Residence permit photo rejections: why a file fails the 684×883 px limit, and the voivode's summons

Two different refusal mechanisms: what the agencies say

The fullest picture of how a refusal actually works comes from Poland's Office for Foreigners (Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców), describing its Case Handling Module (MOS). From 27 April 2026, a digital file is attached to residence applications filed electronically. The office explicitly names two different mechanisms that halt the process.

The first mechanism: the system rejects the image automatically, and the application then cannot be submitted at all. The office does not publish the exact wording of the error message the portal displays when it automatically rejects an image.

The second mechanism: if the system let the file through, the voivode summons the foreigner to bring in a suitable photo (by sending a so-called wezwanie). The office states that if the applicant ignores the summons, the application will be left unexamined. None of the agencies checked publishes photo rejection statistics, that is, how many applications actually stall on the photo at each of these stages.

Machine file thresholds: why the portal won't accept the image

An ordinary phone shot has a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, whereas Poland's MOS portal requires 35 × 45 mm proportions at a minimum of 684 × 883 pixels, so the file will not pass and the application cannot be submitted at all.

Poland's MOS portal requires JPG format. The image must be at least 684 × 883 pixels, keeping 35 × 45 mm proportions. The photo file itself may not exceed 2.5 MB. By comparison, the limits for other attachments on the Polish portal are up to 10 MB per document, and the total size of all attachments to the application can reach 50 MB.

The British system has different limits. According to UK Home Office guidance, the file must be in jpg or jpeg format, in portrait orientation, and between 50 KB and 6 MB in size. The minimum resolution is at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels high. The British page is written for visa and permission applications (visa application or permission) and covers the digital photo; it has no separate list of requirements specifically for eVisa.

The British 600 × 750 is smaller than the Polish 684 × 883. An image that passes one portal may fail another. The weight ceiling also differs: 6 MB versus 2.5 MB.

Comparison of size and background requirements

Of the 241 document profiles in our database, 229 have a recorded print size, and together they use 17 different sizes. The most common format is 35 × 45 mm, used in 148 profiles. Next by frequency are 51 × 51 mm (16 profiles), 30 × 40 mm (14) and 40 × 60 mm (11). As for background, in the same database 52 of 241 profiles record a white background requirement, 23 name a specific non-white shade (for example, light grey), and the rest simply require a uniform light background without specifying the exact colour. Database figures as of 23 Sep 2026, the date of this article.

Content-based rejections: what the inspector sees

The UK government portal GOV.UK prohibits submitting the same photo that is already in your passport or ID card. Also prohibited is a scan of another printed photo, or a photo of the document itself instead of a direct portrait of the face.

The British rules also prohibit any software editing and filters, stating plainly "unedited – you can't 'correct' your passport photo". The image must not be mirrored.

As for how recent the photo must be, age limits depend not on the country but on the specific procedure. For a residence permit, Poland counts 6 months up to the moment the application is filed. However, HM Passport Office requires a digital photo to have been taken within the last month ("taken in the last month"). Of the 241 profiles in our database, only 32 have a recorded maximum age: 30 profiles require 6 months and 2 profiles require 3 months. The other profiles simply do not record this limit in our database. Figures as of 23 Sep 2026.

Specific requirements and exceptions: glasses, head coverings, children

In Poland, dark glasses are allowed in one case only: when the person has a visual impairment. In that situation, a scan of the disability decision must be attached to the application or, if there is none, the applicant's own statement of disability. The British rules say not to wear glasses unless you need to. If they are necessary, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted lenses, and the eyes must not be obscured by the frames, glare or shadows.

In the UK, the photo must be taken without a head covering, except for religious or medical reasons. In Poland, the photo is submitted without a head covering; however, a foreigner who wears a head covering in accordance with the rules of their faith may attach such a photo, provided the face is fully visible. To do so, a statement of membership of a religious community must be attached to the application.

Special rules apply to babies. The British agency states that children must be alone in the frame. Babies must not hold toys or use dummies. Children under one year old do not have to have their eyes open. They can be laid on a plain light-coloured sheet and photographed from above. The child's head can be supported by a hand, but the hand itself must not be visible in the photo.

To lower the risk of rejection, the British agency advises asking someone else to take the photo: "This will help reduce the chance of having your photo rejected".

Models without uploads: when the agency takes the photo

In Sweden there is no point looking for reasons why a photo was not accepted, because the agency takes the photo itself, anew for every new card.

In the Netherlands, the IND photographs applicants at the biometrics appointment, but for children under 2 it requires a passport photo taken by a photographer to be sent in. The agency warns that if you come dressed entirely in white or light grey, the photo may come out incorrectly ("the photo may turn out wrong"). If a head covering contains reflective material or a busy pattern, the photo may also come out incorrectly. IND form 7630 states the consequence regarding European requirements as follows: "A residence document cannot be prepared if the passport photo does not meet EU requirements", meaning the card will not be produced. The same consequence follows from an illegible signature.

The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) states that the photo and fingerprints are taken by the agency anew for each new card, because this information is not stored. As a result, the question of uploading does not arise there.

Italian and Dutch sources give no digital thresholds (pixels, file size, format) precisely because electronic files are not uploaded there. The French model, which uses an ephoto code instead of a file upload, is a separate submission route, but the agency does not publish specific numerical thresholds for this system.

If you need a file with the correct proportions for electronic submission, you can prepare a photo for a European residence card using an online tool.

The examination procedure and the consequences of not appearing

Where the procedure requires a photo to be provided, the steps are as follows (using Poland's Office for Foreigners as an example):

1. Frame analysis. Officials check whether the face takes up 70–80% of the photo, whether the eye line is parallel to the top edge, and whether the pupils are clearly visible.
2. Receiving a summons. For a photo the system let through, the voivode requests a replacement by a letter of summons (wezwanie).
3. Summons for biometrics. The voivode summons the foreigner to verify their identity, check the passport for forgery or alteration, take fingerprints and obtain a signature specimen. A signature specimen is not taken from children under 13.
4. Exemptions from appearing. Children under 6 are exempt from appearing in person (although a parent, guardian or curator must come to the office to present the child's travel document). Also exempt are persons who, owing to illness or disability, are unable to fulfil this obligation; this must be confirmed by a certificate from a relevant medical specialist issued no earlier than 3 months before the application is filed.
5. Consequences. If the foreigner does not comply with the summons regarding the photo, the application will be left unexamined. If, however, they do not appear to give fingerprints (or appear but do not complete the required steps), the voivode will discontinue the proceedings ("umorzy to postępowanie").

The Polish office also notes that an application for a residence permit should, as a rule, be filed no later than the last day of legal stay in Poland. Ignoring a summons may determine the outcome of the proceedings. If the decision is positive, the photo you attach in MOS is transferred to the karta pobytu (residence card), which is an identity document, so its holder must be identifiable beyond doubt.

The paper route still exists, for example in Italy and for certain applicants in Poland. The Foreigners' Department of the Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) Voivodeship Office states that four photos are attached to paper applications filed by a foreigner who is outside Poland. The immigration portal of Italy's Ministry of the Interior (Ministero dell'Interno) states that when summoned to the questura, applicants must provide 4 tessera-format photos (minimum height 45 mm, width 35 mm) on a white background, one of which will be affixed to the residence permit.