Passport & Visa Photo Size in Pixels (600×600, 2×2 in)
Short answer: US passport and visa photos are 2×2 inches square, and for digital upload the image must be a square JPEG between 600×600 and 1200×1200 pixels, under 240 KB. UK passport photos are a different shape entirely: 35 mm wide × 45 mm high. To meet the digital spec at home, crop your photo, run it through the free Image Resizer to the exact pixels, then through the Image Compressor to sit under the KB cap: two minutes, no upload, no photo booth. The photo itself still has to obey the composition rules (white background, neutral expression, no glasses, taken in the last six months), and the issuing authority's own page always wins over any table, including this one.
Passport and visa photo sizes by country (2026)
The single table people bookmark. Physical sizes are what a print shop needs; pixel sizes are what an upload form checks:
| Document | Physical size | Digital spec | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US passport (digital upload) | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) | Square, 600×600 – 1200×1200 px, JPEG, < 240 KB | US State Dept. |
| US visa | 2 × 2 in | Per application portal | State Dept. / embassy |
| US immigration forms (I-130, N-400 etc.) | 2 × 2 in | Per e-filing portal's own rule | USCIS form instructions |
| UK passport | 35 × 45 mm | Photo upload / app per gov.uk rules | gov.uk |
| Canada passport | 50 × 70 mm | Pixel minimum usually stated by the portal | IRCC / Service Canada |
| Schengen / EU visa | 35 × 45 mm | Portal-specific, often JPEG < a few hundred KB | Consulate instructions |
| India / Pakistan / Bangladesh passport | Varies (commonly ~35 × 45 mm or square per spec) | Portal-specific | Country passport authority |
Rule zero: the issuing authority's page is the final word, and they update it. This table tells you what to look for and where the common pitfalls are; check the official page (US: travel.state.gov photo rules; UK: gov.uk photo tool) the day you submit.
Inches, millimeters, pixels, DPI: what actually connects them
Photo rejections for "wrong size" usually come from mixing up three different units. Here's the whole relationship in one line: pixels ÷ inches = DPI, and inches × 25.4 = millimeters.
- Inches / millimeters: physical size (what a print shop cuts to).
- Pixels: the digital image's actual dimensions (what upload forms validate).
- DPI: the bridge. A 2×2 inch print at 300 DPI needs 600×600 pixels; that's precisely why 600×600 is the floor for US digital passport photos: at 300 DPI (the standard print resolution) it reproduces the required physical size exactly.
When DPI matters and when it doesn't: for a screen-only upload, meet the pixel spec and DPI is irrelevant: no system reads it. For a photo you'll print (sticking into an application form or a paper visa packet), keep at least 300 DPI at the required physical size, or the print comes out soft. If a photo lab or kiosk asks for DPI, that's the print path, not the upload path.
How to make a compliant photo at home (resize + compress)
Take the photo first, fix the file second, in that order:
- Shoot it right. Plain white background with no pattern, even light (face a window, don't backlight yourself), neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed, no glasses, both ears visible if your hair allows, head roughly centered with space above. Have someone else take it. Phone selfies distort facial proportions at arm's length. US rules: taken in the last six months.
- Crop to the shape. US = square; UK = 35:45 portrait. Get the head the right relative size before resizing: cropping after resizing can push the head out of the safe zone.
- Resize to exact pixels with the Image Resizer: enter 600×600 (US digital) with aspect ratio preserved, so the tool fits rather than stretches. For other countries, enter the pixel size your portal states.
- Compress under the cap with the Image Compressor: target 240 KB for US digital passport photos (or whatever your form names), and a properly exposed photo at 600×600 usually lands at 80–150 KB anyway, comfortably under.
- Verify both numbers. Dimensions and file size are validated separately; passing one says nothing about the other.
- Keep the original. Different documents want different sizes. You'll resize again, not reshoot.
Why was your photo rejected? (content vs. file)
| Rejection reason | Type | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Background not plain white / colored wall | Content | Re-shoot against a white wall or paper: no filters will truly fix a busy background |
| Shadows across face or behind head | Content | Face the light source; avoid overhead-only lighting |
| Glasses, smile, tilted head, hair over eyes | Content | Re-shoot: neutral expression, no glasses, level head |
| Printed at the wrong physical size | File/print | Order prints at exactly 2×2 in (US) or 35×45 mm (UK) |
| Not square / wrong pixel dimensions | File | Resize with aspect ratio preserved to the stated px |
| Over the KB limit | File | Compress to 80% of the cap in one pass |
| PNG when JPEG is required (or vice versa) | File | Convert with the Image Converter |
| Blurry or pixelated | Content/file | Re-shoot: never upscale a small photo to 600×600, it just stretches the blur |
Note the last row: upscaling is not a fix. A 300-px photo enlarged to 600×600 meets the number and fails the clarity test. Start with a sharp, well-lit original at decent resolution and scale down.
One document, two countries: US vs UK at a glance
- Shape: US is square (2×2 in), UK is portrait (35×45 mm). They are not interchangeable. A square crop can't satisfy a 35×45 template.
- Digital path: the US accepts an uploaded JPEG for passport renewal with the pixel and KB limits above; the UK directs renewals through its photo-checking tools with their own requirements.
- Common mistakes: Americans using a European photo booth's 35×45 print; UK applicants sending a square image; both groups forgetting the "taken in the last six months" rule.
- Both: white background, neutral expression, no glasses, full face visible, no filters or retouching (skin smoothing can fail biometric checks).
Honest limits (what we do and don't promise)
- We handle the file, not the photo. Resizing and compression get your numbers right; whether the image itself qualifies is decided by the issuing authority against their composition rules.
- We don't crop faces for you. Automated face-framing across every head shape is a specialist job. You should make the crop deliberately anyway, since head position is part of the specification.
- HEIC input: browsers can't decode iPhone HEIC. Export as JPEG on the phone first (Share → Options → Image Format → JPEG), then resize.
- Official pages win. Specs change; check the authority's page on submission day.
Quick FAQ
What size should a passport photo be in pixels?
For US passport digital uploads, square (height equals width), at least 600×600 pixels and no more than 1200×1200, saved as a JPEG under 240 KB. The physical print size in the United States is 2×2 inches (about 51×51 mm). For UK passport photos the physical size is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high; digital submissions follow the size the uploading system requests. Always confirm on the issuing authority's own page before submitting. Rules get updated.
What is the file size limit for uploading a photo?
US passport photo uploads cap the file at 240 KB. Other systems vary widely (immigration forms, visa portals and job applications commonly specify anywhere from 50 KB to 2 MB), so read the number in the error message or instructions rather than assuming. If no limit is stated, aim comfortably small: a sharp, well-lit photo at 600×600 easily lands between 80 and 150 KB while looking perfectly clean at screen size.
How do I resize a photo to 600x600 without distorting it?
Resize with aspect ratio preserved and let the crop handle the framing. In the BeeToolify Image Resizer, enter 600×600, keep fit mode on 'preserve aspect ratio,' and the tool fits the image into the square without stretching. You may need to crop first so your face is centered. Never force exact dimensions on a non-square photo without a crop step; that's how faces get squashed and rejected.
Can I take a passport photo at home with my phone?
For digital uploads, yes, if you follow the photo rules: plain white background, even light with no shadows on the face, head centered with a neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed, no glasses, taken within the last six months. Stand about four feet from a wall, have someone else shoot rather than a selfie (selfies distort facial proportions), and use a timer if you must shoot alone. The sizing and file limits are then a resize-and-compress job, which is free in the browser.
Why was my passport or visa photo rejected?
Photo content problems cause most rejections: wrong background (must be plain white for US documents), shadows or glare, glasses, a smile or tilted head, hair covering the eyes, a photo printed at the wrong size, or an image too small to begin with. Digital submissions also fail on technical grounds: wrong pixel dimensions, over the KB cap, not square, or saved as PNG when JPEG is required. Fix the technical side with resize and compress; fix the content side by re-taking the shot.
What's the difference between inches, millimeters and pixels?
Inches and millimeters describe printed size; pixels describe the digital image; DPI connects them (pixels ÷ inches = DPI). A 2×2 inch print at 300 DPI needs 600×600 pixels, which is why 600×600 is the floor for US digital uploads: it prints correctly at 300 DPI. For screen-only submissions, meet the pixel spec exactly and don't worry about DPI; for print, meet the physical size and keep resolution at 300 DPI or higher.
Is a UK passport photo a different size from a US one?
Yes. UK passport and many Commonwealth photos are 35 mm wide by 45 mm high (portrait rectangle), while US passport and visa photos are 2×2 inches, a square, about 51×51 mm. Mixing them up is a common rejection: the shapes are different, so a square crop will never fit a 35×45 template and vice versa. Match your country's specification exactly, then handle the pixel and file-size limits for whichever system you're uploading through.