What is the most common passport photo size?

35 × 45 mm is the most widely used size, covering India, the UK, the EU/Schengen area and Australia. The United States and several visa applications use a 51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 inch) square instead.

Can I use a white wall as the background?

Yes, if it is plain and evenly lit with no shadow. If a shadow creeps in, replace the background with the white background tool before you submit.

Do I need a professional camera?

No. A modern phone's rear camera in good daylight is more than enough. Lighting and a plain background matter far more than the camera.

How do I get my photo under the upload size limit?

Keep the dimensions correct and reduce only the file weight with the compress to KB tool. Aim just under the portal's maximum so a re-save does not push you over.

Are my photos uploaded to a server?

No. The passport photo maker and background tools run entirely in your browser, so your photo never leaves your device.

How to make a passport size photo at home

A studio passport photo costs money and a trip; a phone photo plus a browser does the same job in two minutes. The hard part is that passport and visa offices reject photos for small, specific reasons. This guide covers the standard sizes, the rules that actually get a photo accepted, and how to turn a phone snap into a print-ready file with the passport photo maker.

Updated June 23, 20268 min read

Open the passport photo makerCrop to a country preset, swap the background to white, and export a print sheet, all in your browser.

Standard passport photo sizes by country

The 35 × 45 mm photo is the most common size worldwide, but several countries use a square format. Match your destination before you crop.

Common passport and visa photo sizes by country
Country / document	Photo size	Notes
India (passport)	35 × 45 mm	Plain white or light background
India / US visa	51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in)	Square, head centred
United States (passport)	51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in)	Square, white background
United Kingdom	35 × 45 mm	Light grey or cream accepted
Schengen / EU	35 × 45 mm	Neutral expression, no smile
Canada	50 × 70 mm	Larger; face 31–36 mm chin to crown
Australia	35 × 45 mm	White or light grey background

Common passport and visa photo sizes by country

When the size is in millimetres but the upload portal wants pixels, convert at 300 DPI — see resizing in cm or mm. For exam forms specifically, use the exam photo and signature size guide.

What makes a passport photo accepted

A plain, evenly lit background — white for most countries, light grey for some. A busy or shadowed background is the top rejection reason.
Your face square to the camera, filling about 70–80% of the frame from chin to crown, eyes open and clearly visible.
A neutral expression with your mouth closed. Several countries (Schengen especially) reject smiling photos.
No hats or sunglasses. Clear glasses are usually fine if there is no glare and the frames do not cover your eyes; some countries now ask you to remove glasses entirely.
Recent — taken within the last six months — and in colour, with natural skin tones and no filters.

If the background is your problem, fix it before sizing with change photo background or the dedicated white background tool. A clean background does more for acceptance than any other single fix.

Taking the photo with a phone

Stand about a metre from a plain wall, facing a window so daylight hits your face evenly with no harsh shadow behind you.
Have someone shoot from eye level, roughly 1–1.5 metres away, using the rear camera (it is sharper than the selfie camera).
Keep your shoulders square, head straight, neutral expression. Take several frames so you can pick the cleanest one.
Avoid heavy zoom; step closer instead so the lens does not distort your features.

Sizing, background and printing

Crop to the right size

Open the passport photo maker, pick your country or document preset, and position your face inside the guide so the head height and margins are correct. The tool exports at the right dimensions so you do not have to do the millimetre maths yourself.

Set a clean background

If your wall was not perfectly plain, replace the background with white or a light grey using the background tools above. Check the edges of your hair — a clean cut-out matters at print size.

Print at home or hit an upload limit

For a printed copy, export a 4 × 6 inch sheet that tiles several photos so you get full value from one print. For an online application, the portal usually caps the file size, so compress the photo to that KB limit without changing its dimensions before you upload.