Schengen visa photo (35×45 mm), free, at home
Every Schengen visa application needs a 35×45 mm photo with the head at 32-36 mm and a plain light background.
Last updated: September 2026
Upload any straight-on photo: PassportNinja crops it to spec, checks the head size and replaces the background with clean white. Free, no watermark.
You don't pay to find out if your photo is valid. The compliance check and the printable sheet are both free. No card, no account.
Cropped on our own server, never passed on to anyone else, wiped when the retention window closes: 45 minutes on the free tier, 6 hours with a monthly pass, 24 hours with a Pro pass. Need a different country or a bigger print sheet? Open the full tool.
Requirements last checked: July 2026. Always confirm with the issuing authority.
How it works
- Upload a straight-on photo. A phone picture is fine, HEIC included: no converting first. The Schengen template is already selected on this page.
- The tool crops and checks. Your face is found, the photo is scaled until the chin-to-crown height lands inside 32-36 mm, it is cropped to exactly 35×45 mm and the background is replaced with plain white. The head height is then measured a second time on the finished photo.
- Download both files. A 600 dpi digital photo for an online application, and a 10×15 cm sheet with eight photos and cut lines for the printed copy the consulate asks for. Free, no watermark, no account.
How the crop and check actually work
- Sizing the head. The photo is scaled until the chin-to-crown distance lands inside 32-36 mm, then framed so 42% of the leftover vertical space sits above the head.
- Checking the result. The head is measured a second time on the finished 35×45 mm photo. More than 1.5 mm outside 32-36 mm and you'll see a warning like "Head height ≈ 30 mm; requirement is 32-36 mm. Try a photo taken from further away."
- The verdict. The result opens with a colour-coded banner instead of raw numbers. Green means the photo meets the size, head position and background rules outright; amber means it's within spec but worth a second look: extra faces in the frame, or white space added to complete the crop; red means the head measurement itself falls outside the required range, and the banner then suggests standing further back for the retake.
- A second opinion. When face detection isn't fully confident about where your head actually sits, the result flags that too, so you know to double-check the crop yourself before printing rather than trust it blindly. That confidence check runs on every upload, not just the odd hard case, since a busy background or unusual angle can trip it up even on a photo that looks fine to the eye.
- Background. Always replaced with plain white: even on the rare application that would accept off-white, so check theirs if that distinction matters for you.
- Output. A 600 dpi digital photo plus a 10×15 cm print sheet with cut lines.
- Not checked: expression, whether your eyes are open, shadows, or glasses. See the checklist below.
Make it at home in three steps
- Take the shot. Face the camera square-on about 60 cm (2 ft) from a plain, light-coloured wall, with someone shooting from roughly 1.5 m (5 ft) away at eye height. Soft daylight from the front avoids shadows behind your head: the thing that most often ruins a "plain background".
- Upload and pick your template. Choose Schengen visa for the general 35×45 mm spec, or your specific country's passport template if you're renewing a national document. The tool crops to 35×45 mm, checks the head sits at 32-36 mm, and replaces the background with clean white.
- Print the sheet. Download the 10×15 cm (4×6 in) sheet: it lays out eight 35×45 mm photos with cut lines, and print it at any photo kiosk for around €0.15. Most consulates want a physical print stapled or glued to the form.
One visa, twenty-nine countries
A single Schengen visa covers the whole Schengen area, and every consulate in it works from the same 35×45 mm photo spec, so the result here is valid no matter which country you apply through.
Visa photo vs biometric passport photo
They look identical, same 35×45 mm, same white background, but a biometric passport photo (the chip photo taken when you renew an EU passport) is judged by stricter machine-readability rules on head tilt, lighting evenness and neutral expression, because a computer has to match it to your face at the border. A visa photo is checked by a person and is a little more forgiving. This tool sizes and frames both correctly; the biometric extras, dead-level head, no shadow on the wall, no smile, are the parts you control when you take the shot.
Free, pass, and what you actually get
Without an account you can run up to 6 photos per upload, and each result, the JPG plus the print sheet, sits on the server for 45 minutes before it's deleted, which is enough time to download it and move on. A free monthly pass, for newsletter subscribers, raises that to 10 photos and a 6-hour window. A paid pass lifts that further, to 25 photos per upload and a 24-hour window: €5 buys 30 days of that, €3 buys a single 24-hour stretch if this is a one-off. No tier stamps a watermark on anything; a pass only changes batch size and how long the file waits for you. Regardless of tier, up to three photos can process at the same time from one browser, a pass raises that to five, so one visitor's batch never queues behind someone else's. A pass isn't tied to this one tool either: buy it here or on any of the other ShinobiTools sites and it carries over automatically, with no separate purchase or account needed on each one. It's also a one-off, not a subscription: once the 30 days are up you simply drop back to the free limits, nothing is deleted and nothing renews itself without you asking.
What comes out for a Schengen application is an 827×1063 pixel JPG at 600 dpi, 35×45 mm at full print resolution, cut from the same crop as the sheet, so the digital upload and the printed copy are always the identical photo, never two separate passes that could drift apart.
Straight-on iPhone photos go in as-is: the tool reads HEIC files directly, so there's no detour through a converter or an export setting before you upload. JPG, PNG and WEBP need no such handling either: whatever a phone, scanner or camera already produced uploads directly, with no conversion step in between.
Where your photo goes, and what we don't guess at
The crop, the background swap and the head-height check all run on one PassportNinja machine in the Netherlands: no third-party API sees the photo to do any of that. The original you upload is deleted as soon as the crop is done; from that point on only the finished 35×45 mm photo and print sheet exist, and only until the retention window above runs out.
If the tool spots more than one face in the frame, someone walking past, a reflection, it says so and crops around the most prominent one rather than quietly picking wrong. Worth a glance at the result before you print when that warning shows up.
Crop a photo that's already tightly framed and the required frame can run past the edge of what you uploaded; rather than leave a black bar there, that gap is filled with the same plain white as the background, seamlessly. Only once that fill gets substantial, past roughly a tenth of a side, does a note appear suggesting a retake with more room around your head, since a sliver of fill at the edge never changes the result.
Which countries accept this photo
All 29 members of the Schengen area work from the same 35×45 mm photo, so it does not matter which consulate you apply through: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Four of those, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, are in Schengen without being in the EU, and two EU countries, Ireland and Cyprus, are not in Schengen at all and issue their own visas with their own photo rules. Check with the issuing authority if you are applying to either of those two.
Schengen visa photo requirements netherlands and schengen visa photo austria mean the identical row: the Netherlands and Austria are both full Schengen members, so the same 35×45 mm template applies to either consulate. The rule doesn't change by where the applicant is from, either. Schengen visa egypt photo requirements are that same 35×45 mm, 32-36 mm answer. Schengen visa photo for indians gets it too. And schengen visa photo for hijab does as well: a head covering worn for religious reasons is generally fine as long as your full face stays visible, per the head-covering FAQ below.
Same format, many documents
The 35×45 mm format is used for Schengen visas and for most European passports and ID cards (plus the UK, Australia, Japan and others). Each country tweaks its own head-height range slightly, so pick the specific template in the tool when there is one; the EU/Schengen template covers the general visa case. Exact photo rules vary by consulate and change over time, so check your own consulate's page or VFS Global's site for the country you're applying to: whatever is published there on the day you apply is the only version that counts, not this page. Curious why these millimetre ranges exist at all? See passport photo requirements explained.
Schengen visa applications often want a scanned copy of your passport bio page too, not just the photo. ScanReviver's photo to scanned PDF turns a phone photo of the document into a proper scanned PDF.
Schengen applications also often ask for a bank statement as proof of funds, and banks frequently deliver those as a PDF locked with a password you were given separately. ScanReviver's unlock PDF removes it once you have that password, so the statement opens and prints normally.
Before you upload
Is a home-made photo really accepted?
Consulates care that the photo meets the printed specifications, not where it was taken, but the final decision is always the consulate's. The tool handles size, head height and background; you handle expression and lighting (see the checklist in the tool). Follow your consulate's photo guidelines for anything the tool does not check, such as expression and head coverings.
How recent must the photo be?
Taken within the last 6 months, and it should still look like you.
How do I print 35×45 photos?
Download the 10×15 cm sheet (8 photos with cut lines) and print it at any photo kiosk for ~€0.15. Most consulates want a physical print, not a digital upload, for a visa application. The photo size for Schengen visa applications is that same 35×45 mm across every member state, so one template covers all of them.
Can I smile or wear glasses?
We don't check expression or glasses: the tool only handles size, head height and background. As a rule of thumb: neutral expression, mouth closed, glasses off if you can manage it without squinting. Your consulate's page has the exact wording for your application.
Can I wear a head covering?
We don't check this either: it's the consulate's call. Religious or medical head coverings are generally fine as long as your full face stays visible with no shadow; check your consulate's page for how strictly that's applied.
Does the same photo work for a national passport or ID card?
Usually yes, since most European documents use 35×45 mm, but pick your country's template in the tool so the exact head-height range is applied, and note passports are held to stricter biometric standards than visas.
What happens to my photo?
Deleted automatically. Upload right after processing, results within 45 minutes (6 hours with a monthly pass, 24 hours with a Pro pass: that longer window is part of what the pass is for). See privacy.
What size is a Schengen visa photo?
35x45 mm, with the head at 32-36 mm measured from chin to crown, roughly 70-80% of the height of the photo, on a plain light background, taken within the last 6 months. That size is the same in all 29 Schengen states, so one template covers every consulate in the area.
What files do I get, and how big are they?
Two: a digital photo of 827 × 1063 pixels at 600 dpi, which is 35×45 mm at full print resolution, and a separate 10×15 cm sheet at 300 dpi holding eight of them with cut lines. Both are cut from the same crop, so the file you upload and the copy you hand in are never two slightly different photos.
Can I make a Schengen visa photo online for free?
Yes. Upload a straight-on photo and PassportNinja crops it to 35×45 mm, checks the 32-36 mm head height and gives it a plain background, free for up to 6 photos per upload, with no account and no watermark. This page is the Schengen visa photo maker, and the Schengen visa photo online free download includes both the digital file and a print sheet. It is the Schengen visa photo tool as well. There is no Schengen visa photo cost for the size, crop or background.
Is there a sample Schengen visa photo I can check mine against?
We don't publish a static sample image, but you can check your own photo directly: upload it and the tool measures your head height and background against the 35×45 mm / 32-36 mm spec and tells you if it's outside range, a more useful check than eyeballing someone else's example.
Is the photo for a Schengen visa the same across all member states?
Yes: all 29 Schengen states share the same 35×45 mm specification and the same 32-36 mm head-height range, so one photo covers every consulate in the area regardless of which country's visa you are applying for.
Does this follow ICAO photo standards for a Schengen visa?
It applies the 35×45 mm size and head-height rule those standards are based on. The stricter machine-readability extras, dead-level head, no shadow, neutral expression, are the parts you control when you take the shot; see the biometric photo comparison above for the difference between a visa and a passport check.
What is the French visa photo requirement?
It is the Schengen spec: 35×45 mm, head 32-36 mm and a plain light background. Because France is a Schengen state, French visa photo specifications match those of Germany. So the visa photo France asks for is the same file you would use at any other Schengen consulate. Switzerland is in the Schengen area too, so the Swiss visa photo requirements are the same. Everywhere in the area, the European visa photo size is 35×45 mm.
What are the exact Schengen visa photo measurements?
The Schengen visa photo measurements are 35×45 mm with a 32-36 mm head height, roughly 1.4 × 1.8 inches; those Schengen visa photo dimensions follow from the same spec as the 7:9 aspect ratio. Pick any Schengen country in the tool and you get the Schengen visa photo size online with the biometric head-height band applied automatically. The Schengen visa photo size VFS applicants see on VFS Global's site is the same figure, since both trace back to the same Schengen-wide specification.
Where's the full photo requirement for a Schengen visa?
The photo requirement for Schengen visa applications: 35×45 mm, 32-36 mm head height, plain light background, taken within the last six months. Those Schengen visa photo requirements are the same for every application, and the full Schengen visa photo specification is covered on this page. The background the tool outputs is clean white, which satisfies the Schengen visa photo background requirements of every consulate.
Do France, Germany or Switzerland ask for something different?
No. All 29 Schengen states share one 35×45 mm size and one 32-36 mm head-height band, so the Germany Schengen visa photo requirements and the France visa photo requirements are identical. Switzerland is part of the Schengen area too. The Switzerland visa photo requirements are the same. A French visa photo size is 35×45 mm, and so is a Swiss visa photo size. A Europe visa photo size is 35×45 mm too, and the European visa photo requirements don't vary by country. Pick the consulate's country in the tool and you get the right photo for Schengen visa applications in any member state.
Is there a sample or example photo?
There is no static sample image. Upload your own photo instead and the tool measures your head height and background against the 35×45 mm / 32-36 mm spec and tells you if anything is outside range. That is a more useful check than Schengen visa photo examples of a stranger's face. A sample Schengen visa photo cannot tell you whether your own head height is in range.
Is there an app, or does it use AI?
No app to install: it stays a website. It isn't AI-generated either; it is a measured crop of your own photo against a fixed band, not a generated image.
Can I make the photo at home?
Yes. Any plain, well-lit wall works: a phone photo taken from about 1.5 m away gives the tool enough to crop and size correctly, so you don't need a photo booth or a studio. The home guide above walks through it step by step.
Is there a beard, ears or clothing rule?
None of those are checked by this tool. Schengen visa photo beard isn't measured. Neither are schengen visa photo ears or schengen visa photo earrings checked at all. Schengen visa photo clothes and schengen visa photo dress code aren't checked either: plain clothing and a neutral, unobstructed face are the safe defaults.
Is there a checker, cropper or editor for an existing photo?
Yes, the upload itself. As a Schengen visa photo checker it measures your head height automatically, and you can run the photo checker again later, free and with no limit. The photo crop to 35×45 mm happens the moment you upload, so it doubles as a photo converter and a photo cropping tool; there is no separate cropper to find. This page is a photo editor free of charge. It is a photo editor online free of sign-ups, but not a free editor for retouching, since filters aren't allowed on visa photos.
Foto visa Schengen: does this work in other languages?
Yes. A visa Schengen photo is the same 35×45 mm everywhere, so the foto visa Schengen consulates ask for comes out of the same template, whatever language you read this in. Upload your photo above and it is cropped and checked against that spec, free.
By Sam Ridder, I build and run PassportNinja on my own hardware, on my own. Who I am.