Every online passport or visa form asks for a digital photo, but every country measures it differently. Some demand a tight pixel box plus a KB ceiling; others only describe the print size and the background. This table aggregates the current official digital-upload rules for 20 of the most common passport and visa destinations, so you can resize and compress your phone photo to match the portal on the first try.
All figures below come from each issuing authority's photo guidance. Where an authority publishes no fixed pixel or KB number, the table says so rather than guessing - never invent a cap. Click a country to open its dedicated size page.
How to read this table
- Print size is the physical mm size the photo is printed at (or the size the digital image represents).
- At 300 DPI is the pixel equivalent of that print size at standard print resolution.
- Digital upload is the pixel box the online portal actually enforces.
- File size is the published KB/MB ceiling - or "no fixed cap" when the authority does not publish one.
- Mode tells you whether you upload a file, bring prints, or have the photo taken on site.
The 20-country digital photo spec table
| Country | Print size | At 300 DPI | Digital upload (px) | File size | Format | Background | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 51x51 mm (2x2 in) | 600x600 px | 600x600 to 1200x1200, square | DV Lottery up to 240 KB; DS-160 no fixed public KB cap | JPEG | White or off-white | Upload |
| United Kingdom | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | At least 600x750 px | 50 KB to 10 MB | JPEG | Cream, ivory or light grey | Upload or photo code |
| Canada | 50x70 mm (paper) | 591x827 px | 1200x1800 to 3000x4500 (3:2) | 200 KB to 4 MB | JPEG | Plain white or light | Upload (online renewal) |
| Australia | 35-40x45-50 mm | 413x531 px | ~1200x1600 px for online renewal | No fixed KB cap published | JPEG | Light cream or pale blue | Upload or print |
| Schengen Area | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | 413x531 px at 300 DPI (computed) | Varies by portal; commonly up to 1 MB | JPEG | White or light grey | Mostly prints |
| France | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | 413x531 px at 300 DPI (computed) | No digital upload expected (printed photo) | - | Light blue or light grey; pure white forbidden | Prints / on-site biometrics |
| Germany | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | 413x531 px at 300 DPI (computed) | No digital upload expected; printed photo at 600 DPI | - | Neutral medium grey | Prints / on-site |
| Japan | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | 413x531 px recommended | Varies; typically under 500 KB | JPEG | White or light neutral | Upload |
| South Korea | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | 413x531 px for online application | Not publicly specified; standard JPEG | JPEG | Uniform white, borderless | Upload |
| China | 33x48 mm | 390x567 px | 390x567 px recommended; VAC enforces its own box | Typically under 1 MB | JPEG | Plain white | Upload |
| India | 51x51 mm (2x2 in) | 600x600 px | 350x350 to 1000x1000, square | 10 to 300 KB | JPEG | White or off-white | Upload |
| Russia | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | 413x531 px at 300 DPI (computed) | Varies; e-visa portal accepts JPEG | JPEG | White, even, no shadows | Upload (e-visa) or prints |
| Turkey | 50x60 mm | 591x709 px | 591x709 px at 300 DPI (computed) | Varies by portal | JPEG | Pure white, patternless | Upload or prints |
| Brazil | 50x70 mm (5x7 cm) | 591x827 px | Consular portal varies; 591x827 px, some posts 413x531 px minimum | Some consular portals up to 300 KB | JPEG | Plain white (fundo branco) | Upload + prints |
| Mexico | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | No applicant upload - captured on site | Not applicable (on-site biometrics) | - | Plain white (fondo blanco) | On-site capture |
| United Arab Emirates | 43x55 mm | 508x650 px | 508x650 px via ICP portal | No fixed KB cap published | JPEG | Pure white | Upload |
| Nigeria | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | 600x800 px (NIS portal requirement) | Less than 2 MB | JPEG | Plain white | Upload + biometrics |
| Vietnam | 40x60 mm | 472x709 px | 472x709 px at 300 DPI (computed) | Typically under 2-4 MB for e-Visa | JPEG | Plain white | Upload |
| Indonesia | 40x60 mm (min 35x45) | 472x709 px | At least 400x600 px | Some uploads specify 100-200 KB | JPEG, JPG, PNG | White (latar belakang putih) | Upload |
| Philippines | 35x45 mm | 413x531 px | No applicant upload - DFA captures on site | Not applicable (on-site capture) | - | Plain white | On-site capture |
Upload, print or on-site capture?
The "Mode" column matters more than people expect:
- Upload countries want a digital file on their portal. Get the pixel box and KB cap right, and you are done.
- Prints countries (Schengen, France, Germany, Russia, Turkey) still expect physical photos at the appointment. Print on glossy photo paper at 300 DPI, not on home inkjet.
- On-site capture countries (Mexico, Philippines) take the photo themselves at the window, so you neither upload nor bring prints. Just look presentable and arrive on time.
- Upload + prints countries (Brazil, Nigeria) do both: a digital file for the booking and hard copies or biometrics at the appointment.
When there is no published KB cap
Australia, the UAE, South Korea and several consular portals describe the pixels and background but do not publish a hard kilobyte ceiling. In those cases, do not guess a number. Export a high-quality JPEG that meets the pixel box and stays a few hundred KB to a couple of MB; the portal will reject only genuinely broken or absurdly large files. The honest rule: when the authority does not publish a cap, the pixel dimensions are the real spec.
The resize-and-compress workflow
- Shoot a well-lit phone photo against a plain wall (see the home phone photo guide).
- Open the ID photo tool, pick your country, and let it enforce the exact mm and pixel box.
- If the background is the wrong shade, swap it with the smart background tool.
- If the file is over the KB cap (for example India's 300 KB ceiling), shrink the JPEG with the compressor until it lands under the limit.
- For print-based countries, export a 6x4 sheet and print at a lab on glossy paper. For the head-size details, read the head framing guide.
Two mistakes that still pass the pixel check
Even when the pixel box and KB cap are correct, two choices cause rejections. The first is uploading a scan of a printed photo: it carries paper texture, a faint border and uneven brightness that the automated check flags. Always start from the original camera file. The second is cropping a group selfie down to one face: the wide-angle lens has already warped the proportions, and the resolution after cropping is too low. Take a dedicated, level shot from 1.5 metres instead.
Common questions
What digital file size does a passport photo need?
It varies by country. Some set an exact pixel box and a KB cap - for example India requires 350x350 to 1000x1000 px and 10-300 KB, while Canada wants 1200x1800 to 3000x4500 px and 200 KB to 4 MB. Others publish no fixed KB cap and only specify the print size and background. The table below lists the current official figure for each country.
Do I upload a digital photo or bring prints?
Many countries now require an online upload (US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, UAE, Nigeria). Others still expect printed photos at the appointment (Schengen paper visas, France, Germany, Russia, Turkey), and a few - Mexico and the Philippines - capture the photo on site, so you neither upload nor bring prints.
What format should the file be?
Almost every portal wants JPEG. Indonesia is the rare exception that also accepts JPG and PNG. PNG is generally not accepted for passport uploads because it is lossless and produces a much heavier file.
What if my file is over the KB limit?
Resize to the exact pixel box first, then compress the JPEG quality until the file lands under the cap. Do not upscale a small photo to meet a minimum - it will look soft and may be rejected. Use the browser compressor; the photo never leaves your device.
Is 600x600 enough for a US passport photo?
Yes. The US online system accepts between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels for a square 2x2 inch photo. The DV Lottery additionally caps the file at 240 KB. A 600x600 JPEG at moderate quality is well within range.
Why does Canada want such large pixels?
Canada's online renewal asks for a 3:2 portrait of 1200x1800 to 3000x4500 px, because the government performs the crop itself and needs headroom. The printed paper-track photo is a different size entirely - 50x70 mm, 591x827 px at 300 DPI - and must be guarantor-endorsed.
Which countries publish no fixed KB cap?
Australia, the UAE and several consular portals publish the pixel and background rules but not a hard KB ceiling. In those cases, export a reasonable high-quality JPEG (well under a few MB) and rely on the pixel box rather than guessing a KB number.