What is the standard passport photo size?

The most common is 35 × 45 mm (about 1.38 × 1.77 in), the ICAO Doc 9303 standard. Of the 162 countries on this page, 139 use it as their passport photo size. The United States, Canada, Brazil, China, and a handful of Middle Eastern and African states use different formats.

Is the US passport photo size the same as the visa photo size?

Yes — both are 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) at 300 DPI, which is 600 × 600 pixels. The face occupies 1–1⅜ inches from chin to crown. Background must be plain white. This is also the spec for US Green Card and Permanent Resident Card photos.

Did India change its passport photo size?

India aligned with the ICAO Doc 9303 standard of 35 × 45 mm in September 2025, replacing the previous 51 × 51 mm format. The change was made to support biometric e-passport readers and Schengen-compatible photo reuse. Photos taken under the old 51 × 51 format may still be accepted at some regional passport offices but the official guidance is 35 × 45 going forward.

Can I use one passport photo for multiple country applications?

Yes if the dimensions match. All 29 Schengen states, the UK, India (since 2025), Australia, and most of Asia and Africa use 35 × 45 mm — one ICAO-compliant photo works for all of them. The US (51×51), Canada (50×70), China (33×48), and Brazil (50×70) each need their own unique print.

What is the difference between US and ICAO passport photo sizes?

Two differences. Dimensions: US is square 51×51 mm; ICAO is portrait 35×45 mm. Face zone: US targets 80–85% of photo height (a tighter crop); ICAO targets 70–80% with a defined head-top margin. Background: both require plain white or off-white, but US accepts slightly off-white more leniently than most European embassies.

Where are these specifications sourced from?

Each country page on PassportPic.ai links to the official issuing authority — government portal, embassy guidance, or police passport office. Where no government source is locatable, the spec defaults to ICAO Doc 9303 and the source link is null on the country page (so you can see the provenance honestly). Always cross-check with your issuing authority before submitting an application.

How often do passport photo specifications change?

Major changes are rare but they do happen — India switched formats in 2025; the EU removed the prescription-glasses exception in 2016; the US State Department issued AI-manipulation guidance in January 2026. Smaller changes (background tolerance, head-margin tolerances) drift more often. Each country page on PassportPic.ai shows a `lastVerified` date — re-check if your application is more than 6 months after that date.

All specs verified · Official sources linked

Passport Photo Size by Country

Every country's passport photo dimensions in one searchable reference. 162 countries, 13 unique formats. ICAO 35 × 45 mm is the global default — used by 139 of them.

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Five formats account for 96% of countries

The standard formats

Out of 162 countries, 152 use one of these five sizes. The remaining 10 have country-specific dimensions listed in the regional tables below.

35 × 45 mm

139 countries

ICAO Doc 9303 standard

Adopted by the EU/Schengen, UK, Australia, Japan, China's neighbours, almost all of Sub-Saharan Africa, and India (since September 2025). The default for any passport that participates in machine-readable e-gates.

51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in)

1 country

US-style square

United States and a small number of countries that aligned with US visa processing. Wider face zone (80–85%) than ICAO, no head-margin specification.

40 × 60 mm

8 countries

Gulf / Greater Middle East

Saudi Arabia, the UAE for some doc types, Iran, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar. Taller proportion accommodates regional headwear allowances.

50 × 70 mm

2 countries

Canadian / Brazilian portrait

Canada (5×7 cm portrait) and Brazil. Unique format — one print does not transfer to any other country.

33 × 48 mm

2 countries

Chinese-territory format

Mainland China and Taiwan. Slightly narrower than ICAO; specific background colour rules per province / consulate.

Complete reference · 162 countries

Specs by country

Passport-photo dimensions for every country we support. Tap a row to open the dedicated page with face-size, head-margin, background and source details. Use ⌘F / Ctrl-F to find a country fast.

Europe · 44

CountrySizeFaceBackground

Americas · 25

CountrySizeFaceBackground

East & Southeast Asia · 17

CountrySizeFaceBackground

South & Central Asia · 13

CountrySizeFaceBackground

Middle East & North Africa · 19

CountrySizeFaceBackground

Sub-Saharan Africa · 40

CountrySizeFaceBackground

Oceania · 4

CountrySizeFaceBackground

🇦🇺Australia35 × 45 mm71–80%white 🇫🇯Fiji35 × 45 mm70–80%white 🇳🇿New Zealand35 × 45 mm70–80%light grey or cream 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea35 × 45 mm70–80%white

Specifications can drift — governments revise tolerances without announcement. Each linked country page shows a lastVerified date; re-check the official source if your application is more than 6 months newer than that date.

Related references

Going deeper

ICAO Doc 9303 in detail →

What the global standard actually says — face ratio, pose, expression, background, and how to make any photo compliant.

Schengen visa photo (29 countries) →

One 35 × 45 mm spec, 29 embassies. The unified Schengen requirements plus per-embassy quirks.

All countries directory →

Every country page with passport, visa, ID-card and driving-licence photo specs side by side.

FAQ

Sizes, answered

Seven questions covering the differences that catch people out the most.

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