Russia visa photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Russia visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Russia visa photo?
For the unified Russian e-visa you upload a JPEG of your face in 35 x 45 proportions, no more than six months old, on a plain light background without shadows. The face should take up 70-80% of the picture, with the top of the head and the shoulders visible. For a visa from an embassy, consulate or Russian visa centre, glue a 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) photo taken within the last six months into the printed form.
Visitors to Russia get a visa in one of two ways. The unified e-visa is issued online through a website of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or through the ministry's mobile app. It is open only to citizens of the countries on a list approved by the Russian government. It covers private and business visits, tourism, and taking part in scientific, cultural, socio-political, economic and sporting events. It allows a single entry and a stay of up to 30 days.
The e-visa photo is a digital file. You upload it from your personal account together with a JPEG of your passport data page, and the ministry sets out its own photo checklist on the e-visa site.
For any other purpose of travel, or if your country is not on the e-visa list, you need a regular visa from a Russian embassy, consulate or Russian visa centre. You first complete the visa application form online on the Consular Department's form-filling site, print it, glue in a 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo, then date and sign it. The ministry says the detailed photo requirements are given by the mission or visa centre where you hand in the form.
Russia visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation:[1]
| Print size | E-visa: digital JPEG in 35 x 45 proportions. Consular visa: 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) print glued into the form |
|---|---|
| Digital size | E-visa: no pixel size published; the image must be rectangular, in 35 x 45 proportions |
| Head height | E-visa: face takes up 70-80% of the photo; head fully shown from hairline or crown to chin |
| Background | E-visa: plain, light-coloured, without shadows. Consular visas: set by the mission or visa centre |
| Colour | E-visa: neutral colours that show your natural skin tone |
| Photo age | No more than 6 months old on the application date (e-visa and consular form) |
| File format | JPEG, for both the face photo and the passport data page |
| Print quality | Consular visa: a printed photo glued into the printed application form |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Six months at most
The e-visa photo may be no more than six months old on the day you apply and must reflect how you look now. The consular form site likewise asks for a photo taken no earlier than half a year before you submit the application.
- Only you in the picture
Nobody else may appear, and nothing in the background such as a chair back or pictures on the wall. A frame or border around the photo is not allowed either.
- Full face, level head
Face the camera directly, without tilting or turning your head. Keep a neutral expression with lips together, and keep your eyes open, clearly visible and free of hair.
- Even light
Light the face evenly. Shadows, flash reflections on the face and red eyes are not allowed, and the image must be clear, well defined and in focus.
- Head centred, shoulders showing
Show the top of the head and the top of the shoulders. The head sits in the centre, fully visible from the hairline or crown to the tip of the chin, with the nose on the line of symmetry; the face should fill 70-80% of the photo.
- Print glued into the consular form
For a visa from an embassy, consulate or visa centre, the photo is a 3.5 x 4.5 cm print glued into the printed application form, which you then date and sign before handing it in with your other documents.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Save the e-visa photo as a JPEG.
- Crop the picture to 35 x 45 proportions.
- Stand against a plain, light background with no shadows.
- Keep the top of your head and your shoulders in the frame.
- Check the photo rules of the mission or visa centre before a consular application.
- Submit a separate e-visa application for each child.
Don't
- Do not add a frame or border to the photo.
- Do not include other people or furniture in the picture.
- Do not wear tinted lenses or let frames cover your eyes.
- Do not use flash that leaves reflections or red eyes.
- Do not reuse a photo older than six months.
Sample photos
How a Russia 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
Glasses are allowed in the e-visa photo if your eyes are clearly visible. Tinted lenses and flash reflections on the lenses are not accepted, and the frame must not cover your eyes, even partly. The ministry suggests swapping heavy frames for lighter ones if you have them.
For a consular visa, follow the glasses rule of the mission or visa centre where you apply; the form-filling site leaves photo requirements to them.
Headwear and religious dress
An applicant whose religious beliefs prohibit being seen with an uncovered head may wear a head covering in the e-visa photo, as long as it does not conceal the facial features. The face must then be clearly visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.
For consular visas the head covering rule is set by the embassy, consulate or visa centre that takes your application.
Babies and children
Children need their own e-visa. If minor children are listed in your passport, a separate application is submitted for each of them, and every minor travelling with a parent must have a separate e-visa. The e-visa page sets no separate photo rules for children.
For consular visas in the United Kingdom, the UK Foreign Office says applicants aged 12 or over must go to a visa application centre in London, Manchester or Edinburgh to give fingerprints.
Printed and digital photos
The e-visa is fully digital: you upload a JPEG of your face and a JPEG of your passport data page from your personal account, and no print is sent. If the visa is granted, you print the notification or keep it on your phone to show to the carrier when boarding and to the border officers.
A consular visa works the other way round. The online form is only the first step: you print it, glue a 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo into it and hand it in with your other documents. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
E-visa applications go through the Consular Department's e-visa website or the Russian Foreign Ministry mobile app, from your personal account, no earlier than 86 days and no later than 4 days before your expected date of entry. The e-visa is valid only through the border crossing points on an approved list.
Regular visas are applied for at the Russian embassy, consulate or Russian visa centre that you name on the online form. The UK Foreign Office adds that foreigners entering Russia must register biometric details, such as fingerprints and photographs, on arrival.
How to get your Russia visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Russia visa: 35 × 45 mm print, e-visa: plain background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: six months at most; only you in the picture; full face, level head; even light.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The e-visa is fully digital: you upload a JPEG of your face and a JPEG of your passport data page from your personal account, and no print is sent.
- Submit the photo with your application. E-visa applications go through the Consular Department's e-visa website or the Russian Foreign Ministry mobile app, from your personal account, no earlier than 86 days and no later than 4 days before your expected date of entry.
Russia visa photo FAQ
For a visa from an embassy, consulate or visa centre, the Foreign Ministry form site asks for a 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) photo glued into the printed form. The e-visa takes a digital JPEG instead, which must be rectangular in the same 35 x 45 proportions.
A JPEG of your face, no older than six months, taken full face with a neutral expression and eyes open, on a plain light background with no shadows. Show the top of your head and your shoulders, with the face filling 70-80% of the picture, natural skin tones and no frame.
The Foreign Ministry's public e-visa page does not state a file size or a pixel size. It asks for a JPEG in 35 x 45 proportions that is clear, well defined and in focus, so check any limit the upload form shows in your personal account.
Yes, provided your eyes are clearly visible. Tinted lenses and flash glare on the lenses are not accepted, and the frame must not cover your eyes even partly. Lighter frames are recommended over heavy ones.
Yes, if your religious beliefs require it. The covering must not conceal your facial features, and your face must be clearly visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.
Yes. Every minor needs a separate e-visa application, even a child listed in a parent's passport, so each child applies with a photo of their own.
The e-visa rules ask for a plain, light-coloured background without shadows; they do not name one colour. For a consular visa, the embassy, consulate or visa centre where you apply sets the background rule.
No more than six months old. The e-visa site counts back from the date of the application, and the consular form site asks for a photo taken no earlier than half a year before you submit.
Related photo specifications
Other Russia documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Belarus visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bulgaria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Czech Republic visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Hungary visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Moldova visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Poland visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Romania visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Slovakia visa photo 30 × 35 mm
- Ukraine 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 Russia 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
- Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Unified e-visa: conditions, application and photo requirements evisa.kdmid.ru. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Unified e-visa: instructions evisa.kdmid.ru. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Filling in the electronic visa application form (in Russian) visa.kdmid.ru. Checked 2 November 2026.
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Russia travel advice: entry requirements gov.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Russia visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/russia/visa-photo