Is a visa photo the same as a passport photo? Sometimes the size matches. Often it does not, and the differences are the reason many applications get a photo refused. This guide compares the two country by country, using the numbers from the official rules on SafeResize.
The short answer
Do not assume one photo fits every document. Two documents from the same country can differ in:
- the size of the photo, or its shape (square or portrait);
- the pixels and the file size limit for an online upload;
- how much of the photo the head should fill;
- the background colour.
A photo that is right for a passport can be too big a file for a visa website, or have the wrong head size for an OCI card. The safest rule is to make each photo for the document you are applying for.
The tables below come from the country pages. "Pixels" is the size SafeResize saves for that document, and it meets the official pixel rule where there is one.
United States: four documents, four sets of rules
The head size is the same for all four (50% to 69% of the photo height), but the shape and the file limits are not. The online passport renewal takes a large file, while the visa and the Diversity Visa stop at 240 KB.
| Document | Photo size | Pixels | File size | Head size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Passport Renewal | Digital, no print size | 1200 × 1200 | 54 KB to 10 MB | 50% to 69% | Plain white or off-white |
| US Passport (DS-11) | 2 × 2 inch | 600 × 600 | Printed photo | 50% to 69% | Plain white or off-white |
| US Visa (DS-160) | Digital, no print size | 600 × 600 | Up to 240 KB | 50% to 69% | Plain white or off-white |
| US DV Lottery | Digital, no print size | 600 × 600 | Up to 240 KB | 50% to 69% | Plain white or off-white |
A photo saved for the online passport renewal can be far bigger than the 240 KB limit of the DS-160 visa form. Making the visa photo from the same original picture is easy, as long as you make a new file for it.
Canada: a passport photo is much smaller in the frame
For a Canadian passport the head fills about half of the photo height, and the photo is taller than the usual 35 × 45 mm. For a visa the head fills much more of the photo.
| Document | Photo size | Pixels | File size | Head size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Passport (Printed) | 50 × 70 mm | Not made here | Studio or office photo | 44% to 51% | Plain white or light-coloured |
| Canada Passport Renewal | Digital, no print size | Not made here | Studio or office photo | 45% to 50% | Plain white or light-coloured |
| Canada Visa | 35 × 45 mm | 840 × 1080 | 60 KB to 240 KB | 69% to 80% | Plain white or light-coloured |
Both Canadian passport routes need a photo from a commercial photographer or studio, so you cannot make them yourself. The visa photo you can make yourself.
India: the passport, the OCI card and the visa differ most
An Indian passport photo is 35 × 45 mm with the head filling 80% to 85% of the height. The Indian visa photos are square, with a smaller head (about half to two thirds of the height in the rules on SafeResize) and a different background rule.
The OCI card photo is square too, but its head size is not settled. The OCI website says the face should fill about 80% of the photo, while older consulate sheets say a head of 25 to 35 mm. Check the upload screen and follow what it says.
| Document | Photo size | Pixels | File size | Head size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India Passport (Abroad) | 35 × 45 mm | 630 × 810 | Up to 250 KB | 80% to 85% | White |
| India OCI Card | 51 × 51 mm | 600 × 600 | Up to 200 KB | 49% to 69% | Plain light colour, not white |
| India Regular Visa | 51 × 51 mm | 600 × 600 | 10 KB to 300 KB | 49% to 69% | Plain light colour or white |
| India e-Visa | Digital, no print size | 600 × 600 | 10 KB to 1 MB | 50% to 69% | Plain light colour or white |
An Indian passport photo cannot be used as it is for an OCI card or an Indian visa. Each one needs its own file, and the background colour rules are not the same.
The United Kingdom: nearly the same, with different file limits
The UK passport, visa and ETA photos have nearly the same pixel rule: at least 600 × 750 pixels. The file size limit and the head size range are a little different.
| Document | Photo size | Pixels | File size | Head size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Passport | 35 × 45 mm | 1200 × 1500 | 50 KB to 10 MB | 64% to 76% | Plain light colour, clear contrast (prints: cream or light grey) |
| UK Visa | Digital, no print size | 1200 × 1500 | 50 KB to 6 MB | 60% to 75% | Plain light colour, with clear contrast |
| UK ETA | Digital, no print size | 1200 × 1500 | 50 KB to 6 MB | 60% to 75% | Plain light colour, with clear contrast |
Singapore: the same pixels, a very different file limit
The pixel size is the same for the passport and the visa. The file limit is not: the passport photo can be a large file, while the visa photo must be under 60 KB.
| Document | Photo size | Pixels | File size | Head size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore Passport | 35 × 45 mm | 400 × 514 | Up to 8 MB | 56% to 78% | Plain white (light grey if your hair is white) |
| Singapore Visa | 35 × 45 mm | 400 × 514 | Up to 60 KB | 56% to 78% | White |
What is usually the same
Nearly every document asks for a plain background. Most ask for a recent colour photo, and many say the expression must be neutral and that glasses must not hide the eyes. Each country page lists the other rules for its document, and links to its official source.
What to do
- Find the exact document you are applying for in passport and visa photos. Look at the size, the pixels, the file size, the head size and the background.
- Make a new photo for it. Do not reuse a file made for another document, even from the same country.
- Check the file with Check my file before you upload, and read why photos get rejected if a website turns it down.
If you want every size in one place, see passport photo size by country.