Seven blocks cover almost everything
Sort the world’s passport and visa photos by block size and the list is short. The square 51 × 51 mm block, better known as 2 × 2 inches, is used by United States passports and visas, by U.S. immigration forms, and by the OCI card for people of Indian origin. The 35 × 45 mm portrait block covers UK, Indian, Schengen, Australian, Japanese and Irish applications. Canada stands alone with a taller 50 × 70 mm rectangle. Chinese visa photos are narrower than either, at 33 × 48 mm.
What changes between documents that share a block is the head band and the wording around it. The United Kingdom states a 29–34 mm head on its 35 × 45 mm photo; a Schengen application states a 32–36 mm face on the identical block; Australia states no numeric band but expects the head to fill the frame and forbids uniform. Same rectangle, three different pass conditions.
Millimetres, inches, pixels and dots per inch
Four units appear on photo instructions and they measure different things. Millimetres are what forms print: the block you crop to. Inches are how U.S. forms state the same thing, and 2 × 2 inches equals 51 × 51 mm, not 50 × 50 mm. Pixels are what a digital upload is measured in, on both sides. Dots per inch describes print resolution, and 300 dpi is the usual setting at a photo counter.
Converting carelessly between them is the classic failure. Rounding 2 inches down to 50 mm produces a photo that is about 4 per cent small, which is enough to miss a form box. Enlarging a 600 × 600 pixel image to 1200 × 1200 does not add detail, but it does push a file over a kilobyte ceiling if the compression is set lazily.
Measuring a photo you already have
- Read the form firstNote the block and, if printed, the head band the form itself states.
- Measure the blockWidth and height of the photo, edge to edge, with no white border counted.
- Measure the headChin to the top of the head, only the skull — hair volume is not part of it.
- Compare, then decideIf either number is outside the range, re-crop rather than re-shoot.
A ruler and a printed copy settle the question in a minute. For a digital file, the same measurement can be taken from the pixels instead, which is what the browser checker does when you drop a photo on it.
Where the numbers on this page come from
Each figure here was read from the authority’s own photo page and is dated on the document page that carries it; the methodology page describes what happens when an official page cannot be re-read in a sweep. Photo blocks are stable for years and then change without announcement, so the source line under each table is the part to trust over a chart found elsewhere. If your document is not in the table, the general guide explains how to read the block off your own form.
| Requirement | What the official rule says | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ('Country / document', 'United States — U.S. passport — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in)') | ('Head height', '25–35 mm chin to top of head') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain white or off-white, no shadows') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses — the rule changed in November 2016') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'United States — U.S. passport — digital upload') | ('Printed size', '51 × 51 mm') | ('Head height', '25–35 mm chin to top of head') | ('Digital upload', '600 × 600 px minimum, up to 1200 px') | ('File format & size', 'JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF, under 10 MB') | ('Background', 'Plain white or off-white, no shadows') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'United Kingdom — UK passport — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '35 × 45 mm (1.38 × 1.77 in)') | ('Head height', '29–34 mm chin to top of head') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain cream or light grey background') | ('Recency', 'Taken in the last month') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'United Kingdom — UK passport — digital photo') | ('Printed size', '35 × 45 mm') | ('Head height', '29–34 mm chin to top of head') | ('Digital upload', '600 × 750 px minimum') | ('File format & size', 'JPG, JPEG, PNG, under 10 MB') | ('Background', 'Plain light-coloured background, no objects behind you') | ('Recency', 'Taken in the last month') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses (remove them if you can do so without discomfort)') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'Canada — Canadian passport — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '50 × 70 mm') | ('Head height', '31–36 mm chin to top of head') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain white or light-coloured background') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'Dark glasses and tinted lenses not accepted; clear prescription glasses must not hide the eyes') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'India — Indian passport — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '35 × 45 mm') | ('Head height', 'Not specified as a fixed band — keep the head centred and uncropped') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain white background') | ('Recency', 'Recent — not older than the application period stated on the form') | ('Glasses', 'Remove glasses if possible; glare across the eyes is a common rejection') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'India — OCI card — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in)') | ('Head height', '25–35 mm chin to top of head') | ('Digital upload', '600 × 600 px minimum') | ('File format & size', 'JPG, JPEG, under 0 MB') | ('Background', 'Plain white or light background, no shadows') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses with tinted lenses; avoid glare') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'China — Chinese visa — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '33 × 48 mm') | ('Head height', 'Not specified as a fixed band — keep the head centred and uncropped') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain white background') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses; no headwear except religious headwear') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'Europe — Schengen visa — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '35 × 45 mm') | ('Head height', '32–36 mm chin to top of head') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain light background') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses; eyes must be clearly visible') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'Australia — Australian passport — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '35 × 45 mm') | ('Head height', 'Not specified as a fixed band — keep the head centred and uncropped') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain light background') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses; no glare across the eyes') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
| ('Country / document', 'Japan — Japanese passport — printed photo') | ('Printed size', '35 × 45 mm') | ('Head height', 'Not specified as a fixed band — keep the head centred and uncropped') | ('Digital upload', 'Not applicable — this one is filed on paper') | ('File format & size', 'Photo paper, no file limits') | ('Background', 'Plain background, no shadows') | ('Recency', 'Taken within the last 6 months') | ('Glasses', 'No glasses with coloured or dark lenses') | ('Official source', 'Official page') |
Specification source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html · checked October 2026 · DS-11, DS-82 by mail, and any paper application.
Specification source: https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports/rules-for-digital-photos · checked October 2026 · HM Passport Office online application.
Specification source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/photos.html · checked October 2026 · Paper application, 2 identical photos.
Specification source: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/visa-policy_en · checked October 2026 · Schengen short-stay visa applications.