Free Schengen Visa Photo Maker (35×45 mm)

Schengen Area Visa photo requirements at a glance

How to make your Schengen Area visa photo at home

1. Take the photo. Stand about 1.2 m (4 ft) from a plain wall, facing a window or another soft, even light. Ask someone else to take it at eye level with the phone's main (rear) camera — selfies taken at arm's length distort the face. Keep your shoulders in the frame and leave space above your head.
2. Upload it above. Choose 🇪🇺 Schengen Area – Visa. The tool finds your face and eyes, straightens a tilted head, and crops to 35 × 45 mm with your head at 32–36 mm.
3. Check the background. The background is replaced with light grey or light blue, no white-out shadows. Look closely at the edges of your hair; if anything looks cut out, use a photo taken against a plainer wall.
4. Read the warnings. We flag closed eyes, a turned head, uneven lighting, possible glasses and low resolution. Fix anything flagged by retaking the photo — editing a face is not allowed.
5. Download. Use the digital file for online applications, or the 4×6 in print sheet for a printed photo. Print the sheet at a pharmacy or photo kiosk at 100% scale with no borders, then cut along the guides.

Common reasons Schengen Area visa photos get rejected

• Head too small or too large in the frame — the head must measure 32–36 mm from chin to the top of the head.
• Shadows on the face or behind the head, usually from a single overhead light or a camera flash.
• Glare on glasses, or glasses where they aren't allowed (allowed only with clear lenses, no glare and frames not covering the eyes (rules differ by country)).
• Hair covering the eyes or the edges of the face, and hats or head coverings worn for non-religious, non-medical reasons.
• Filters, beauty modes or "portrait" blur applied by the phone. Turn these off before taking the photo.
• Photos older than six months, or ones that no longer look like you.

Things to know before you apply

• Each Schengen country's consulate publishes its own checklist; follow the one you are applying to.
• Based on the ICAO photo standard.

Disclaimer: photo rules change and individual officers make the final decision. This tool follows the published size rules but cannot guarantee your photo will be accepted. Always check the official Schengen Area requirements before you submit.