Document photo guides
Requirements for 67 countries, rejection causes, sizes and step-by-step how-tos — 170 pages. Every figure is checked against an official source.
Popular: Why photos get rejected · Photos with glasses · Schengen visa guide · Passport photo size by country · Passport photo at home
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By type
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What's required
01
Country requirements
Country-by-country visa photo guides with the photo specification and the application route.
Schengen visa photo (all 27 countries)
Pillar guide covering all 27 Schengen states with the shared 35 × 45 mm biometric photo standard.
US visa photo (8 categories)
DS-160 photo upload for B1/B2, F-1, H-1B, K-1, spouse, J-1, L-1 and EB-5 categories.
UK visa photo (6 categories)
UKVI 45 × 35 mm photo for Standard Visitor, Skilled Worker, Student, Spouse, Ancestry, Youth Mobility.
Canada visa photo (6 categories)
IRCC photo of at least 35 × 45 mm for TRV, Study, Work, Express Entry, Family Sponsorship and Super Visa.
Australia visa photo (6 categories)
Home Affairs 35 × 45 mm photo for Visitor 600, Student 500, TSS 482, Skilled 189/190, WHV, Partner.
New Zealand visa and NZeTA photo guide
Immigration NZ rules + the no-AI-editing policy
02
Photo rules
Cross-country aggregator guides covering one photo rule (background, expression, glasses, hair) across all major visa-issuing countries.
Background colour rules
Plain white, light grey or off-white — which countries require which shade.
Expression rules: smile, mouth, eyes
Why nearly every modern route requires a neutral expression, mouth closed.
Can I wear glasses?
Which countries allow glasses, what is "glasses glare", and how to retake.
Religious head coverings
How hijab, kippah, turban and similar coverings are handled across major countries.
Beard and facial hair
Whether beards and moustaches are accepted across passport and visa routes.
Hair: hairstyle, fringe, colour
Long hair, dyed hair, fringes and bald applicants across major routes.
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Dress code and clothing
Why uniforms are banned and white tops are risky against white backgrounds.
Makeup, piercings, jewellery
How much makeup is acceptable and what counts as "natural look".
Child photo rules
How adult rules are relaxed for children aged 1–6.
Baby and infant photos
Sleeping infants, no-parent rule, white-sheet method for 0–12 months.
Photo validity: how recent?
The six-month rule explained, plus country-by-country recency requirements.
Digital upload vs printed photo
Which consulates require printed photos and which are fully digital.
03
Sizes and formats
High-volume comparison tables across many countries.
Passport photo size by country
Side-by-side table comparing passport photo dimensions across every verified country.
Visa photo size by country
Visa photo dimensions worldwide.
Passport photo pixels
Pixel dimensions and conversion formulas
Passport photo DPI
300 vs 600 DPI explained
Passport photo file size
KB limits and safe compression
Passport photo: JPEG or PNG?
Image formats and upload compatibility
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Passport photo aspect ratio
Square and portrait formats
Passport photo resolution
Pixels, sharpness and print quality
2x2 photo size
Pixels, inches, centimetres and crop rules
35x45 photo size
Pixels, ratio and head framing
Passport photo paper
Type, size and print quality
Passport photo matte or glossy
Which paper finish is accepted
How many passport photos do I need?
Copies for passports, visas and renewals
Passport photo examples
Accepted versus rejected patterns
AI passport photo rules
Editing, identity and rejection risk
Contact lenses in passport photos
Clear and coloured lens guidance
Can I reuse an old passport photo?
Recency, likeness and application rules
USCIS photo requirements
Green Card, EAD and N-400 overview
IRCC digital photo requirements
PR, study and work applications
What to do
04
If your photo was rejected
Country-specific rejection guides with the top causes and how to fix each.
Why was my photo rejected? (general)
The most common rejection reasons across countries.
Schengen visa rejection
Top seven Schengen rejection causes and fixes.
US passport rejection
State Department rejection causes including DS-11 portal errors.
US visa (DS-160) rejection
DS-160 portal errors and how to fix each.
UK passport rejection
HMPO rejects roughly 1 in 5 photos — the top causes.
Germany passport rejection
Bundesdruckerei Passbildschablone template and strict smile detection.
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Canada visa rejection
IRCC rejection causes, plus the size trap: the visa needs at least 35 × 45 mm, not the 50 × 70 mm passport format.
Australia visa rejection
Home Affairs rejection causes and 900 × 1200 pixel minimum.
China visa rejection
NIA rejection causes including the photo-retouching ban.
India passport rejection
PSK rejection causes and 35 × 35 mm white background rule.
Mexico passport rejection
SRE size, recency and background checks
Brazil passport rejection
Why most adults never submit their own photo, and the rules for the cases that do need one.
Japan passport rejection
Exact 32-36 mm head-height range, the no-retouching rule, and glasses glare.
Turkey passport rejection
The unusual 50 × 60 mm size, no fixed head-height ratio, and sunglasses.
South Korea passport rejection
The pure-white background rule, hair over the eyebrows, and the ban on AI-edited photos.
UAE visa rejection
No single official print size, plus the ban on hats and sunglasses.
Saudi Arabia visa rejection
The exact 200 x 200 px digital-only eVisa spec, checked before payment.
Vietnam passport rejection
The 2 x 2 inch, 3-photo embassy rule — easy to confuse with the Vietnamese visa size.
Philippines passport rejection
Why the DFA captures most photos on-site, and the rules for the cases that still need a printed one.
Indonesia visa rejection
The 50-60% head-height rule and the mix-up with the red-background passport photo.
Ireland passport rejection
A 35 × 45mm-38 × 50mm size range instead of one fixed size, and an outright ban on scanned photos.
Malaysia passport rejection
Immigration usually captures the photo live at the counter — the larger 35 × 50mm size only matters for the cases that still need one.
Singapore passport rejection
ICA rules require a photo no older than 3 months, an 8 MB upload cap, and a matte print finish.
Nigeria passport rejection
NIS captures most photos live on-site — a supplied photo still matters for the guarantor form and a few other routes.
South Africa passport rejection
DHA's own leaflet and overseas missions ask for different background colours, plus an unusually strict 1-month recency rule.
Pakistan visa rejection
NADRA's 350 KB upload cap, and an outright ban on glasses rather than just glare.
Green Card Lottery (DV) rejection
State Dept auto-scan and a 240 KB JPEG cap — a separate system from the USCIS biometrics change.
US Green Card rejection
USCIS biometrics capture and supplied-photo checks
US EAD rejection
I-765 biometrics and supplied-photo checks
US naturalization rejection
N-400 and N-600 biometrics photo checks
India Aadhaar rejection
UIDAI captures the photo live at enrolment — no print or upload needed for the standard route.
India PAN card rejection
Photo size, background and signature placement
India OCI card rejection
A light-coloured background is required, not white, plus a 51 x 51 mm square and 200 KB cap.
05
How-to guides
Task-specific step-by-step guides for taking, printing and resizing photos yourself.
How to crop a passport photo
Head size, eye position and margins
Passport photo upload errors
Technical errors and practical fixes
Passport photo 4x6 template
Print layout without changing photo size
Can a passport photo be a selfie?
Phone setup, distance and distortion
Passport photo shadows
Face and background lighting fixes
Blurry passport photo
Causes and safe fixes
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US online passport renewal photo
Digital requirements and upload checks
DS-160 photo requirements
Size, upload and common mistakes
DS-160 photo upload error
File and portal troubleshooting
DV lottery photo upload error
Size, JPEG and duplicate-photo checks
UK digital passport photo code
How codes work in online applications
How to take a document photo at home
Lighting, distance, background, pose — eight practical steps.
Passport photo with iPhone
Camera settings, lighting and export tips for the iPhone rear camera.
Passport photo with Android
How to disable Samsung / Xiaomi / Oppo beauty mode.
How to print at home
Paper choice, printer settings, sizing templates for home-printed photos.
How to resize a photo
Convert any photo to the exact passport size — mm, pixels and DPI explained.
How to remove background
Replace background with plain white or light grey without edge artefacts.
Passport renewal photo
How it differs from a first application
Newborn passport photo at home
Step-by-step for infants
06
Choose and estimate
Help choosing between similar visa types, application routes and providers.
Which US visa do I need?
Decision tree by purpose of travel — ESTA, B1/B2, F-1, H-1B, K-1, etc.
Which Schengen country to apply through?
The 90/180 rule and how consulates decide.
ESTA vs B1/B2 visa
Cost, eligibility, processing time — which one to apply for.
Schengen vs UK visa
Differences, costs and what to know if you need both.
Single vs multiple-entry Schengen
Same fee, different validity — when to request which.
UK passport vs UK visa photo
Same rules or different?
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CVS passport photos
Availability, copies and digital files
Walgreens passport photos
Prints, digital copies and store checks
USPS passport photos
Locations, price and copies
UPS Store passport photos
Service, copies and digital options
Where to take a passport photo
Pharmacies, post offices, supermarkets, photo studios, online and DIY.
How much does a passport photo cost?
Walgreens, CVS, Boots, post office, online tools — comparison.
How long does a passport photo take?
Time per option from same-day pharmacy to DIY at home.
By country: Schengen · USA · UK · Canada · Australia · Germany · China · India · all 67 →
Glossary — 12 terms