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Visas and travel authorisations

South Korea visa photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (Korea Visa Portal) for the South Korea visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 11 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the South Korea visa photo?

The Korean visa application form asks for a 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) colour photo taken within the last 6 months, showing the full face from the front without a hat, against a white or off-white background. The Korea Visa Portal's e-Visa takes a digital photo at the same 3.5 x 4.5 cm size. K-ETA, for visa-free visitors, takes a colour JPG of up to 20 MB.

Visas for South Korea are handled by the Ministry of Justice's immigration service, which runs the Korea Visa Portal, and by Korean embassies and consulates, which receive most applications made abroad. In many places a Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) takes in applications for the embassy. The Visa Portal lists centres in China, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Philippines, India, Nigeria and Libya, and in Berlin, Paris, London and The Hague.

The photo reaches the authorities in one of three ways. For a paper application, a printed photo goes into the box on the visa application form (Form No. 17), marked 35 mm x 45 mm. An online e-Visa on the Visa Portal, open only to listed categories such as professors, researchers and certain business visitors, takes an uploaded digital photo instead. Travellers from visa-exempt countries apply for K-ETA, an electronic travel authorisation, and upload a face photo with it.

K-ETA must be granted before you board a plane or ship to Korea. Under a temporary measure extended to 31 December 2026, nationals of some countries do not need it, although they may still apply.

South Korea visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (Korea Visa Portal):[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm), width x height, as printed on the visa form
Digital sizee-Visa: digital photo at 3.5 x 4.5 cm, no pixel size published. K-ETA: no pixel size published
BackgroundWhite or off-white (visa application form)
ColourColour photo
Photo ageTaken within the last 6 months
File sizeK-ETA: up to 20 MB
File formatK-ETA: JPG
Print qualityBiometric photo glued into the photo box on the form (KVAC London)
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: white or off-white.

Key requirements

  • The form sets the size

    The visa application form, Form No. 17 under the Immigration Act enforcement rules, has a photo box marked 35 mm x 45 mm. Its printed note asks for a colour photo taken within the last 6 months, full face, without a hat, in front view against a white or off-white background. The same size applies at an embassy, a consulate or a visa application centre.

  • One photo, glued on

    KVAC London asks for one biometric 3.5 x 4.5 cm picture, taken in the past 6 months, glued into the space on the form. Its guide says that only photos meeting the visa application standard are accepted, so a photo that falls short is turned away.

  • e-Visa uploads

    For the e-Visa, and for a Confirmation of Visa Issuance requested on the Visa Portal, the portal lists a digital photograph in natural colour, sized 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm, among the files to upload. It publishes no pixel dimensions, so crop the file to the 35 x 45 mm shape.

  • K-ETA face photo

    K-ETA asks for a colour JPG of 20 MB or less. It need not be your passport photo, but you must not wear a hat, scarf or sunglasses, and you should avoid clothes with loud patterns. The front of your face must take up at least 75% of the picture, with your eyes open and looking straight at the camera.

  • Religious head coverings on K-ETA

    A hijab, a nun's habit or similar clothing worn for religious reasons is acceptable in the K-ETA photo, provided the whole face from forehead to chin shows.

  • The K-ETA app adjusts the file

    If the K-ETA website refuses your file as too large, the K-ETA FAQ suggests applying through the official mobile app instead, which adjusts the photo's file size and dimensions automatically on submission. Applicants using a PC need a photo file ready to upload.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a 35 x 45 mm colour print for paper applications
  • Stand against a white or off-white background
  • Glue the photo into the box on the visa form
  • Save the K-ETA photo as a colour JPG under 20 MB
  • Look straight at the camera with your eyes open
  • Check the notes of the embassy or KVAC that receives your file

Don't

  • Do not wear a hat in a visa photo
  • Do not wear sunglasses or a scarf in the K-ETA photo
  • Do not wear clothes with a busy pattern
  • Do not use a photo older than 6 months
  • Do not staple the documents in a KVAC London file
  • Do not turn your face away from the camera

Sample photos

How a South Korea visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm 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

The visa application form says nothing about glasses beyond asking for a full face in front view. For K-ETA, sunglasses are not allowed, and your eyes must be open and looking straight at the camera, so keep any frames clear of your eyes.

Headwear and religious dress

The visa form asks for a full-face photo without a hat, and KVAC London repeats that rule in its guide. K-ETA bans hats and scarves in the face photo, but its FAQ allows a hijab, a nun's habit or similar clothing worn for religious reasons, as long as the whole face from forehead to chin is visible.

A paper application needs a print. You can fill in the form by hand, or use the e-form on the Visa Portal, which you complete online and then print with its bar code before visiting the embassy or consulate in your country of residence with your passport, photo, fee and documents. Either way the photo is a 3.5 x 4.5 cm print in natural colour.

Fully online routes take a file. The e-Visa and the online Confirmation of Visa Issuance ask for a digital photograph in natural colour sized 3.5 x 4.5 cm, alongside scanned passport pages. K-ETA asks PC users for a colour JPG of up to 20 MB, while the mobile app adjusts the photo's size automatically. No Korean visa channel publishes pixel dimensions.

Where to submit the photo

Apply for a visa at the Korean embassy or consulate for your country of residence, or at the Korea Visa Application Center where one serves it. In the UK, for example, applications go through KVAC London, which checks files in order of arrival and forwards them; the consul alone decides. Some categories are applied for online on the Visa Portal, and a sponsor in Korea may request a Confirmation of Visa Issuance there or at an immigration office.

K-ETA is applied for on the official K-ETA website or app before you board for Korea. Applying after boarding, or while already in Korea, can lead to refusal or restrictions on entry.

How to get your South Korea visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the South Korea visa: 35 × 45 mm print, white or off-white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the form sets the size; one photo, glued on; e-Visa uploads; k-ETA face photo.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. A paper application needs a print.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply for a visa at the Korean embassy or consulate for your country of residence, or at the Korea Visa Application Center where one serves it.

Make this photo online

South Korea visa photo FAQ

A 35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm) colour photo. That is the size printed in the photo box of the visa application form, and KVAC London asks for the same 3.5 x 4.5 cm biometric picture. It must be taken within the last 6 months, without a hat, against a white or off-white background.

White or off-white. The visa application form states this in both English and Korean, and KVAC London repeats it in its guide. Avoid coloured or patterned backdrops, and keep your full face in front view, as the form requires.

A colour JPG file of 20 MB or less, showing you without a hat, scarf or sunglasses. Avoid flashy patterns, keep your eyes open and look straight at the camera, and make sure the front of your face fills at least 75% of the picture. The file does not have to be the same as your passport photo.

Yes. The K-ETA FAQ says a photo taken wearing a hijab, a nun's habit or similar clothing worn for religious reasons may be uploaded. Your whole face, from the forehead to the chin, must still be visible in the photo.

The K-ETA website limits face photos to 20 MB. If you cannot shrink the file, the K-ETA FAQ suggests installing the official K-ETA app from Google Play or the App Store and applying there, because the app adjusts the photo's file size and dimensions automatically when you submit it.

No. The e-Visa and online Confirmation of Visa Issuance applications on the Korea Visa Portal ask for a digital photograph in natural colour, 3.5 x 4.5 cm. A printed photo is needed only when you take a paper or e-form application to an embassy, consulate or visa application centre.

Glue it into the photo box on the first page of the form. KVAC London asks applicants to use glue and not to staple their documents. Its document lists ask for one biometric 3.5 x 4.5 cm picture for the visa types they cover.

Related photo specifications

Other South Korea documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (Korea Visa Portal). Visa Application Form (Form No. 17, PDF) visa.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (Korea Visa Portal). Application procedures visa.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (Korea Visa Portal). What is e-form (visa application)? visa.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (Korea Visa Portal). Visa Application Centers (비자신청센터 소개) visa.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (K-ETA). K-ETA FAQ, questions 16 to 25 (face photo: Q22, Q23) k-eta.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (K-ETA). K-ETA FAQ, questions 36 to 45 (photo file size: Q37) k-eta.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (K-ETA). K-ETA FAQ (religious dress: Q54) k-eta.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (K-ETA). K-ETA: what to know before applying k-eta.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (K-ETA). K-ETA temporary exemption extended to 31 December 2026 k-eta.go.kr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  10. Korea Visa Application Center Europe. How to Apply for a Visa for Korea at KVAC London (PDF, April 2026) visaforkorea.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.
  11. Korea Visa Application Center Europe. KVAC London: List of Mandatory Documents by Visa Type (PDF) visaforkorea.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea (Korea Visa Portal) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"South Korea visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/south-korea/visa-photo

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