Switzerland visa photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by State Secretariat for Migration SEM for the Switzerland visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Switzerland visa photo?
Switzerland has no single visa photo size. The Schengen photograph sheet that Swiss embassies link asks for a print no more than 6 months old, 35 to 40 mm wide, on a plain light background, with the face filling 70 to 80% of the picture. Embassy checklists add detail: Dhaka asks for 35 x 45 mm, Singapore for two photos 35 to 40 mm wide on white. Fingerprints and a facial image are recorded too, but the printed photo is still asked for.
Swiss visas are issued by Swiss representations abroad. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) says it does not issue visas itself; it publishes the rules and the application forms. A Schengen visa (type C) covers short stays of up to three months in a six-month period, while a national visa (type D) covers longer stays that need authorisation, such as gainful employment or family reunification. Where Switzerland uses an external service provider, as in Singapore and India, you lodge the application at its visa application centre.
Every application needs a photograph. The EU Visa Code, which the SEM publishes in a consolidated version of 28 June 2024, requires applicants to present one that meets the standards in force. Swiss embassy sites link the European Commission's "photograph quality" sheet, and each post then adds its own checklist. That is why the numbers differ from one country to another.
Residence permits are a different procedure. For the biometric residence permit, the SEM says the authority of the canton of residence obtains the biometric data, which on the chip means two fingerprints and a facial image.
Switzerland visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by State Secretariat for Migration SEM:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm at some posts (Dhaka); others state only a width of 35 to 40 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: a printed photo goes with the form; no pixel size is published |
| Head height | Face fills 70 to 80% of the photograph |
| Background | Plain light-coloured background; Dhaka: white or light, no shadows |
| Colour | Colour (Dhaka); digital camera photos must be high-quality colour |
| Photo age | No more than 6 months old |
| Print quality | High-quality photo paper and resolution; no ink marks or creases |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- No single federal size
The SEM visa pages checked state no photo dimensions and leave visa decisions to the representations. The sheet linked from Swiss embassy sites sets a width of 35 to 40 mm. Dhaka specifies 35 x 45 mm, which it calls the standard ICAO dimensions, so that format sits inside the range.
- Six months, plain light background
Photographs must be no more than 6 months old and taken against a plain light-coloured background. Dhaka words it as a white or light background, in colour and with no shadows. Singapore asks for white.
- Face and framing
Show a close-up of the head and top of the shoulders, so that the face takes up 70 to 80% of the photograph. Face the camera squarely with both edges of the face visible, eyes open, mouth closed and a neutral expression. Nobody else, such as a parent holding a baby, may appear.
- Lighting and print quality
Use uniform lighting without shadows or flash reflections on the face or behind the head, and no red eye. Skin tones must look natural, the picture sharp and free of ink marks or creases. Photographs from a digital camera must be high-quality colour printed on photo-quality paper.
- The photo still goes on paper
Singapore asks for two photographs with the application and Dhaka for one. Family reunification lists for Moscow and Tbilisi ask for four identical photos, three glued to the forms and one loose. The post also records a facial image and fingerprints, but the checklists do not treat that as a replacement.
- Fingerprints
Fingerprints are collected from age 12 and generally every 59 months. If yours were taken in that period and the visa carried the VIS mention, you need not give them again and may not have to appear. Children under 12 are exempt.
- Residence permits are handled by the canton
For a biometric residence permit the authority in your canton of residence collects the fingerprints and facial image. Ask that authority, not an embassy, what it needs from you.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Read the checklist of the embassy or visa centre that handles your application.
- Check the photo is no more than 6 months old.
- Use a plain light-coloured background.
- Print on photo-quality paper, glossy or semi-matt.
- Bring the number of photos the checklist asks for.
- Book the appointment before you travel to the visa centre.
Don't
- Do not use a copied or scanned picture.
- Do not staple or pin the photo to the form.
- Do not wear tinted lenses or let frames cover your eyes.
- Do not wear a hat or cap.
- Do not use a photo with shadows, flash reflections or red eye.
Sample photos
How a Switzerland 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
If you wear glasses, the photograph must show your eyes clearly, with no flash reflection off the lenses and no tinted lenses. The frames must not cover any part of your eyes. The sheet suggests avoiding heavy frames and wearing lighter ones if you have them.
Headwear and religious dress
Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons. Even then, your facial features from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown. Hats and caps are listed as faults.
Babies and children
The Commission sheet has no separate rule for children, so the same photo standard applies. The Swiss embassy in London states that personal appearance and fingerprints are not necessary for children under 12, and Singapore says finger scans are not required from them.
Printed and digital photos
Swiss visa photos are paper prints: the checklists speak of photographs to hand in or glue to the form, and the sheet asks for high-quality paper and high resolution. None of the pages checked describes an upload or a pixel size. The Embassy of Switzerland to India lists the picture as not copied or scanned and pasted on the form, not stapled or pinned.
A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut to size.
Where to submit the photo
At the Swiss embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, or at the external service provider where Switzerland uses one. In Singapore the appointment is made through VFS Global, and neither VFS Global nor the embassy accepts an application without one. Family members of Swiss, EU or EFTA citizens can apply directly at the embassy by appointment.
Use the SEM Schengen form for type C visas and the national visa form for type D. The SEM publishes both in several language pairs.
How to get your Switzerland visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Switzerland visa: 35 × 45 mm print, plain light-coloured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: no single federal size; six months, plain light background; face and framing; lighting and print quality.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Swiss visa photos are paper prints: the checklists speak of photographs to hand in or glue to the form, and the sheet asks for high-quality paper and high resolution. None of the pages checked describes an upload or a pixel size.
- Submit the photo with your application. At the Swiss embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, or at the external service provider where Switzerland uses one.
Switzerland visa photo FAQ
It depends on the embassy. The Schengen photograph sheet that Swiss embassies link asks for a width of 35 to 40 mm. Dhaka asks for 35 x 45 mm, and Singapore for 35 to 40 mm wide. Read the checklist of the post you apply to.
No more than 6 months old. That figure appears on the Commission sheet, on the Singapore checklist and on the Dhaka checklist. Use a photo that shows your current appearance.
Yes, where the checklist asks for one. Swiss posts record a facial image and fingerprints, yet Singapore asks for two photographs, Dhaka for one, and family reunification lists for four identical photos. Bring the number listed.
A plain light-coloured background, according to the Commission sheet. Dhaka asks for white or light with no shadows, and Singapore for white. A plain white background satisfies all three.
Glasses are fine if the eyes are clearly visible, with no tint and no reflection. A head covering is allowed only for religious reasons, with the face visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.
No. Swiss embassy pages state that children under 12 do not give fingerprints, and the London page adds that personal appearance is then not necessary. A child's application still needs a photo that follows the same standard.
Not necessarily. The SEM says the canton of residence obtains the biometric data for a biometric residence permit, including a facial image on the chip. Ask the cantonal migration authority what it needs.
Related photo specifications
Other Switzerland documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card 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
- Germany visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Netherlands 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 Switzerland 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
- State Secretariat for Migration SEM. Entry with visa sem.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- State Secretariat for Migration SEM. Visa Application Form sem.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- State Secretariat for Migration SEM. Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009), consolidated version of 28 June 2024 sem.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- European Commission, DG Home Affairs. Photograph quality (ICAO MRTD photo guidelines sheet) home-affairs.ec.europa.eu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Switzerland in Singapore. Application for Schengen visa and procedure (Singapore) schweiz-singapur.eda.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Switzerland in Singapore. Schengen Tourist Visa checklist (August 2026) schweiz-singapur.eda.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Switzerland to Bangladesh. Checklist for Schengen Visa: Tourist eda.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom. Application for Schengen visa and procedure (United Kingdom) schweiz-vereinigteskoenigreich.eda.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, hosted by VFS Global. Checklist for Schengen Visa: Tourist (India and Bhutan) vfsglobal.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Switzerland in Russia. Family Reunion / Residence (national visa, type D) eda.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia. Checklist for a family reunification visa, national (type D) schweiz-georgien.eda.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
- State Secretariat for Migration SEM. The biometric residence permit for foreign nationals sem.admin.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with State Secretariat for Migration SEM before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Switzerland visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/switzerland/visa-photo