Schengen Visa Photo Requirements & Specifications For Adults & Children

Schengen visa photo requirements, including size, color, head covering, angle, children photo requirements, and more. A Schengen visa applicant must provide two similar photos and additional papers.

The EU has developed unified visa application photo requirements that match the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, passport photo requirements.

Schengen Visa Photo Requirements

Your Schengen Visa photo should be:

• Taken within the past six months.
• Photo size. The photo should be 35x45mm. Close up of your head and top of your shoulders so that your face takes up 70–80% of the photograph in sharp focus.
• Photo background. Taken with a plain light-colored background, preferrably grey, with uniform lighting and appropriate brightness and contrast.
  In color.
• Face expression. Have a neutral face expression with a closed mouth, clearly visible opened eyes, and no obvious grinning or raised eyebrows.
• Face visibility. The photo should contours of your face clearly, without any accessories that cover parts of your face, shadows or flash reflecting on your face. Your hair should not cover your eyes or any features of your face.
• Eyes. You must look directly at the camera. Your eyes must not be obstructed by sunglasses or tinted glasses, or any coloured contact lenses.

You can get your high-quality photograph that complies with all the Schengen visa photo requirements at MyBiometricPhotos.

Photo Quality Guidelines

Head Position

Glasses

If you wear spectacles, the photograph must clearly display your eyes, with no flash reflection and no tinted lenses. If possible, avoid wearing glasses with hefty frames and instead go for lighter-framed spectacles. Check that the frames do not hide any of your eyes. It is advised that you remove your glasses if possible. Photos with sunglasses on are not permitted.

Head Coverings and Hats

Except for religious reasons, head coverings are not permitted in photographs. However, because facial coverings are not permitted for any reason, your facial characteristics from the bottom of your chin to the top of your forehead, as well as both borders of your face, must be clearly seen in the photograph.

Photo Background and Quality

The photo’s background must be clear and one color. You should be portrayed alone, with no visible chair backs, toys, or other people, or even hands or fingers. You should have a neutral expression on your face and your mouth closed.

Photographs shot with a digital camera must be high-quality color and printed at a high resolution on photo-quality paper.

Children’s Photos for Schengen Visa

When it comes to baby photos, there is no agreed standard between the Schengen countries. However, the rules for baby passport photos are relaxed slightly by most countries due to the difficulty in especially getting babies under one year old to look at the camera.

Under 6 months old

Babies under the age of six months can be photographed lying down or sitting in a baby chair. The background should be a one-color sheet. The requirements call for no apparent support, such as hands.

It is not necessary for the baby to look at the camera if his or her eyes are closed or open. This is because it is more difficult to get a baby to look at the camera. It’s also fine if the baby’s mouth is open in the photo.

Under five years old

Children under the age of five are also exempt from the requirements. Children under this age do not require a neutral expression in their Schengen pictures, nor does their head have to be upright. However, the color of their eyes should be visible in the photo, even if they are not looking at the camera.

Where to Take a Visa Photo?

Any city photography studio can take your photo. Most have all the directions and capture images according to the specifications stated. To be sure, ask if they take Schengen visa-compliant photos.

There is always a studio near the embassy or consulate that takes ISCO-compliant photos, but they charge more.

You may Self-take the image at home, but make sure it meets all the conditions.

The consulate or embassy will likely reject applications with images that don’t meet ICAO standards. Therefore, applicants should follow the aforementioned criteria.

For more info

(Photos are taken from www.diplomatie.gouv.fr)