Belgium visa photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium for the Belgium visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Belgium visa photo?
For a Belgian visa your face is usually photographed live, together with your fingerprints, at the VFS Global or TLScontact centre or at the consulate. Many posts still want a print too: VFS Australia and the embassy in Kuala Lumpur ask for 35 x 45 mm, and the VFS photo guide allows 35 to 40 mm wide with the face filling 70 to 80%. Use colour, a white or plain light background, and a photo no more than 6 months old.
Belgium issues two kinds of visa abroad. A Schengen visa (type C) covers stays of up to 90 days, while a national visa (type D) is for stays over 90 days, such as study, work, au pair placements or family reunification. The FPS Foreign Affairs says you apply in person at the Belgian embassy or consulate competent for your place of residence, and that in a number of cases the application goes through an external service provider instead.
Its list of competent posts, dated 12 October 2026, names three providers: VFS Global, TLScontact and Capago. In some places another Schengen state handles Belgian short-stay visas, for example the Netherlands in Aruba and Spain in Andorra, and that state's own photo rules then apply. In the United States, Canada, Hungary and Malaysia you deal with the Belgian consulate or embassy directly.
The Schengen visa page covers the EU-wide photo standard. This page sets out what Belgian posts and their providers ask for: when a live photo replaces a print, how many prints the D visa checklists want, and how the biometric rules for the national visa differ from the Schengen ones.
Belgium visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium:[1]
| Print size | Where a print is asked: 35 x 45 mm (VFS Australia, Kuala Lumpur); VFS guide: 35 to 40 mm wide; US posts: US or EU passport size |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: VFS Global, TLScontact or the consulate takes a live digital photo with your fingerprints |
| Head height | Face fills 70 to 80% of the photo, showing the head and top of the shoulders (VFS Global guide) |
| Background | White on most embassy checklists; plain and light-coloured in the VFS Global photo guide |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | No more than 6 months old |
| Print quality | High-quality photo paper at high resolution, sharp, with no ink marks or creases (VFS Global guide) |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- The centre photographs you
At the visa application centre in India your picture is taken live for every applicant, short stay and long stay alike. In Australia VFS Global records a live photo and fingerprints, and in Kenya TLScontact takes the digital photo and ten fingerprints of every applicant aged 6 and over.
- A print may still be on the checklist
A live photo does not always replace paper. The January 2026 VFS Australia checklists for D visas ask for one photo of 35 by 45 mm, no more than six months old, affixed to the form but not glued, and the embassy in Lebanon lists one photograph for both C and D files.
- The long-stay form has a photo box
The Belgian application form for a long stay carries a box marked PHOTO and a declaration that your facial photograph and ten fingerprints must be taken under Article 30bis of the Law of 15 December 1980. The version annotated by the embassy in Germany asks you to glue one photo in the box and add a second with your name on the back.
- D visa biometrics stay national
Since 1 December 2018 Belgium has recorded the ten fingerprints of all D visa applicants aged 6 or over. They are kept in a national database, for 10 years according to the embassy in Malaysia, not in the EU Visa Information System, so D and C visa biometrics cannot be reused for each other.
- Embassy checklists describe the print
Posts that take applications themselves word the print rule their own way: one recent colour photo in American or European passport size on a white background for US D visas, two Canadian passport-size colour photos on white in Montreal, and a 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour photo on white, pasted on the form, in Kuala Lumpur.
- The VFS Global photo guide
Where VFS Global sets the standard, as in Australia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the photo must be 35 to 40 mm wide and show the head and top of the shoulders, with the face taking up 70 to 80%. It must be sharp, colour-neutral and printed on high-quality paper; in Pakistan, prints that miss these rules leave the application incomplete.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Check whether your appointment is at a visa centre or at the consulate.
- Read the checklist for your exact D visa category.
- Bring as many prints as the checklist lists.
- Write your name on the back of the spare print when the form asks for it.
- Use a white or plain light background.
- Plan to give fingerprints at a D visa appointment even if you did so for a Schengen visa.
Don't
- Do not glue the photo where the checklist says to affix it without glue.
- Do not wear tinted lenses or frames that cover your eyes.
- Do not wear a hat or cap unless it is for religious reasons.
- Do not bring a creased or ink-marked print.
- Do not hand in a photo more than six months old.
Sample photos
How a Belgium visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The VFS Global photo guide used for Belgium allows glasses if your eyes show clearly, with no flash reflection on the lenses and no tinted lenses. The frames must not cover any part of your eyes, and the guide suggests wearing lighter frames instead of heavy ones if you have them.
The VFS page for applicants in Pakistan says the same in its own words: glasses are allowed as long as the eyes are clearly visible, the lenses must not be coloured, the rim must not cover any part of the eyes, and there must be no reflection in the glasses.
Headwear and religious dress
Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons. In that case the VFS Global guide asks for your features from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and both edges of your face, to be clearly shown.
The VFS page for Pakistan adds that chin, forehead and both cheeks must be clearly visible and that the head-dress must not cast shadows on the face. Neither page sets a separate rule for medical head coverings.
Babies and children
For a Schengen visa, children under 12 give no fingerprints, and the US consulates and the embassy in India do not require them to appear in person. The embassy in Malaysia still captures a facial image from age 6 for short stays.
For a D visa the age limit is lower: fingerprints and a facial image are taken from age 6, and the embassy in Malaysia says minors joining their parents for a long stay must appear in person whatever their age. The Vietnam page lists children under 6 as exempt from D visa fingerprinting. The long-stay form must be filled in for each person applying, whatever the applicant's age.
Printed and digital photos
Filing the form on Visa-On-Web does not replace the visit: the embassy in Berlin says you print the finished application and hand it in yourself because your biometric data must be taken.
If your fingerprints went into the VIS for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months, the US consulates and the consulate general in Montreal let you post a C visa application; Montreal then wants two recent ID photos in the file. Montreal also handles D visas by post without an appointment, with two colour photos on a white background in Canadian passport size. A digital photo can be cropped to the size your checklist gives before it is printed.
Where to submit the photo
Apply in the country where you live, at the competent Belgian post or at its provider's centre. In India, Australia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam that is VFS Global; in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Lebanon and Morocco it is TLScontact. Belgian honorary consulates in Germany cannot handle visa applications, and those in the US do not issue Schengen visas.
In the United States, D visa files go to the consulate covering your state: Atlanta takes them by post or drop-off, Los Angeles only by post, and New York and Washington by appointment or post. Holders of a German residence permit apply at the embassy in Berlin, and in Hungary you email the embassy first to receive a link for a visa appointment.
How to get your Belgium visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Belgium visa: 35 × 45 mm print, white on most embassy checklists background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the centre photographs you; a print may still be on the checklist; the long-stay form has a photo box; d visa biometrics stay national.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Filing the form on Visa-On-Web does not replace the visit: the embassy in Berlin says you print the finished application and hand it in yourself because your biometric data must be taken.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply in the country where you live, at the competent Belgian post or at its provider's centre. In India, Australia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam that is VFS Global; in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Lebanon and Morocco it is TLScontact.
Belgium visa photo FAQ
It depends on the post. VFS Australia's D visa checklists and the embassy in Kuala Lumpur ask for 35 x 45 mm, while the VFS Global photo guide for Belgium sets a width of 35 to 40 mm with the face filling 70 to 80% of the picture. US consulates accept American or European passport size, and Montreal asks for Canadian passport size.
In many countries, yes. Belgium's VFS Global centres in India and Australia and the TLScontact centre in Kenya capture a live digital photo together with your fingerprints. Check your checklist all the same, because some centres, such as those in Pakistan and Australia, still ask you to bring printed photos.
It varies by post. The long-stay form has a box for one glued photo, and the annotated version asks for a second with your name on the back. US consulates ask for one colour photo, Montreal for two, and the embassy in Kuala Lumpur for two for students and three for family reunification with a Belgian.
No. Biometric data taken for a D visa are national and are not stored in the Visa Information System, so they cannot serve a Schengen visa application, and Schengen data cannot serve a D visa. Expect to give your fingerprints and photo again at a D visa appointment.
For a Schengen visa, children under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting, although the embassy in Malaysia captures a facial image from age 6. For a D visa, fingerprints and a photo are recorded from age 6, and every child needs a separate application form with its own photos where the checklist asks for prints.
In North America, sometimes. The US consulates and the consulate general in Montreal accept posted Schengen applications from people whose fingerprints were taken within the last 59 months, and Montreal asks for two recent ID photos with them. Montreal handles D visas by post too, and Los Angeles takes D visa files only by post.
Follow your own checklist. The long-stay form annotated by the embassy in Germany says to glue one photo in the box, while the January 2026 VFS Australia checklists say the photo should be affixed to the form but not glued.
Related photo specifications
Other Belgium documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Kids-ID photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Austria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- France visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Germany visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Netherlands visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Switzerland visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Belgium photo specifications
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium. Visa for Belgium diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium. Visa competence and representation (12 October 2026) diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in India. Visa for Belgium if you live in India india.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Australia. Visa for Belgium (Australia) australie.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- VFS Global, for the Embassy of Belgium in Australia. Belgium visa information (Australia) vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- VFS Global, for the Embassy of Belgium in Australia. Annex A: photograph guidelines vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- VFS Global, for the Embassy of Belgium in Australia. Checklist for student (art. 58), January 2026 vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- VFS Global, for the Embassy of Belgium in Pakistan. Belgium visa information (Pakistan) vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- VFS Global, for the Embassy of Belgium in Saudi Arabia. Belgium visa information (Saudi Arabia) vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Kenya. Visa for Belgium (Kenya) kenia.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Lebanon. Visa for Belgium or Luxembourg libanon.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Malaysia. Visa for Belgium (Malaysia) malaysia.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Malaysia. Visa C checklist: tourism malaysia.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Malaysia. Visa D checklist: student malaysia.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in the United States. Schengen visa (C-visa) of 90 days or less unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in the United States. National visa (D-visa) unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in the United States. D visa checklist: higher education students (September 2026) unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal. Short stay visa (Schengen visa) canada.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal. Long stay visa (D-visa) canada.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Hungary. Visa D (long stay) hungary.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Vietnam. Data and biometrics vietnam.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Germany. Visa FAQ duitsland.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belgium in Germany. Application for a visa for a long stay in Belgium: guidelines germany.diplomatie.belgium.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with FPS Foreign Affairs, Belgium before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Belgium visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/belgium/visa-photo