloured lenses, not stapled or glued; at Islamabad three colour photos within 6 months with no side pose, hat, veil or Photoshop.
One at the Embassy in Tokyo and one «recent photograph» at the Consulate in Vancouver; three at the Embassy in Islamabad. Count them on the list of your mission.
The pages say «passport size» or «ICAO standards» and give no millimetres; the usual passport size is 35 × 45 mm.
Not sunglasses or glasses with coloured lenses (Tokyo); any light reflection or shadow on the face is also refused, so taking the glasses off is the safest.
The recommended size for the Greece visa photo is 35 × 45 mm. The head occupies 70–80% of the photo height. Many consulates also require a specific digital file size — see the spec table above for full details.
Plain light background without textures or noticeable gradients. The background must be evenly lit with no shadow gradients, especially around the head. Consular automated pre-screening rejects photos with any wall texture before the human reviewer ever sees the application.
Visa authorities typically require the photo to be taken within the last three to six months. Submitting an older photo, even one that looks similar to your current appearance, is a frequent cause of immediate consular rejection.
Not always. Tourist, work, student and transit visa categories sometimes specify different dimensions or background rules. Follow the requirements for your specific visa type rather than assuming one photo fits all Greece visa applications.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the photo is the cause of rejection and you supply the consular rejection notice. We recommend keeping the consular receipt with rejection reason as proof.
Sunglasses and heavily tinted glasses prohibited; eyes must be fully visible. Consular automated checks flag glasses glare even when it is invisible to the human eye. Removing glasses entirely is the safest choice unless a medical exception is documented in your visa application.
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.
Yes. The same 35 × 45 mm format and head size apply to: national visa (Type D), Schengen visa.