Germany visa photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Federal Foreign Office for the Germany visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Germany visa photo?
For a German Schengen (C) or national (D) visa, bring a recent biometric photo of 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), with your face filling 70 to 80% of the height (32 to 36 mm) on a plain white or light background. Each mission sets its own limits: London and Doha accept photos up to three months old, the missions in India up to six. Edited photos are refused, and some missions take the photo at the appointment.
Visas for Germany are issued by German embassies and consulates general, which decide every application. Short stays of up to 90 days need a Schengen visa (category C); longer stays for work, study or family reunion need a national visa (category D). Many missions let an external service provider accept applications for them, such as TLScontact in the United Kingdom or VFS Global in India and Qatar, but the provider plays no part in the decision.
The Federal Foreign Office's Consular Services Portal now takes online applications for long-stay visas for 28 purposes, but not yet for Schengen visas, which start with an application form that you print and bring along. Either way you appear in person: according to the Federal Foreign Office, the appointment is where you provide your biometric data, fingerprints and photo, pay the fee and have your original documents verified.
Visa photos follow German biometric standards, but there is no single federal visa photo sheet. Each mission publishes its own checklist, so the 35 x 45 mm size is the same everywhere while the age limit, the background wording and the number of prints vary. Use the checklist of the mission responsible for your place of residence.
Germany visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Federal Foreign Office:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) print on photo-quality paper |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No photo upload: online national visa applicants give the photo at the appointment |
| Head height | Face 70 to 80% of the photo, 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown |
| Background | White or off-white (London), white or bright (Doha), white (India), uniform light colour (UAE) |
| Photo age | No older than 3 months (London, Doha) or 6 months (India, UAE national visa) |
| Print quality | Photo-quality paper; no copies or scans from licences or other documents |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Photos must not have been altered by image editing programs.
Key requirements
- Size and face height
Every mission checklist read asks for 35 x 45 mm. London spells out the head size: the face takes up 70 to 80% of the photo, which is 32 to 36 mm, photographed full face and looking directly at the camera with both eyes open.
- Background depends on the mission
London wants white or off-white, Doha a white or bright background, the missions in India white, and the embassy in Abu Dhabi a uniform, light-coloured one. A plain white background satisfies all four.
- How recent
London and Doha accept photos no older than three months; the Indian checklists and the Abu Dhabi list for a national visa allow six months. A photo taken in the last three months meets every limit seen.
- No digital editing
Doha states that digitally altered passport photos cannot be accepted, and Hong Kong that photos must not have been altered by image editing programs. Fix lighting and background when the picture is taken, not afterwards.
- An original photo, not a copy
London refuses photos copied or scanned from a driving licence or another official document and asks for prints on photo-quality paper.
- Loose prints
Doha and Abu Dhabi ask you not to glue or staple the photo to the application form; hand it in loose with your documents.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Read the photo section of your own mission's checklist before printing.
- Use a plain white or other light background.
- Use a photo taken in the last three months if your mission sets that limit.
- Book a separate appointment for each applicant, children included.
- Bring the printed application form to the appointment.
Don't
- Do not retouch the photo or replace its background with software.
- Do not staple or glue the photo to the form.
- Do not scan or copy a photo from another document.
- Do not wear a hat; religious coverings are the exception.
- Do not apply at a mission that is not responsible for where you live.
Sample photos
How a Germany 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
London accepts glasses provided the frames do not cover any part of the eyes, and Abu Dhabi asks for clear facial features with eyes not hidden by hair or a frame. The German sample board for visa photos, published by the embassy in Warsaw, adds that reflections from glasses, tinted glasses and sunglasses are not permitted.
Headwear and religious dress
London does not accept a hat or head covering that hides the hair or hairline, but makes an exception for religious coverings: the face must be fully visible and the covering must not cast shadows on it. Abu Dhabi accepts head coverings only for religious reasons. The Warsaw sample board asks for the face to be visible from the lower tip of the chin to the forehead.
Babies and children
The mission checklists set no separate photo size for children, so the same 35 x 45 mm print and framing apply. Each child is a separate applicant: London requires a separate appointment for every person, says children must be present, and expects both parents to attend a child's appointment.
The Indian checklists ask for extra documents for minors: the form signed by both parents and, if only one parent applies with the child, proof of sole custody or a signed authorisation from the other parent with a copy of their passport.
Printed and digital photos
Visa photos are prints or are captured at the appointment. In the Consular Services Portal you enter your details and upload documents; the Federal Foreign Office says the photo and fingerprints are provided at the in-person appointment that follows the online check. Some missions take the picture there: the consulate general in Hong Kong says it will take your photograph and fingerprints. London has a self-service photo machine, run by an outside company, both at the embassy and at the TLScontact centre.
Elsewhere, bring prints that meet your mission's checklist. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter on photo-quality paper.
Where to submit the photo
Apply at the German mission responsible for your place of residence, or at the visa application centre it uses; the Federal Foreign Office warns against applying online at a different mission. In the UK, TLScontact takes all A and C visas and some D visas, while the remaining national visas go to the embassy or consulate general. In Qatar and India, Schengen applications are handed in at VFS Global centres.
If your fingerprints were taken for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months, you may not need to appear again. For an application made through the Consular Services Portal, the mission runs a preliminary digital check first, and you then book the in-person appointment.
How to get your Germany visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Germany visa: 35 × 45 mm print, white or off-white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: size and face height; background depends on the mission; how recent; no digital editing.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Visa photos are prints or are captured at the appointment.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply at the German mission responsible for your place of residence, or at the visa application centre it uses; the Federal Foreign Office warns against applying online at a different mission.
Germany visa photo FAQ
35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), the standard biometric passport size. The face, from chin to crown, should take up 70 to 80% of the photo, which on this print is 32 to 36 mm.
It depends on the mission: London asks for white or off-white, Doha for white or bright, the missions in India for white, and Abu Dhabi for a uniform light colour. Plain white satisfies all of them, as long as there are no shadows behind your head.
The Federal Foreign Office describes the portal as the place to enter your details and upload your documents. The photo, along with fingerprints, is provided at the in-person appointment after the online check. Bring prints that meet your mission's checklist unless it says it takes the photo itself.
No more than three months at missions such as London and Doha, and up to six months on the Indian checklists and the Abu Dhabi national visa list. Check your own mission's checklist.
Yes, for religious reasons. Your face must be fully visible from chin to forehead and the covering must not cast shadows on it. Other hats and head coverings are not accepted.
No. Doha refuses digitally altered photos, and Hong Kong says photos must not have been altered by image editing programs. Photos copied or scanned from another document are also refused in London.
In London, yes: a self-service photo machine operated by an outside company stands at the embassy and at the TLScontact visa application centre. The consulate general in Hong Kong takes the photograph itself at the appointment. Elsewhere, ask your mission or bring prints.
Related photo specifications
Other Germany documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Austria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belgium visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- France 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 Germany 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
- Federal Foreign Office. Visas for Germany auswaertiges-amt.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
- German Missions in the United Kingdom. Visa FAQ and other important information uk.diplo.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
- German Embassy Doha. Schengen Visa - for relatives of EU/EEA citizens doha.diplo.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
- German Consulate General Hong Kong. National Visas hongkong.diplo.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
- German Missions in India. Checklist for a Schengen visa for exhibitors and visitors of German exhibitions / trade fairs india.diplo.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
- German Embassy Abu Dhabi. National Visa, Category D: Voluntary Service (Bundesfreiwilligen Dienst) uae.diplo.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
- German Embassy Warsaw. Requirements for photos for a visa application form (sample photos) polen.diplo.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Federal Foreign Office before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Germany visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/germany/visa-photo