Passport Photo Size Lookup

Open source

Country or document:

The preset changes photo dimensions, head-size band, checklist rows, source notes, and export payloads.

Output target:

Resolution: {{ dpiLabel }}

300 DPI is a common print-preparation baseline; use the authority's digital upload rules when they differ.

DPI

Sheet size:

Measured head height:

Cut gutter: {{ gutterLabel }}

Used only for the print-sheet layout estimate.

Sheet edge margin: {{ cutMarginLabel }}

Increase this for printers that crop near the paper edge.

Requirement	Value	Use	Copy
{{ row.requirement }}	{{ row.value }}	{{ row.note }}

Layout item	Value	Cut note	Copy
{{ row.item }}	{{ row.value }}	{{ row.note }}

Check	Requirement	Evidence note	Copy
{{ row.check }}	{{ row.requirement }}	{{ row.note }}

{{ formattedJson }}

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Passport, visa, and national ID photos look simple because the finished image is small, but the rule set behind that small rectangle is strict. The same portrait has to satisfy human review, biometric matching, document printing, and the exact application route being used. A crop that looks centered on a phone can still be rejected when the outer rectangle is the wrong size, the head is too large in the frame, a digital upload was resized to a print-only target, or a print driver quietly scaled the sheet.

Photo-size rules usually combine three measurements. The first is the full outside rectangle, such as 51 x 51 mm for a U.S. passport print or 35 x 45 mm for several passport and ID systems. The second is the head or face measurement inside that rectangle, commonly measured from the bottom of the chin to the crown or top of the head. The third is the output medium: a physical print, a digital upload file, or a sheet of repeated cutouts. Each measurement answers a different question, and passing one does not automatically satisfy the others.

A compliant preparation plan keeps the finished rectangle, head band, and output scale aligned.

Printed-photo instructions and digital-photo instructions should not be treated as interchangeable. Printed rules start with millimeters or inches and depend on photo paper, trimming, and 100% print scale. Digital rules may require a fixed pixel size, an accepted file type, a file-size range, and a face percentage instead of a ruler measurement. Converting millimeters to pixels is useful when preparing a print file, but an authority-provided upload range takes priority when the application route gives one.

Common passport photo sizing terms
Term	Plain meaning	Common mistake
Outer size	The full finished photo width and height.	Cropping only around the face and forgetting the required background area.
Head height	The authority's face or head measurement inside the crop.	Measuring hair, shoulders, or the wrong top endpoint when the source defines crown or top of head differently.
Digital target	The pixel, format, and file-size rule for an upload route.	Using a DPI-derived print target when the authority lists a fixed upload size.
Print resolution	The DPI used to prepare pixels for a physical print size.	Assuming DPI can fix blur, poor lighting, editing, or printer scaling.

Country rules can differ even when the outside dimensions look familiar. One authority may set an adult face-length band, another may allow an outer-size range, and a digital renewal route may define the head as a percentage of the image height. Background color, recent capture, neutral expression, glasses, head coverings, child exceptions, paper finish, and retouching restrictions can reject the same image even when its dimensions are correct.

A careful photo check starts by matching the document route, not just the country. Passport book, visa, diversity visa, ID card, renewal, paper form, overseas mission, and digital upload channels can publish different instructions. The size lookup gives a preparation target, while the live authority page remains the final source before submission.

How to Use This Tool:

Work from the authority preset to the output route, then use the optional head measurement and sheet controls only when they match the photo you are preparing.

Choose Country or document. The selected preset sets the authority, photo dimensions, head band, checklist rows, and source link for that document route.
Select Output target. Use Single print/photo lab for one physical cutout, Digital upload pixels when the application asks for a file, and Print sheet layout when you want repeated cutouts on one sheet.
Set Resolution for print work. The DPI control accepts 150 to 600 DPI and changes the print-preparation pixel target; it does not replace an official digital upload rule.
Pick Sheet size only for sheet planning. Single cutout keeps one photo, while 4 x 6 in, 5 x 7 in, A4, and US Letter estimate how many correctly scaled cutouts fit.
Enter Measured head height if you already have a crop or print to check. Use millimeters or inches for physical output, and use percent when a digital route defines the face as a share of image height.
Open Advanced when a print sheet needs trimming room. Increase Cut gutter for space between cutouts or Sheet edge margin for printers that clip near the paper edge.
Read Size Sheet before the other tabs. If the measured-head badge says Head too small or Head too tall, re-crop before using the print layout. If a preset asks for a higher DPI, raise the resolution before preparing a print file.

Use Open source before final submission. The authority page is the deciding instruction for the exact passport, visa, ID, renewal, or consular route.

Interpreting Results:

The summary's main value is the finished photo size or digital pixel target. It is not a complete acceptance result. A 51 x 51 mm U.S. passport print still needs the head between 25 and 35 mm, a white or off-white background, a recent unedited photo, and correct print quality. A Canada digital renewal file follows a different pixel and file-size rule from a Canada paper passport print.

How to interpret passport photo lookup result areas
Result area	What to trust	What still needs checking
`Size Sheet`	Authority name, source review date, outer dimensions, head band, head coverage, pixel target, quantity, background, recency, and editing notes.	The authority may have changed a route-specific instruction after the stored review date.
Measured head badge	Whether the entered millimeter, inch, or percentage measurement falls below, inside, or above the selected head band.	It does not inspect eyes, shadows, expression, image sharpness, background edits, or whether the correct endpoints were measured.
`Print Layout`	Estimated sheet size, sheet pixels, cutout count, orientation, grid, and cut positions using the selected gutter and edge margin.	Printer drivers and photo labs can scale, crop, or enlarge the sheet unless output is kept at 100% scale.
`Submission Checklist`	A preparation list for size, head band, background, expression, glasses or coverings, paper or file route, recency, and final source check.	It is not a legal, immigration, or consular acceptance decision.
`Size Comparison`	A chart comparing supported standards by outside width, outside height, and head midpoint where those values are chartable.	The chart is for comparison only. Use the selected authority row for exact preparation values.

Treat a green head check as a dimension clue, not as full compliance. Verify the authority link, the physical or digital route, the photo quality rules, and one actual test print or upload preview when the application is strict.

Technical Details:

Passport photo preparation is mostly geometry. The outside rectangle sets the crop boundary, the head-height band sets the scale of the face within that boundary, and a digital rule or DPI value sets the pixel grid used for output. These rules interact because a correctly sized face can be placed inside the wrong outside rectangle, and a high-resolution file can still print at the wrong physical size if the final scale changes.

DPI is only a conversion factor between inches and pixels. It increases or decreases the number of pixels used to represent a physical print size, but it does not change the government rule, improve a blurry source image, or force a printer to output the intended dimensions. Official upload limits take precedence when a route lists fixed pixel dimensions or file-size rules.

Formula Core

The main print calculation converts each physical dimension from millimeters to inches, multiplies by DPI, then rounds to a whole pixel.

pixels = \frac{millimeters}{25.4} \times DPI

Passport photo measurement formulas and variables
Quantity	Rule used	Notes
Print pixels	Dimension in mm / 25.4 x DPI, rounded to the nearest pixel.	DPI is clamped to the tool's 150 to 600 range before the target is shown.
Head coverage	Head height / photo height x 100.	Used when a route expresses the head as a percentage of image height.
Measured head in mm	Millimeters are used directly; inches are multiplied by 25.4; percent is multiplied by photo height.	The status is below, inside, or above the selected authority band.
Usable sheet size	Sheet dimension - 2 x edge margin.	The cut gutter is added between repeated photo rectangles, not around the outside edge.

At 300 DPI, a 35 x 45 mm print prepares to about 413 x 531 pixels. A 51 x 51 mm print at the same DPI prepares to about 602 x 602 pixels. Those values are print-preparation targets. They should not be substituted for a digital route that lists its own minimum, maximum, or fixed upload size.

Representative Standards

Representative passport photo standards available in the lookup
Document route	Outer size or pixels	Head rule	Boundary to verify
United States passport print	51 x 51 mm, also listed as 2 x 2 in	25 to 35 mm from chin to top of head	Paper passport applications use this print standard; digital renewal follows a separate upload route.
United Kingdom printed passport photo	35 x 45 mm	29 to 34 mm from crown to chin	Printed photos and digital application photos are handled differently.
Canada passport print	50 x 70 mm	31 to 36 mm from chin to crown	Canada requires original, unaltered photos and separate digital-renewal rules.
Canada digital renewal photo	1200 x 1800 to 3000 x 4500 px	45% to 50% of image height	JPEG/JPG format and file-size limits apply to that digital channel.
Australia passport photo	35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high	32 to 36 mm from chin to crown	The accepted outer size is a range, not one fixed rectangle.
Netherlands passport, ID, or driving licence photo	35 x 45 mm	Adult face length 26 to 30 mm, with face width 16 to 20 mm	Quality guidance includes a minimum 400 DPI print resolution.
India GPSP V2.0 upload	630 x 810 px	80% to 85% of image height	The uploaded photo is fixed-size rather than DPI-derived.

Sheet Layout Estimate

The sheet estimate subtracts the edge margin from both sides of the selected sheet, then places as many photo rectangles as possible with the selected gutter between copies. Upright and rotated placement are compared, and the orientation with the larger cutout count is used. Slot coordinates are measured from the sheet's top-left corner in millimeters.

columns = ⌊ \frac{usable width + gutter}{photo width + gutter} ⌋

The same rule is applied to rows with sheet height and photo height. The estimate assumes no automatic scaling after the sheet is prepared. Fit-to-page, shrink-to-printable-area, borderless enlargement, or photo-lab cropping can change every cutout even when the grid math is correct.

Privacy and Accuracy Notes:

The lookup uses built-in standards data and visible authority links. It does not upload, crop, inspect, retouch, or validate an image file. Entered measurements are used for the browser calculation, and no photo is required to use the sizing, print-layout, checklist, chart, or JSON outputs.

The standards data includes a source review date of 2026-05-24, but official pages can change without notice.
Paper applications, renewals, children, overseas missions, visa categories, and application centers can use route-specific rules.
The page cannot assess lighting, expression, identity, recent appearance, paper quality, compression, file metadata, medical or religious exceptions, or editing.
Printed output should be measured after printing when the application is strict, because printer scaling and lab cropping are outside the calculation.

Worked Examples:

U.S. Passport Print

Select the U.S. passport photo preset, keep the output target on Single print/photo lab, and use the 51 x 51 mm size with a 25 to 35 mm head-height band. At 300 DPI, the print target is about 602 x 602 pixels. A measured head value of 31 mm should read Head in band, but the photo still needs the listed background, recency, expression, and editing checks.

Canada Digital Renewal

Select the Canada digital renewal preset and choose Digital upload pixels. Use the official 1200 x 1800 to 3000 x 4500 px range, not a DPI-derived print target. If the crop has the face at 43% of image height, the measured-head badge should warn that the head is below the 45% to 50% band.

4 x 6 In Print Sheet

Choose a print preset, switch the output target to Print sheet layout, and select a 4 x 6 in sheet. Increase Cut gutter if trimming is tight or Sheet edge margin if your printer clips near the edge. After export or printing, measure one cutout with a ruler before relying on the sheet.

Unexpected Head Warning

If a 35 x 45 mm passport crop reports Head too tall, first confirm that the selected country preset matches the application route. Then remeasure from the authority's required endpoints. If the measurement is correct, widen the crop or reduce the face scale before preparing the final file.

FAQ:

Can one passport photo size work for every country?

No. Some countries share a 35 x 45 mm outside size, but head bands, face width, background, expression, glasses, paper quality, digital upload limits, and recency rules can still differ. Check the selected authority before reusing a photo.

Does the pixel target guarantee a correct print?

No. Pixel count and DPI describe the prepared file. The final print must still be output at the intended physical size. Disable fit-to-page scaling, watch for borderless enlargement, and measure a test print when the rule is strict.

What should I measure for head height?

Use the authority's definition. Many printed standards measure from the bottom of the chin to the crown or top of the head. Some digital standards use the face or head as a percentage of the whole image height.

Why do printed and digital rules differ?

Printed rules describe a physical cutout, paper quality, and final scale. Digital rules describe the submitted file, so they may include pixel dimensions, file size, format, aspect ratio, scan restrictions, and face percentage. Use the rule for the actual application route.

Why should I open the authority source?

Passport and visa instructions can change, and some countries publish different rules for paper applications, renewals, children, digital uploads, and overseas missions. The linked authority page is the final check before submission.

Glossary:

Authority: The government department, passport office, embassy, visa program, or application service that publishes the photo rule.
Chin to crown: The vertical face or head measurement used by many passport-photo standards. The top endpoint can be described differently, so follow the source wording.
Digital upload: A submitted photo file, often governed by pixel dimensions, file type, file size, and face-percentage rules.
DPI: Dots per inch. In print preparation, DPI converts a physical size into an approximate pixel target.
Gutter: The space between repeated cutouts on a print sheet, used to make trimming easier.

References:

Passport Photos, U.S. Department of State.
Get a passport photo: printed photos, GOV.UK.
Passport photo requirements, Government of Canada.
Passport photos, Australian Passport Office.
Eisen aan de pasfoto voor paspoort of ID-kaart, Rijksoverheid.
Passport photo standards, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Global Passport Seva Version 2.0 guidelines, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.