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Italy visa photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the Italy visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Italy visa photo?

For an Italian national (D) or Schengen (C) visa you hand in a recent passport-size colour photo, 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), on a white background and taken within the last 6 months. Italian missions and their VFS centres follow the ICAO standard: full face, looking at the camera, neutral expression, no sunglasses. The photo is a print glued to the paper form, and several missions refuse scanned or photocopied photos.

Italian visas are issued by Italy's embassies and consulates, which report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI). Its Visto per l'Italia site asks four questions, about your nationality, residence, purpose and length of stay, and then tells you whether you need a visa, which documents to bring and which office handles your area. Stays of up to 90 days need a Schengen (type C) visa. Longer stays, for study, work, family or elective residence, need a national (type D) visa for Italy, which also lets you spend up to 90 days in any 180 in other Schengen states.

For both types the site lists the same item: a recent passport-size photograph (fotografia recente in formato tessera). Many missions take applications through VFS Global centres, which publish the consulate's checklists. The general Schengen rules are on the separate Schengen visa page; this page covers what Italian missions add, especially for national visas. Since 11 January 2025 national visa applicants also give fingerprints, although citizens of the US, Canada, Japan and the UK have been exempt since a decree of 8 May 2025.

A 35 x 40 mm version is offered too. The ICAO sample sheet used for Italy, including by VFS in Senegal, allows photos 35 to 40 mm wide, but none of the Italian visa checklists cited here asks for 35 x 40 mm, so use it only if your mission does.

Italy visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in); the ICAO sheet used by VFS Senegal allows 35 to 40 mm wide
Digital sizeNo digital file: glue a printed photo to the paper application form
Head heightFace 70 to 80% of the photo (ICAO sheet); VFS London study visas: head about 2/3, max 36 mm
Eye lineVFS London study visas: eyes in the upper middle of the photo, pupils 8 to 10 mm apart
BackgroundWhite (Los Angeles, Nairobi); light, white or off-white (VFS London)
ColourColour
Photo ageTaken within the last 6 months
Print qualityNormal photographic paper (camera print); scanned or photocopied photos refused
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: white.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Any alterations (like Photoshop etc.) are strictly forbidden.

Checklist for study visa D (new enrolment)[7]

Key requirements

  • A print glued to the form

    Italian visa applications are lodged on paper at an in-person appointment. VFS London asks for a photo on normal photographic paper glued to the application form, and the Los Angeles consulate and the embassy in Nairobi refuse scanned or photocopied photos.

  • White or near-white background

    Los Angeles and Nairobi ask for a white background, and VFS London for a light, white or off-white one that makes your features stand out. A plain white background meets all three.

  • Full face, front view

    Look straight at the camera with your full face visible, mouth closed and a neutral, non-smiling expression. The ICAO sheet VFS uses for Italy also asks for both edges of the face to show, eyes open and no hair across them.

  • Head size for study visas via VFS London

    The VFS London checklist for students enrolling at Italian universities is the most precise: 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, head about two thirds of the photo but no taller than 36 mm, eyes in the upper middle and pupils 8 to 10 mm apart.

  • No digital alterations

    The same VFS London checklist forbids any alteration of the photo, naming Photoshop. Get the lighting and background right when you take the picture instead of editing it afterwards.

  • Number of photos varies

    Most Italian checklists ask for one photo, but some ask for two, such as the VFS London study visa checklist. Follow the list for your visa type and mission.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Answer the Visto per l'Italia questionnaire to get your document list.
  • Use a 35 x 45 mm colour photo less than 6 months old.
  • Choose a plain white background with even light.
  • Print on photographic paper and glue the photo to the form.
  • Check your mission's or VFS centre's checklist for the number of photos.
  • Bring the photo to your in-person appointment.

Don't

  • Do not submit a scanned or photocopied photo.
  • Do not edit the photo with Photoshop or similar software.
  • Do not smile or wear sunglasses.
  • Do not wear a hat unless for religious belief or ethnic background.
  • Do not let your head exceed 36 mm for a study visa applied for through VFS London.

Sample photos

How a Italy 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.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

VFS London, which receives Italian visa applications in the UK, does not accept sunglasses. The ICAO sheet that VFS uses for Italy in Senegal allows ordinary glasses if your eyes are clearly visible, with no flash reflection and no tinted lenses; it suggests lighter frames rather than heavy ones, and the frame must not cover any part of your eyes.

Headwear and religious dress

Hats and caps are refused. VFS London accepts a head covering only when it is worn because of religious belief or ethnic background. The ICAO sheet used for Italy in Senegal accepts one for religious reasons, as long as your facial features are clearly shown from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, with both edges of the face visible.

Babies and children

Children and babies need their own application and photo, and at VFS London every applicant, infants included, must attend in person. For a minor's national study visa at the Los Angeles consulate, one parent submits the application and both parents sign an authorisation to travel abroad, notarised if they are in the US. The ICAO sheet's examples show the faults to avoid with babies: another person visible, an open mouth and a toy near the face.

There is no photo upload. The Schengen form is filled in on the Ministry's E-Application site and printed with barcodes, and the national visa form is a PDF; in both cases you attach a printed photo. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on photographic paper, for example on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. If your print fails the checks, VFS London has you retake it in the photo booth at the centre, and VFS in Senegal offers a booth that produces ICAO-compliant photos.

Use the 35 x 40 mm version only if your mission asks for that size; the Italian visa checklists cited on this page ask for 35 x 45 mm.

Where to submit the photo

Apply to the Italian embassy or consulate for the place where you live legally, or to the VFS Global centre it uses. The Visto per l'Italia questionnaire names the competent office: for an Indian resident seeking a study visa, for example, it lists the embassy in New Delhi and the consulates in Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai, each with its area. Appointments are in person; VFS London takes Schengen applications by appointment only, booked online.

Missions publish their own checklists. In the US, the Los Angeles consulate asks national study visa applicants for one 35 x 45 mm colour photo on white, a form signed in front of a consular officer and, unless exempt, fingerprints. The embassy in Nairobi asks for one biometric colour photo no older than 6 months.

How to get your Italy visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Italy visa: 35 × 45 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: a print glued to the form; white or near-white background; full face, front view; head size for study visas via VFS London.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no photo upload. The Schengen form is filled in on the Ministry's E-Application site and printed with barcodes, and the national visa form is a PDF; in both cases you attach a printed photo.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply to the Italian embassy or consulate for the place where you live legally, or to the VFS Global centre it uses.

Make this photo online

Italy visa photo FAQ

35 x 45 mm, passport size. The Los Angeles consulate, the embassy in Nairobi and VFS London all give 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. The ICAO sample sheet used for Italy allows widths of 35 to 40 mm, but the visa checklists themselves ask for 35 x 45 mm.

At the missions checked, yes. The Los Angeles consulate and the Nairobi embassy ask for white; VFS London accepts a light, white or off-white background that contrasts with your features. The ICAO sheet mentions a plain light-coloured background, so white meets every version.

The Visto per l'Italia site asks for the same recent passport-size photo for both. National visa checklists can be more detailed: VFS London's study visa list sets a maximum head height of 36 mm and a pupil distance of 8 to 10 mm, and national visa applicants also give fingerprints unless exempt.

No. Italian visa forms are printed and handed in at an appointment, with the photo glued on. The Schengen form is completed on the E-Application site and printed; the national form is a PDF. Bring a print on photographic paper.

No. The Los Angeles consulate and the Nairobi embassy state that scanned or photocopied photos will not be accepted, and VFS London asks for a print on normal photographic paper.

No more than six months old. VFS London, the Nairobi embassy and the ICAO sheet used by VFS in Senegal all set that limit, and the Visto per l'Italia site asks for a recent photo.

At VFS London the application is treated as incomplete and you are asked to have new photos taken in the photo booth at the centre. Checking your print against your checklist before the appointment avoids the delay.

Related photo specifications

Other Italy documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Il visto per l'Italia vistoperitalia.esteri.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Domanda di visto nazionale (D) vistoperitalia.esteri.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. E-Application Visa e-applicationvisa.esteri.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles. Italian National Visa for Study conslosangeles.esteri.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of Italy in Nairobi. Checklist for diplomatic national visa (D) ambnairobi.esteri.it. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. VFS Global for the Consulate General of Italy in London. Italy visa information, London visa.vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. VFS Global for the Consulate General of Italy in London. Checklist for study visa D (new enrolment) visa.vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. VFS Global for the Embassy of Italy in Senegal. Tourist visa: photo specifications visa.vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Italy visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/italy/visa-photo

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