Schengen Visa Photo Size (cm + KB)
Published July 22, 2026By Samson PG
Most Schengen consulates want a 35×45 mm colour photo on a white or light background. Hit mm and KB locally before you print or upload.
A Schengen visa photo is usually a 35 × 45 mm (3.5 × 4.5 cm) colour headshot on a white or light background, framed in an ICAO-style way. Member states share that baseline, but each embassy or VFS portal can tighten digital KB, pixels, or checklist wording — always confirm the notice for your appointment.
Print size vs digital size
| Spec | Typical Schengen prep |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 × 45 mm (3.5 × 4.5 cm) |
| Background | White / light, plain |
| Format | Colour JPG for most online slots |
| File size | Often roughly 10–300 KB (portal text wins) |
Print mm and upload KB are separate. A correctly printed studio photo can still fail an online form if the file is too large or the crop is wrong.
Recommended pipeline on TryQuickImg
- Take a recent, sharp photo on a plain light wall (or use a clean studio shot).
- Open Schengen visa photo and frame the face in the guide.
- Export the JPG; check that the crop matches 35×45 mm intent.
- If the portal lists a max KB, run Compress Image (or compress to 50 KB when that is the cap).
- Keep the original master offline; submit only the processed copy.
Processing runs in your browser — TryQuickImg does not upload your photo to our servers for crop, resize, or compress.
One spec for the whole zone
Schengen is a zone, not one upload form — but Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and every other Schengen mission ask for the identical 35×45 mm ICAO-style photo, so there is one tool to use regardless of which embassy you are applying through: Schengen visa photo.
Broader size reference across every country and use case: passport photo size & KB cheat sheet.
KB tips that avoid soft rejections
- Resize/crop before heavy compression so quality is spent on the face, not unused edges.
- Prefer JPG for photos; PNG often refuses a tight KB limit without mush.
- Do not re-export through WhatsApp or email before upload — messengers recompress and can break the portal check.
- If the form names both pixels and KB, satisfy pixels first, then KB. See resize then compress and 50 KB passport/visa.
Privacy
Visa photos are identity documents. Prefer a browser-side pipeline so drafts never land on a random “visa photo online” uploader.
FAQ
Is 35×45 mm the same as 3.5×4.5 cm?
Yes — same print size, different unit labels.
Can I reuse a US 2×2 inch passport photo?
Usually no. US passport photos are a 2×2 inch square; Schengen wants 35×45 mm. Start from the Schengen tool, not a US square export.
White or off-white background?
Most notices want white or light and plain. Busy walls and coloured backdrops are common rejection reasons — retake when unsure.
Are my photos uploaded to TryQuickImg?
No. Framing and compression run locally in your browser.