The figures
| What is measured | What this rule publishes |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm at 300 dpi |
| Head, chin to crown | 71.1% to 80.0% (32–36 mm) |
| Eye line, from the bottom | 50.0% to 60.0% (22.5–27 mm) |
| Background | Plain light grey |
| Upload rule | none published — this one is a print |
Make this photo Opens the photo tool with this rule already chosen. It runs in your browser: the photograph is never uploaded, and there is no account and no watermark.
What else this rule says
- The common visa format used by every Schengen consulate: 35 x 45 mm with the face filling 70 to 80 per cent of the height, which is 32 to 36 mm.
- Consulates differ on what they will accept as a background. Plain light grey is refused by nobody; a white wall with a shadow on it is refused by most.
Where these figures come from
Transcribed from European Commission — Visa Code, common photograph standards (ICAO-aligned). Checked 2026-08-20. Rules change; the figures above are what to check against the form in front of you.
What the tool does with them
- Locks the crop to this document’s shape, and draws the head and eye bands inside it, so you can see the rule on your own photograph instead of reading about it.
- Finds the crown, the chin and both pupils by measuring the picture — no face model is downloaded — and says in millimetres whether the head is too large or too small for this rule.
- Reads the background colour and how evenly it is lit, and says which of the two is the problem when there is one.
- Writes the print at the exact millimetres with the resolution in the file, a sheet of them with cut marks, and the upload file at the pixel and file size this rule states.