Visa & passport photo size by country

There is no universal visa photo

The destinations split into two shape families, and the families do not mix:

• Square (1:1): the United States and the OPT/EAD card (51 × 51 mm), Japan (45 × 45 mm), and Korea’s K-ETA (35 × 35 mm).
• Rectangular (portrait): the Schengen Area, the UK, and Australia (35 × 45 mm), China (33 × 48 mm), and Canada (50 × 70 mm).

A rectangular photo cannot be cropped into a square without cutting off the top of the head or the shoulders, and a square cannot be stretched into a rectangle without distorting the face. That is the first reason a reused photo fails.

Even matching sizes are not interchangeable

Sharing a size is not enough. Two things still diverge:

• Head ratio. The US wants the head at 50–69% of the frame; Schengen, Australia, and Japan want 70–80%. A US-cropped photo is simply too small for a Schengen application even when you fix the shape — the face does not fill enough of the frame.
• Background color. All three of the UK, Schengen, and Australia use 35 × 45 mm, but the UK rejects pure white (it flares Home Office scanners) and wants light grey or cream. China demands pure white and rejects cream. A light-grey background is the safest common ground across the 35 × 45 group, but not for China.

The outliers to watch

• Canada (50 × 70 mm). The only major destination at this size. No other country’s photo fits, and paper applications also need the photographer’s studio name, address, and date stamped on the back.
• China (33 × 48 mm). A unique ratio, pure-white background only, both ears visible, and a tight 120 KB file cap.
• Korea’s K-ETA (100 KB). The strictest file-size cap of any major destination — far tighter than Australia’s 3.5 MB. Most photos need active compression (reduce pixel dimensions first, then re-export as JPEG).

Can I reuse a photo across countries?

Can I use my US 2×2 visa photo for a Schengen visa?

No. The US photo is a 51×51 mm square with the head at 50–69% of the frame. Schengen is a 35×45 mm rectangle with the head at 70–80%. Both the shape and the head ratio are wrong, so it cannot be re-cropped cleanly — retake or re-crop from the original.

Can I use the same photo for the UK and a Schengen country?

The size matches (both 35×45 mm), but the UK rejects pure white backgrounds and wants light grey or cream, while Schengen accepts white. A light-grey background satisfies both, so a UK-spec photo usually works for Schengen, but not always the reverse.

My photo is 35×45 mm — does that work for Canada or China?

No. Canada uses 50×70 mm and China uses 33×48 mm. Neither matches the 35×45 mm rectangle, so a Schengen/UK/Australia photo is the wrong size for both.

Are all square photos interchangeable?

No. The US is 51×51 mm, Japan 45×45 mm, and Korea’s K-ETA 35×35 mm. They are all square but different sizes with different head ratios, so a US 2×2 will not pass as a Japan or K-ETA photo.