head 70–80 %
Free: cropping, background replacement, check
14-day refund if the authority rejects the photo
SourceMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan (R.O.C.) — Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices abroad
Verified
Quick answer: The recommended Taiwan 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 | Clear glasses only, no reflections; sunglasses prohibited. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows on the face and background not permitted. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
| 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 |
A Taiwan visa application takes two passport-sized colour photographs, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, printed on photo paper and taken within the last six months. The offices that issue the visa — the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (TECO) run by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs — ask for a plain white background (Vancouver, Switzerland, Boston), no hair across the eyes, and ears, eyebrows, moles, birthmarks or scars not covered; the Swiss office adds a facial image of 3.2–3.6 cm.
The details are in the passport photo guideline that the visa pages link to: a close-up of the head and the top of the shoulders, chin to crown 32–36 mm (70 to 80 % of the vertical height), the face square on to the camera with a neutral expression — no smiling, mouth closed — uniform lighting without shadows or reflections, glasses without glare and tinted lenses, and no head covering except for religious or medical reasons. MOFA also warns against coloured or pupil-distorting contact lenses in the photo, which can cause visa rejection or trouble at immigration.
The office in Thailand, by contrast, lists two 2 × 2 inch colour photos with a plain colour background (white recommended).
Examples and mistakes
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for Taiwan 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 Taiwan (R.O.C.) — Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices abroad publishes: what is wrong and what to change.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| A photo older than six months, or only one photo where two are listed | Take a new photograph within six months and bring two prints. |
| A background that is not plain white, shadows or reflections on the face or behind | Use a plain white background with uniform light. |
| A smile or open mouth, hair across the eyes, ears, moles or scars covered | Keep a neutral face, mouth closed, eyes clear and the ears uncovered. |
| Coloured or pupil-distorting contact lenses, tinted lenses or glare on the glasses | Remove coloured lenses; take glasses off or avoid tint, reflections and heavy frames. |
| A print on ordinary paper, resampled or altered, or a head outside 32–36 mm chin to crown | Print an unaltered 45 × 35 mm photograph on photo paper with the head 32–36 mm. |
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 Taiwan visa is applied for through the BOCA online visa application, printed and signed, and submitted by mail or in person to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office that covers your country, with the passport, the two photographs and the supporting documents.
TECO New York: 1 E 42nd Street, New York — see the office page that covers you
Two colour prints, 45 × 35 mm, white background, within six months.
Authority page| Authority | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan (R.O.C.) — Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices abroad |
|---|---|
| Source | General Information on Visa Application — photograph |
| Verified |
Questions
Two colour prints on photo paper, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, taken within the last six months, on a plain white background, with the chin to crown 32–36 mm, a neutral expression with the mouth closed, no hair across the eyes and the ears uncovered.
45 mm high by 35 mm wide (4.5 × 3.5 cm) at the offices in New York, Vancouver, Switzerland and Boston; the 2023 sheet for the office in Thailand lists 2 × 2 inches.
Two at New York, Vancouver and on the Thailand sheet; the Swiss office lists a single passport-sized picture. Count them on the list of the office that covers you.
No smile: the guideline says a neutral expression (no smiling, mouth closed). Taiwan's MOFA also warns against coloured or pupil-distorting contact lenses, which can lead to visa rejection or difficulty in immigration clearance.
The recommended size for the Taiwan 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 Taiwan 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.
Clear glasses only, no reflections; sunglasses prohibited. 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.
2 identical photographs, 35 × 45 mm each, taken within the last 6 months.
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.