A passport photo size guide is useful only when it identifies the authority and application route. A photograph that fits one country's frame can fail another country's rules. Even within one country, a printed application, an online renewal and an overseas consular application may have different instructions.
Last checked: November 8, 2026. The official references below describe specific application routes, not a worldwide standard. Check the linked authority again before submitting, especially if your appointment or online service supplies its own instructions.
Compare official photo sizes by application route
The comparison below draws on the official sources listed in the guide sources section. Width comes before height. Printed dimensions are physical measurements, not upload dimensions, and the head-height column is not interchangeable with the frame size.
| Authority and route | Photo dimensions | Head measurement or important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| United States, printed passport photo | 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) | Chin to top of head: 1 to 1⅜ inches (25 to 35 mm) |
| United Kingdom, printed passport photo | 35 × 45 mm | Crown to chin: 29 to 34 mm |
| United Kingdom, digital passport photo | At least 600 × 750 pixels | Own-device photo: include upper body; do not pre-crop |
| Canada, printed passport photo | 50 × 70 mm | Chin to crown: 31 to 36 mm; commercial photographer required |
| Australia, passport photo | 35 to 40 mm wide; 45 to 50 mm high | Chin to crown: 32 to 36 mm |
| India, domestic Passport Seva child under four | 35 × 45 mm | Specific child-photo guidance, not a universal Indian format |
| India, Netherlands mission passport guidance | 2 × 2 inches, described as 51 × 51 mm | Overseas mission instructions; check your own mission |
| Germany, cited Schengen visa checklist | 35 × 45 mm | Visa requirement, not a universal EU passport rule |
Understand frame size, head size and pixels
Frame size describes the outer photograph. Head height describes how large the person appears inside it. A correctly sized rectangle with a tiny face still fails the framing requirement. Equally, a close-up that removes the crown cannot be rescued by printing it at the right dimensions.
Pixels describe digital sampling. Millimetres and inches describe physical output. A 600 × 750 pixel file does not automatically print at 35 × 45 mm, and those two shapes are not identical. The UK digital minimum should not be treated as an instruction to create the printed format yourself.
For permitted print preparation, the calculation is pixels = inches × pixels per inch. At 300 pixels per inch, a 2-inch side contains 600 pixels. This is a printing example, not a blanket upload rule or permission to alter a photograph. The authority's current file requirements always take priority.
Prepare the correct photo step by step
- Identify the document and receiving office. Confirm whether you need a passport, visa or another identity document. Find the issuing authority's page for your application location, age group and submission method. Do not substitute a search result headed simply “passport size.”
- Read the capture and editing restrictions first. Some workflows expect a professionally taken photograph. Others allow an own-device capture but control framing during submission. For the UK own-device digital route, keep the head, shoulders and upper body and do not crop the photo beforehand.
- Take or obtain an appropriate original. Use the required background, even lighting and a front-facing pose. Leave adequate space around the head. Avoid portrait filters, facial retouching, generated backgrounds and other changes that may conflict with unaltered-photo rules. Retake a poor original rather than trying to repair identity details.
- Measure the frame and head separately where preparation is permitted. Select the required outer dimensions, then check chin-to-crown or the authority's stated measurement points. Keep the complete head visible. Do not stretch the face to meet a measurement. Read the authority's diagrams for positioning details.
- Export or print for the actual submission route. Follow the specified format, file limits and printing requirements. Disable automatic fit-to-page when it would change physical dimensions. Print a test only where home printing is permitted, then measure the result with a ruler instead of trusting the screen preview.
- Review everything before submitting. Check the photo's age, expression, glasses rules, background, required copies and any photographer details. Compare with official acceptable and unacceptable examples. A crop preview is not a government acceptance decision, and satisfying size alone does not satisfy the complete checklist.
Country-specific cautions that prevent rework
The United States printed route uses a square photograph, but the head must still meet the State Department's separate 1 to 1⅜ inch range. Do not apply that printed-photo workflow automatically to online renewal. Start with the official instructions for the service you actually intend to use.
The United Kingdom distinguishes printed and digital submissions. Printed photos must not be a cut-down version of a larger picture. For own-device digital capture, GOV.UK explicitly says not to crop. Its digital guidance also specifies a clear, unaltered colour image and a file size between 50 KB and 10 MB.
Canada's printed requirements include using a commercial photographer or photo studio. Getting the outer dimensions right in a browser does not replace that requirement. Check the official page for the photographer's information, photo date and any guarantor requirements relevant to your application. Online renewals use a separate digital photo specification, still with a photo taken by a commercial photographer. Check the online-renewal section of the official Canada photo requirements page rather than applying the printed-photo specification to a digital submission.
Australia publishes a permitted width and height range rather than one mandatory outer size in the cited poster. Do not turn those ranges into a single universal aspect ratio. The 32 to 36 mm chin-to-crown measurement remains a separate check within the chosen compliant dimensions.
India illustrates why application context matters. Passport Seva's domestic guidance for children below four specifies 35 × 45 mm photographs. The Indian mission in the Netherlands publishes 2 × 2 inch passport-photo instructions. Neither example establishes one size for every Indian application worldwide.
Similarly, the German checklist cited here concerns a Schengen visa. Its 35 × 45 mm biometric photo specification does not prove that every EU member state uses identical passport-photo rules. Follow the consulate handling the visa or the national authority issuing the passport.
Common problems
The photo is the right size but the face is too large. Start from an uncropped original with more space around the head. Shrinking the entire finished print changes the frame too, so it does not solve both measurements at once.
The printed measurements change. Check the printer's scaling, borderless expansion and paper settings. A layout preview may look correct while the printer enlarges it. Measure both the outer rectangle and the head on the actual print.
The image becomes soft after cropping. Too few source pixels remain. Upscaling cannot recover missing facial detail. Use a higher-resolution original or arrange a new photograph rather than sharpening aggressively or generating detail.
A size preset conflicts with the official page. Trust the authority, not the preset. Labels such as “EU passport” or “India passport” can hide important route differences. Stop and confirm the relevant instructions before paying for prints.
Useful tools and further reading
When the authority permits your preparation workflow, passport photo crop can help with framing, crop image to size with a specified output, and square image crop with square layouts. These tools do not verify eligibility, replace a required photographer or override a no-cropping instruction.
Read aspect ratios explained to understand why shapes differ, and how to crop an image without losing quality before reducing a permitted working copy.
Frequently asked questions
Is passport photo size the same everywhere?
No. US printed passport photos are square, while UK and Canadian printed photos use different rectangular sizes. The issuing authority, application route and submission format determine which specification applies.
What size is a US printed passport photo?
It is 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). Head height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head must be 1 to 1⅜ inches (25 to 35 mm). Check the State Department instructions for the remaining requirements and any digital application rules.
Should I crop my UK digital passport photo myself?
Not when using a photo taken on your own device. GOV.UK says to include your head, shoulders and upper body and not crop it, because cropping will be done for you. The digital image must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall.
Can I make Canadian passport photos with a home crop tool?
For the printed application route described here, Canada requires photos taken by a commercial photographer or photo studio. A home crop cannot replace that requirement or the required photographer information.
Does a correct crop guarantee passport photo acceptance?
No. Authorities also assess lighting, background, expression, image quality, recency and other conditions. A crop tool controls framing, not eligibility or official approval.
Guide sources
Official documentation. Last checked: November 8, 2026. Always follow the current instructions from the responsible authority or software provider.
- US Department of State: Passport Photos
- GOV.UK: Printed photos
- GOV.UK: Digital photos
- Canada: Passport photo requirements
- Australian Passport Office: Photo specifications
- Passport Seva: Photographs for minors below four
- Embassy of India, The Hague: Photo specifications
- German missions: Schengen visa checklist