Passport photo size in mm: dimensions per country 2026
Passport photo size in mm by country: 35×45 in most of Europe, 51×51 in the US, 36×47 in Finland, 26×32 in Spain. Full table with face size, DPI, background.
The short answer
For most of Europe the answer is 35 × 45 mm, but the face height inside the photo differs per country. There are also real exceptions: the US is 51 × 51 mm square, Finland is 36 × 47 mm, and Spain uses a small 26 × 32 mm. A photo cropped for one country can fail in another.
Country by country
| Country | Photo (mm) | Face (mm) | Our file (DPI) | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 35 × 45 | 32-36 | 300 | Light grey |
| Belgium | 35 × 45 | 31-36 | 600 | White / light grey |
| Denmark | 35 × 45 | 30-36 | 300 | Light grey |
| Finland * | 36 × 47 | 32-36 | 300 | Light grey |
| Germany | 35 × 45 | 32-36 | 600 | Light grey |
| Italy | 35 × 45 | 32-36 | 300 | White |
| Netherlands | 35 × 45 | 26-30 | 400 | Light grey / light blue / white |
| Poland * | 35 × 45 | 31-36 | 300 | White |
| Spain * | 26 × 32 | 20-24 | 300 | White |
| Switzerland | 35 × 45 | 29-34 | 300 | Light grey |
| United Kingdom | 35 × 45 | 29-34 | 600 | Light grey / off-white |
| United States | 51 × 51 | 25-35 | 300 | White / off-white |
* Not yet checked by us against the official source; these are the values we use.
What the numbers mean
- Photo (mm): the size of the printed photo.
- Face (mm): the height of your face from chin to crown within the photo. A face that is slightly too big or too small is a common reason for rejection.
- Our file (DPI): the resolution of the digital file we make for that country.
- Background: must be uniform, without shadows. France, for example, does not accept white.
Why countries differ
Governments start from ICAO 9303 (the UN standard for travel documents) and add their own rules. ICAO mainly cares that the face is in proportion inside the frame, so the photo size itself can differ.
Practical advice
Don't guess. Pick the country your document is for, not your country of residence: a Dutch resident applying for a US visa needs the 51 × 51 mm square, not the 35 × 45 mm used for the Dutch passport.
Take your passport photo with Foto2Pass. Pick a country and we apply its dimensions automatically.
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