Schengen Visa & EU Passport Photo Requirements 2026

Author Sukhwinder SinghPublished May 10, 2026Reviewed May 20, 2026Spec source ICAO 9303 + national rules

The Schengen visa and EU member-state passports use the global ICAO 9303 standard as their baseline: 35 × 45 mm, face 70–80% of frame, plain light background, no glasses. On top of this baseline each member state has small variations — Germany insists on light grey background and very strict biometric centring, the Netherlands enforces facial expression tightly, France accepts light grey or pale blue, Italy and Spain accept white. This guide covers the common ICAO 9303 base and the national deviations that catch applicants out at consulate appointments.

Spec in one line: 35×45 mm, face fills 70–80% of frame (head 32–36 mm chin to crown), light grey or off-white background, no glasses, neutral expression, taken within 6 months.

1. ICAO 9303: the common base

The International Civil Aviation Organization's Doc 9303 part 4 is the technical document EU member states reference for their passport-photo specifications. The relevant numbers from ICAO 9303:

  • Photo size: 35 × 45 mm (alternatively 2 × 2 in for US-conforming countries, but not used in the EU).
  • Head height: 32 – 36 mm chin to crown, equivalent to face covering 70–80% of the photo vertically.
  • Eye line: roughly two-thirds up from the bottom of the photo.
  • Resolution: 300 DPI minimum for printed photos.
  • Background: uniform, plain, contrasting with hair and face.
  • Lighting: even, no shadows on face or background.

If your photo meets ICAO 9303, it will be accepted in the majority of EU consulates with no further adjustment. The exceptions are the strictest national rules listed below.

2. Schengen visa specifically

A Schengen visa is a uniform short-stay visa accepted across all 27 Schengen-zone countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland). The visa is issued by the consulate of the country you are primarily visiting or, if multiple, the one where you spend the most days.

The photo requirement for any Schengen visa application:

  • Two identical 35 × 45 mm prints attached to the application form.
  • Taken within the last 6 months (some consulates accept 3 months only).
  • Face 70–80% of frame.
  • Light grey or off-white background.
  • No glasses.
  • Neutral expression, mouth closed, no smile.

Many consulates have moved to a hybrid system where you also upload the photo digitally during online appointment booking (typical pixel sizes: 413×531 px or 600×750 px). Even where digital upload is available, two physical prints are usually still required at the appointment.

3. Country-by-country deviations

3.1 Germany — strictest, biometric

German passport photos are subject to the most rigorous biometric checks in the EU. Specifications:

  • 35 × 45 mm, face fills 70–80% of frame.
  • Background: plain light grey (#dddddd to #e8e8e8). Pure white is rejected by automated scanners.
  • Glasses: prohibited, no exceptions short of medical certification.
  • Facial expression: neutral, mouth closed. The Bundesdruckerei scanner is strict on slight smiles.
  • Head positioning: face must be facing the camera within ±2 degrees. Even slight head tilt or rotation is rejected.
  • Lighting: uniform, no shadow on face or background.
  • Recency: 6 months.

3.2 France — light grey or pale blue background

  • 35 × 45 mm, face 32–36 mm chin to crown.
  • Background: light grey OR pale blue both accepted.
  • Glasses: prohibited as of 2019.
  • Religious head coverings: accepted if face is fully visible.
  • Source: service-public.fr.

3.3 Netherlands — light grey, biometric

  • 35 × 45 mm, head height 26–32 mm (slightly shorter than ICAO baseline).
  • Background: uniform light grey (#cccccc to #dddddd typical).
  • Glasses: prohibited.
  • Strict on facial symmetry, head straight, mouth closed.
  • The Netherlands operates an online quality-check tool similar to UK's.

3.4 Italy — white background acceptable

  • 35 × 45 mm, face 32–36 mm chin to crown.
  • Background: plain white. Light grey also accepted.
  • Glasses: prohibited.
  • Source: poliziadistato.it.

3.5 Spain — smallest dimension (26 × 32 mm)

Spain is the odd one out: Spanish national ID and passport photos are 26 × 32 mm, not 35 × 45 mm. This is the smallest format of any major European country. For Schengen visa applications at a Spanish consulate abroad, the standard 35 × 45 mm Schengen size is used; the 26 × 32 mm spec is only for Spanish nationals applying for a passport or DNI.

3.6 Switzerland — not EU but Schengen

  • 35 × 45 mm, face 32–36 mm chin to crown.
  • Background: plain light grey.
  • Glasses: prohibited.
  • Swiss applicants typically have the photo taken at a cantonal passport office, where biometric capture is performed on-site.

4. The biometric question

Several EU member states (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, and others) issue biometric passports compliant with EU Regulation 2252/2004. The photo on a biometric passport is scanned and stored on the chip. This adds requirements beyond dimensional spec:

  • Face must be fully forward-facing, both eyes equidistant from camera centre.
  • No shadows that could be interpreted by face-recognition algorithms as features.
  • No specular highlights on glasses (academic, since glasses are banned anyway).
  • Skin tone reproduction must be natural (no white-balance shifts).
  • Background must not blend with face/hair/clothing.

Our maker handles dimensional and background spec; the biometric quality is largely a property of the source photo. Good lighting and a clean shot pass biometric checks; poor lighting and a busy background often do not, even at correct dimensions.

5. Common rejection reasons (Schengen)

  1. Glasses left on (~25%).
  2. Background too white or too dark (Germany / Netherlands strict) (~18%).
  3. Head height out of 32–36 mm range (~14%).
  4. Slight smile (~10%).
  5. Photo too old (~7%).
  6. Shadow on background (~6%).
  7. Head not perfectly forward-facing (German biometric scanner) (~6%).
  8. Hair across face (~5%).
  9. White-balance issue (~5%).
  10. Other (~4%).

6. Fees and timelines (2026)

  • Schengen visa fee: €90 for adults (raised from €80 in June 2024), €45 for children 6–12, free under 6.
  • Studio photo at most EU pharmacies/studios: €8–15 for four prints.
  • Processing time: 15–45 calendar days depending on consulate and time of year. Summer applications take longer.
  • Self-printed at home using this maker: €0.30 for a 4R print at any photo lab.

Create your Schengen photo

Open the Free Passport Photo Maker and pick “Schengen” for the generic visa or your specific country (Germany, France, Italy, etc.) for a passport. The crop frame and head-height guide snap to ICAO 9303 spec. Background-removal lets you pick light grey for Germany / Netherlands or off-white for France / Italy.