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Poland visa photo requirements

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

Based on 9 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Poland visa photo?

Polish consulates ask for one colour photo of 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm), sharp and printed on quality paper, taken within the last six months against a white background. Frame it from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders so your face covers 70% to 80%, with no headwear. It goes with the application form you complete in e-Konsulat, print and sign; consulates take no digital photo.

Visas for Poland are issued by Polish consuls, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A C-type Schengen visa covers stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period and follows the EU Visa Code, so the Schengen photo rules shared by all member states apply. A D-type national visa is Poland's own long-stay visa: it allows a stay of more than 90 days, up to one year, and also travel in other Schengen states for up to 90 days in 180.

For both types you register and complete the application form in e-Konsulat, the ministry's online system for Polish consulates, then print and sign it and hand it in at your appointment with your passport, documents and photo. Depending on the country, you apply at the consulate itself or at a visa application centre run by VFS Global, as in India.

The photo is always a print. The regulation on visas for foreigners of 25 June 2025 sets the national visa photo rules, and consulate checklists apply the same 3.5 x 4.5 cm specification to Schengen applications. You can only apply at a Polish consulate if your trip includes Poland, unless Poland represents another Schengen state in visa matters.

Poland visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm, 1.38 x 1.77 in), colour print
Digital sizeNo digital file: hand in a printed photo with the e-Konsulat form you printed and signed
Head heightFace 70-80% of the photo, framed from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders
Eye lineEye line parallel to the top edge of the photo (national visa regulation)
BackgroundWhite (consulate checklists); the national visa regulation says a uniform light background
ColourColour
Photo ageTaken within 6 months before the application
Print qualitySharp, undamaged print on quality paper
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm31.5–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 31.5–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: white.

Key requirements

  • Printed for the appointment

    Consular pages list a colour photo printed on quality paper among the documents you bring in person. The Embassy in London states that every document must be printed and that digital versions are not accepted.

  • Close-up, face 70-80%

    Frame the photo en face from the top of your head to the top of your shoulders, with both sides of the face and your eyes clearly visible. The face should cover 70% to 80% of the picture; the Embassy in Tokyo puts this as a face 32 to 36 mm high.

  • White background, no headwear

    Consulate checklists ask for a white background and a photo taken without any headwear. The regulation adds that you look straight ahead with your eyes open and not covered by hair, a natural expression and a closed mouth.

  • Pupils visible, eyes level

    Under the national visa regulation your eyes, and especially the pupils, must be clearly visible, and the line of the eyes must run parallel to the top edge of the photo. Skin colour must look natural.

  • Recent and undamaged

    The photo must be undamaged, in colour and in sharp focus, and taken no earlier than six months before you submit the application.

  • Local additions

    Some posts add requirements of their own. The consulates in the United States ask for two photos for a national visa and accept the US passport photo size. Read the checklist of the post where you apply.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Book your appointment and complete the form in e-Konsulat.
  • Print the form, sign it and bring it with the photo.
  • Use a white background and frame your head and shoulders.
  • Make your face fill 70% to 80% of the photo.
  • Print the photo sharply on quality paper.
  • Check the checklist of the consulate or visa centre where you apply.

Don't

  • Do not wear a hat, cap or other headwear.
  • Do not send the application by post, fax or email.
  • Do not use a photo older than six months.
  • Do not bring a damaged or blurred print.
  • Do not let hair cover your eyes.
  • Do not offer a digital file in place of a print.

Sample photos

How a Poland 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.

Headwear and religious dress

Most Polish consulate checklists say the visa photo must be taken without any headwear, and the consulates in the United States add that hair must not cover any part of the face. The national visa regulation itself does not mention head coverings; it requires a frontal image from the top of the head to the upper shoulders, with eyes not hidden by hair.

The consulate pages make no exception for religious headwear, unlike the rules for Polish passports and ID cards. If you cover your head for religious reasons, ask the consulate where you apply before the photo is taken.

Babies and children

Each child needs a separate visa application, even when the child is entered in a parent's passport; the visa is then placed in that parent's or guardian's passport. Consulates such as The Hague also ask, for a minor, for written parental consent confirmed by a notary, the parents' passports and the child's birth certificate, as originals with copies.

The photo rules are the same for children as for adults: a recent 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour photo on a white background with the face filling 70% to 80%. The national visa regulation sets no separate rules or exceptions for babies.

The consulate pages describe no photo upload. e-Konsulat is used to register, book a slot and fill in the form, which you then print and sign; the photo travels with that paper form. The national visa form annexed to the regulation has a box marked for the photo.

Print the photo at 35 x 45 mm on quality paper so that it is sharp and undamaged. A digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. Consulates in the United States ask for two photos and also accept the US passport photo size; the embassies in The Hague, London and Tokyo ask for one.

Where to submit the photo

Register in e-Konsulat, choose the visa type and the consular post for your place of residence, and complete the form online. Appointment dates are released by the system, at some posts through an electronic draw, and the date reaches you by email or appears on the last page of the application. Bring the printed, signed form, the photo, your passport and a copy of its data page to the appointment, in person.

In some countries the consulate works through visa application centres: in India, both Schengen and national visa applications are lodged at VFS Global centres, and the embassy in New Delhi or the consulate in Mumbai decides them. Where the consulate takes applications itself, as in London or The Hague, applications sent by post, fax or email are not accepted.

How to get your Poland visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Poland 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: printed for the appointment; close-up, face 70-80%; white background, no headwear; pupils visible, eyes level.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The consulate pages describe no photo upload. e-Konsulat is used to register, book a slot and fill in the form, which you then print and sign; the photo travels with that paper form.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Register in e-Konsulat, choose the visa type and the consular post for your place of residence, and complete the form online.

Make this photo online

Poland visa photo FAQ

3.5 x 4.5 cm, which is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), in colour. The national visa regulation and the consulate checklists both use this size, with the face covering 70% to 80% of the photo and the frame running from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders.

No upload step is described on the consulate pages. You use e-Konsulat to register, book an appointment and fill in the form, then print the form, sign it and take it to the appointment together with a printed photo.

Consulate checklists ask for a white background. The regulation on visas for foreigners describes it as uniform and light, and white satisfies both descriptions.

Polish consulates publish no specific rule on glasses. The national visa regulation does require both eyes, and especially the pupils, to be clearly visible, with the eyes open and not covered by hair, so frames or reflections must not hide them.

At Polish consulates the specification is the same: a recent 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour print on a white background with the face filling 70% to 80%. A Schengen application is also governed by the EU-wide Schengen photo rules.

One at most consulates, including those in The Hague, London and Tokyo. The Polish consulates in the United States ask for two passport-size photos for a national visa and accept the US passport photo size.

Taken within the six months before you submit the application. Consulate checklists describe it as newer than six months, and the regulation on visas for foreigners sets the same limit for national visas.

Most Polish consulate checklists say the photo must be taken without any headwear and list no religious exception. Ask the consulate where you apply if you cover your head for religious reasons.

Related photo specifications

Other Poland documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. Visas gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Sejm of the Republic of Poland. Rozporządzenie MSWiA z dnia 25 czerwca 2025 r. w sprawie wiz dla cudzoziemców (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 847) api.sejm.gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in The Hague. D-Type national visa gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in The Hague. C-Type Schengen visa gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London. D-Type National Visa gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington. D-Type national visa gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tokyo. D-Type national visa gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi. C-Type Schengen Visa gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.
  9. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi. D-Type national visa gov.pl. Checked 1 November 2026.

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

Cite this page

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

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