Passport Photo Size by Country: mm, cm, Inches & Pixels (Full Chart)

Passport and visa photo requirements look simple until you realize every country measures them differently, and the same photo can be quoted in millimeters, centimeters, inches, or pixels depending on whether you are printing it or uploading it. A few millimeters off, or the wrong pixel count, is enough to get an application rejected. This guide gives you the exact passport photo size for dozens of countries in all four units, explains how DPI turns millimeters into pixels so the phrase size in pixels finally makes sense, and shows how to export a perfectly sized photo for free without uploading your image anywhere.

How passport photo size is measured: mm, cm, inches and pixels

Most governments publish their official passport photo size in millimeters or inches, because that is the physical dimension of the printed photo. One inch equals 25.4 mm, so to convert any size from millimeters to inches you simply divide by 25.4. A 35 mm width, for example, is 35 / 25.4 = about 1.38 inches. Centimeters are just millimeters divided by 10, so 35 x 45 mm is the same as 3.5 x 4.5 cm.

Pixels are different. A pixel count only has meaning when paired with a resolution, measured in DPI (dots per inch). Passport photos are almost universally produced at 300 DPI, the standard for print-quality images. At 300 DPI, every inch of the photo contains 300 pixels. So to convert millimeters to pixels you divide the millimeter value by 25.4 to get inches, then multiply by 300: pixels = mm / 25.4 x 300.

Worked example: a 35 mm side becomes 35 / 25.4 x 300 = roughly 413 pixels, and a 45 mm side becomes 45 / 25.4 x 300 = roughly 531 pixels. That is why a standard 35 x 45 mm photo is 413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI. If an application asks for a specific pixel size instead of a physical one, it is really asking for the same photo at an assumed resolution, so matching the pixel count is what matters for online uploads.

The 35 x 45 mm group (3.5 x 4.5 cm, 413 x 531 px)

The single most common passport photo standard in the world is 35 x 45 mm, which is 3.5 x 4.5 cm, about 1.38 x 1.77 inches, and 413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI. If you only remember one size, remember this one.

This format covers the entire Schengen area (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the rest of the EU travel zone), the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, and many others. Brazil's eVisa photo is also 35 x 45 mm. The dimensions are identical across all of these, even though the head-size and background rules can differ slightly from country to country.

One important detail for the UK: the photo size is the standard 35 x 45 mm, but the background must be a plain light grey or cream, not pure white. This trips up applicants who assume white is always correct. Australia, Schengen, Korea and Singapore generally expect a plain white or very light off-white background at the same 35 x 45 mm size.

The 2 x 2 inch group (51 x 51 mm, 5.1 x 5.1 cm, 600 x 600 px)

The other major standard is the 2 x 2 inch square, used most famously by the United States and also by India. Two inches equals 51 mm (more precisely 50.8 mm), or 5.1 cm, and at 300 DPI a 2 inch side is 2 x 300 = 600 pixels. So a US or Indian passport photo is 51 x 51 mm, equivalently 600 x 600 pixels.

The square shape is the key difference from the rest of the world. A US 2 x 2 inch photo cannot be used for a Schengen visa, and a 35 x 45 mm Schengen photo cannot be used for a US passport, because one is square and the other is a portrait rectangle. The units are not the problem; the aspect ratio is.

For US online submissions, 600 x 600 pixels is the minimum, and uploads up to 1200 x 1200 pixels are accepted. Because the image is square at 300 DPI, those larger pixel sizes simply mean a higher-resolution version of the same 2 x 2 inch photo (1200 x 1200 px corresponds to 600 DPI).

Larger and special formats: Canada, China, Japan

Some countries use sizes outside the two main groups. Canada uses a notably larger 50 x 70 mm photo, which is 5 x 7 cm, about 1.97 x 2.76 inches, and 591 x 827 pixels at 300 DPI. The extra height means Canadian photos also specify a precise face height (31 to 36 mm from chin to crown), so cropping matters more than usual.

China's passport photo is 33 x 48 mm, equal to 3.3 x 4.8 cm, roughly 1.30 x 1.89 inches, and 390 x 567 pixels at 300 DPI. The Chinese online visa system additionally enforces specific pixel ranges and file-size limits for uploaded images, so always check the exact spec for the form you are filling out.

Japan uses a 45 x 45 mm square, which is 4.5 x 4.5 cm, about 1.77 x 1.77 inches, and 531 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI. It is square like the US format but smaller, so a US 2 x 2 inch photo is not interchangeable with a Japanese one despite both being squares.

Quick conversion reference for every size in this guide

35 x 45 mm = 3.5 x 4.5 cm = 1.38 x 1.77 in = 413 x 531 px at 300 DPI. Used by Schengen, UK (light grey background), Germany, France, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and Brazil eVisa.

51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 in) = 5.1 x 5.1 cm = 2 x 2 in = 600 x 600 px at 300 DPI. Used by the United States and India. Online uploads accepted up to 1200 x 1200 px.

50 x 70 mm = 5 x 7 cm = 1.97 x 2.76 in = 591 x 827 px at 300 DPI. Used by Canada. 33 x 48 mm = 3.3 x 4.8 cm = 1.30 x 1.89 in = 390 x 567 px at 300 DPI. Used by China. 45 x 45 mm = 4.5 x 4.5 cm = 1.77 x 1.77 in = 531 x 531 px at 300 DPI. Used by Japan.

To re-derive any of these yourself: inches = mm / 25.4, centimeters = mm / 10, and pixels at 300 DPI = mm / 25.4 x 300. The same formulas work for any country not listed here, so you can always convert an official millimeter spec into the pixel size an upload form expects.

Why head size and background matter as much as the dimensions

Hitting the right rectangle is only half of compliance. Almost every authority also specifies how much of the frame your head must fill, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Get the outer size perfect but the head too big or too small and the photo is still rejected, which is the most common reason home-made photos fail.

For US 2 x 2 inch photos the head should be about 25 to 35 mm tall with the eyes 28 to 35 mm from the bottom edge. Schengen and UK photos want the face to fill roughly 32 to 36 mm of the 45 mm height. China expects a head height of about 28 to 33 mm within its 48 mm frame, and Canada specifies 31 to 36 mm.

Backgrounds vary too. Most countries require plain white or near-white, but the UK calls for light grey or cream. Across the board, keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and both eyes open, remove hats and glasses (glasses are banned for US passports), and avoid shadows on your face and the wall behind you.

Export the exact size automatically with a free in-browser tool

Once you know the target size, you do not need a studio to produce it. Take a well-lit photo against a plain wall using your phone, ideally in soft daylight to avoid shadows, then let a tool handle the precise cropping, head positioning, background and resolution.

LocalID Photo runs entirely in your browser. It auto-detects your face, positions the head to meet the chosen country's head-size rule, generates a clean background (white, or light grey for the UK), and exports the exact dimensions you need, whether that is a 600 x 600 px US square, a 413 x 531 px Schengen photo, or a 591 x 827 px Canadian one, all at the correct 300 DPI for printing.

Because everything is processed locally on your device and the image is never uploaded to a server, your photo and personal data stay private on your own phone or computer. You select the country, the tool applies the right size in millimeters and pixels automatically, and you download a file that is ready to print on a 4 x 6 inch sheet or upload to an online application without doing any of the math yourself.

FAQ

What is the standard passport photo size in pixels?

It depends on the country and the assumed resolution, which is almost always 300 DPI. A 35 x 45 mm photo (Schengen, UK, Australia and others) is 413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI. A US or Indian 2 x 2 inch photo is 600 x 600 pixels. To convert any size yourself, use pixels = mm / 25.4 x 300.

How do I convert passport photo size from mm to inches or cm?

Divide millimeters by 25.4 to get inches, or by 10 to get centimeters. So 35 x 45 mm equals 1.38 x 1.77 inches and 3.5 x 4.5 cm, while 51 x 51 mm equals 2 x 2 inches and 5.1 x 5.1 cm. These are the two most common passport photo sizes worldwide.

What is the most common passport photo size?

35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm, 413 x 531 px at 300 DPI) is the most widely used size, covering the Schengen area, the UK, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and many others. The main exception is the US and India, which both use a 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm, 600 x 600 px) square.

Is a US 2x2 inch photo the same as a Schengen 35x45 mm photo?

No. The US photo is a 51 x 51 mm square (600 x 600 px) while the Schengen photo is a 35 x 45 mm portrait rectangle (413 x 531 px). The shapes are different, so they are not interchangeable. Always crop to the exact size and aspect ratio your specific application requires.