More visa applications are delayed by photographs than by almost anything else. Each destination publishes its own dimensions, background and file rules, and the differences are measured in millimetres. This guide collects the photo specifications that appear in our country guides, explains how to check your own photo without submitting it anywhere, and states plainly what we never do with your data.
Photo specifications by destination
| Destination | Specification |
|---|---|
| India (eVisa) | Square 1:1 ratio, white background, 10KB–1MB file size |
| USA (DS-160) | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), white or off-white background, recent photo |
| Schengen (Germany and area) | 35 x 45 mm, light background, head covering 70–80% of frame |
| UK (student route) | 45 x 35 mm, plain light background, no shadows |
| Japan | Per the current official template — specs drift, print the sheet from the portal |
Rules that apply everywhere
- Face forward, eyes open, neutral expression.
- No hats, headphones or tinted glasses; religious headwear allowed if the face is fully visible.
- Even lighting — no shadows on the face or background.
- No red-eye, filters or retouching that changes identity.
- File size and dimensions exactly as the portal states; most portals reject files that are too large.
How to check your photo
The check is a checklist, not a service. Hold your photo against the destination’s published dimensions, confirm the background is plain, and verify the file size matches the portal’s limits. The photo checker tool on this site opens the official specification page for your destination through the verification panel, so the numbers you compare against are the current official ones — never a third-party summary.
Our privacy stance
This page does not collect or process photographs. We do not upload, store or analyse your photo, and no tool on this site asks for your passport image. The only place your photo should ever go is the official application portal, reached through the Source card.
Why photos fail most often
- Wrong dimensions — often an inch off in one direction.
- Shadows across the face from phone lighting.
- Background that is not plain white or light.
- Smiling with teeth where a neutral expression is required.
- Uploading a photo cropped from a group picture.
When in doubt
Studios near Gulshan and Banani know the common specs, but print the official requirement sheet anyway and hand it over. A studio that cannot match the printed spec is not the right studio for this application.