Before
After🇪🇺 SCHENGEN AREA · UPDATED 2026
Schengen Visa Photo Maker — 35×45 mm, Light Background
Make a Schengen visa photo online. Official 35x45mm size for all 29 member states, light background, 32-36mm face height. Meets embassy and VFS specs.
Drag & drop or click to upload
JPG, PNG or WEBP
- Checked against the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009, Annex VII) and ICAO Doc 9303
- Accepted at every member-state consulate, plus VFS, BLS, and TLScontact centers
- Print-ready file — no photo studio appointment needed
OFFICIAL SPECIFICATION
Schengen Area visa photo requirements
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Physical size | 35 x 45 mm |
| Digital photo size | 413 x 531 px |
| Background | #F0F0F0 |
| Head height | 32-36 mm (71-80% of frame height) |
White vs. light grey — how member states differ on background
| Member state | Background in practice | Note |
|---|---|---|
| France | Plain white commonly accepted | Listed as acceptable on French consulate checklists |
| Italy | Plain white commonly accepted | Consistent with the French approach |
| Germany | Light grey (official sample) | German consulates are also known for rejecting any glasses, stricter than the EU baseline permits |
| Austria | Light grey (official sample) | Matches Germany's preference rather than the white used further west |
| Netherlands | Light background, strict on eyewear | Rejects glasses in practice alongside Germany |
The EU Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Annex VII) and ICAO Doc 9303 set one harmonised baseline for all 29 current Schengen member states: 35x45mm, colour, a light plain background, a neutral expression, and a face filling 70-80% of the frame. Cyprus is an EU member but not yet inside the Schengen Area, so a Schengen visa alone does not grant entry there. Since member states layer their own preferences on top of the baseline, a light grey background with no glasses is the one combination that clears every consulate's checklist at once.
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps to a compliant Schengen Area photo
Upload a photo
Any recent, front-facing photo works — the tool handles the background and framing for you.
AI matches the spec
Background is replaced with an even #F0F0F0 and the crop is adjusted to the 35x45mm frame, without altering your face.
Check compliance and download
Your result is measured against the Schengen Area pixel size, DPI, and head-height ratio before you download it.
Applying through VFS, BLS, or a consulate directly? Get the print and file sorted first
Upload a recent photo above and download a light-background 35x45mm file, ready to print or attach to your visa application.
SEE IT WORKING
Real editing, fictional people
These examples use AI-generated, fictional people so we never publish anyone's real photo — the editing shown is exactly what the tool does to your own upload.
Before
AfterVISA APPLICATION CENTERS
How VFS, BLS, and TLScontact check your photo
Most applicants outside Europe never hand paperwork directly to a consulate. An outsourced center — VFS Global, BLS International, or TLScontact — collects the application on the consulate's behalf instead, and while all three apply the same 35x45mm baseline, each publishes its own checklist layering extra rules on top for the specific consulate contract it runs.
Those extra rules are usually about the physical print and its digital copy rather than the composition itself: a print trimmed to exactly 35x45mm with no white border, a scan of that print for the online portal rather than a raw camera file, and file-size caps commonly between 100KB and 300KB — some German-consulate contracts additionally require 600 DPI minimum on the printed copy. If the exact add-ons for your center are unclear, most offer an on-site photo service for a small fee that removes the guesswork entirely.
Schengen visa digital photo — the 35x45mm spec at typical DPI
Print size
35 x 45mm
Digital equivalent (300 DPI)
413 x 531 px
Face-to-frame ratio
70-80% of photo height
Format
JPEG (for portals accepting digital upload)
Typical file-size cap
100KB to 300KB at most visa centers
Photo age
Taken within the last 6 months
RULES TO GET RIGHT
Schengen Area photo rules beyond the size
- A Schengen visa photo must be 35mm wide by 45mm tall, with the face (chin to crown, not counting hair) measuring 32-36mm — 70-80% of the frame. This is the same baseline for all 29 member states.
- Background must be plain and light-colored, with no pattern, texture, or shadow. France and Italy commonly accept pure white; Germany and Austria’s official samples use light grey, the safer choice if one print needs to satisfy more than one consulate.
- The photo must be taken within the last 6 months and reflect your current appearance. Color only — black-and-white is rejected. Expression must be neutral: mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight at the camera.
- Glasses are technically allowed if the eyes are fully visible with no glare or frame shadow, but France, Germany, and the Netherlands routinely reject any eyewear — removing glasses is the safer choice.
- Religious head coverings such as a hijab, turban, or kippah are permitted as long as the full face from chin to forehead stays visible with no shadow, and the covering is plain, one color, and contrasts with the background.
- Most visa centers still ask for two identical printed copies even when the online form also collects a digital upload — check your specific center for its exact pixel and file-size add-ons.
- Every applicant needs their own photo, including infants — there is no minimum-age exemption, even though fingerprinting is waived for children under 12.
Baby / infant photo rules
An infant Schengen visa photo follows the same 35x45mm, light-background format as an adult one. Lay the baby on a plain light sheet and photograph from directly above, with no toys, pacifiers, or hands visible in frame. Fingerprint biometrics are waived under age 12, but every applicant still needs a compliant photo.
Printing
A standard 4x6 in photo sheet fits 6 copies of a 35x45mm photo with margin to spare.
At home / online
~$0.35 per photo printed at home or at a retail kiosk on 4x6 photo paper
In-store studio
€8-15 at a photo studio near the visa application center, often same-day
Schengen visa photo do's and don'ts
Do
- Use a plain, light-coloured background — white for France/Italy-style consulates, light grey if the same print needs to cover Germany or Austria too
- Keep a neutral, closed-mouth expression with both eyes open, looking straight at the camera
- Take the photo within the last 6 months
- Keep a religious head covering plain and one colour, with the full face from chin to forehead visible
Don't
- Reuse an old US-square or Indian-tight-crop passport photo — neither ratio matches the 35x45mm, 70-80% Schengen frame
- Wear glasses at a German, Dutch, or similarly strict consulate, even though the Regulation technically allows clear lenses
- Submit two prints with visibly different backgrounds or lighting
- Wear a patterned, multi-colour scarf instead of a plain head covering
FAQ