Crop your Schengen visa photo. Free, private, in your browser.

A Schengen (short-stay, "Type C") visa lets you travel across the entire Schengen Area on one application, and every member state's consulate checks the accompanying photo against the same 35x45mm biometric standard covered on this page. That list isn't identical to EU membership. Ireland is in the EU but not Schengen, while Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein are in Schengen but not the EU. So whichever consulate you're applying through, from Germany to Greece, this is the photo size and biometric standard that actually gets checked.

You'll see this same requirement written a few different ways depending on which consulate's checklist you're reading: "photo specification," "photo guidelines," or just "photograph requirements." They're all pointing at the identical 35x45mm, plain-background, biometric spec covered here, not separate rules.

Verified directly against the German Federal Foreign Office's own Schengen visa checklist and biometric photo standard (auswaertiges-amt.de / diplo.de). Some individual member states' own national passport photos use a different size from their Schengen visa photo, always double check which one your specific application is asking for.

Unlike a handful of the documents on this site, a Schengen visa photo doesn't have to come from a government-approved studio, so you have real options here. A passport-photo studio, a camera shop, or a drugstore with a photo counter can all produce a compliant 35x45mm print on the spot, and this is a routine service in most towns and cities, not something you need to hunt for. It's worth calling ahead if you specifically need same-day service before an embassy appointment.

You can also take the photo yourself. A phone camera, a plain light-coloured wall, and even daylight get you most of the way to a compliant shot; from there, upload it to the tool above and it crops to the exact 35x45mm frame with the correct head-height guide, right in your browser, at no cost. See our guide to taking a passport photo at home for the full walkthrough on lighting and background. Either way, checking your framing against the guide before you commit to a print saves a second trip if something's off.

Your photo is just one requirement among several. Most Schengen applications also ask for a completed application form, a valid passport with enough blank pages, proof of travel insurance covering the full trip, a flight itinerary, proof of accommodation, and financial proof that you can support yourself while travelling. Some applicants need a covering letter explaining the purpose of the trip too. Exact checklists shift by consulate and by visa category, so treat this as a general outline and confirm the current list with the specific embassy or visa centre handling your application.

There's a separate visa application fee, unrelated to whatever you pay for the photo itself, and standard processing is commonly quoted around 15 calendar days, though it can run longer depending on the season and how complete your file is. A photo that's the wrong size, off background, or missing the biometric framing is one of the more avoidable reasons an application gets sent back for correction, and that adds real time to a process you'd rather not repeat. Getting the framing right before you submit is cheap insurance against that delay.

The short answer is no, but there are two nuances worth knowing. First, Germany's own domestic documents, passports, ID cards, and residence permits, now require an in-person, digitally captured photo at a registered studio or citizens' office, a rule that took effect in May 2025. That's a separate process from a Schengen visa application submitted by a foreign national at a German consulate abroad, which still runs on the standard printed or uploaded 35x45mm photo covered on this page. See our German passport photo page for that domestic-only rule specifically.

Second, a country's own national passport photo doesn't always match its Schengen visa photo. Spain is the clearest example on this site: its own passport uses a different size from the 35x45mm Schengen spec, so if you're applying for a Spanish passport rather than a Schengen visa through a Spanish consulate, check our Spain passport photo page before you get your photo taken. Switzerland, by contrast, is a Schengen member outside the EU and uses the same 35x45mm spec as everyone else here. When in doubt about which spec applies to your specific application, this page covers the Schengen visa photo, not any individual country's own national ID or passport photo.