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Schengen Visa Photo: 35 × 45 mm, and Why Not a White Background

Published 2026-11-02 · Updated 2026-11-02

A Schengen visa photo is 35 × 45 mm, in colour, on a plain light background. One detail catches many people out: the background colour. France's official photo standard does not accept white, and German missions recommend a neutral grey. A light grey background is accepted by every official source below, so it is the safest choice.

There is no single EU-wide photo sheet: each consulate and visa centre publishes its own, and requirements change. Please check the latest official requirements of the country you apply to before you submit.

The requirements at a glance

Photo size	35 mm wide × 45 mm high
Head height	32–36 mm from the chin to the top of the head (hair not counted), about 70–80 % of the photo
Background	plain and light, in clear contrast with your face and hair; light grey or light blue, not white for France
Lighting	even, with no shadows on the face or the background
Colour and age	colour photo, taken within the last 6 months
Expression	neutral, eyes open, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera

Why not white

France: the photo standard of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (ISO/IEC 19794-5, updated 2023), which France-Visas also uses, asks for a plain light background such as light blue or light grey and forbids white.
Germany: German missions ask for a one-colour light background, "ideally a neutral grey".
Some missions accept white too, but light grey is accepted by all of them. If you may travel to several Schengen countries, or are not sure which consulate will handle your application, light grey avoids the question altogether.

How to take the photo with a phone

Stand in front of a plain light wall, ideally light grey, about one meter away from it, so your shadow does not fall on the wall.
Light your face evenly. Face a window in daylight; avoid a single ceiling light, which leaves shadows under the eyes and nose.
Hold the phone at eye level, about 1.5 meters away, or ask someone to take it. A selfie at arm's length makes the face look too large.
Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed, head not tilted.
Keep your face visible. No hat (unless worn for religious reasons, with the whole face visible), no tinted glasses, no glare on clear glasses, no hair over the eyes.

Printing the photo

Print on photo paper and choose 100 % / actual size, never "fit to page", or the photo will not be 35 × 45 mm. A 4 × 6 inch print holds 3 photos; a Letter sheet holds 25.

Making it with SmartIDPhoto

Choose "Schengen visa" and SmartIDPhoto offers only light grey and light blue backgrounds, so white cannot be picked by mistake. It places the head at the required size, gives you the digital file (413 × 531 px, 35 × 45 mm at 300 dpi) and a print sheet for 4 × 6 in, 5 × 7 in, Letter or A4 paper, and checks for closed eyes, a turned head, hands near the face, sunglasses and headwear first.

One thing to know: replacing the background is a digital change to the photo, and official rules may not accept altered photos. Taking the photo against a plain light grey wall keeps the result closest to the original.

Sources

Make a Schengen visa photo (35 × 45 mm, light grey or light blue)

Make the photo