Germany Visa Photo Size
If you are visiting Germany for tourism, family or a business trip of up to 90 days, you apply for a Schengen visa at a German mission or its visa center, and you bring one printed biometric photo. Make it here at 35 × 45 mm with the head at 32–36 mm, on the light grey that German photo rules prefer.
Passport Photo
or drop JPG, JPEG, JFIF … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Quality is lowered until the photo is at or just under this size; tiny files are padded up to the spec's minimum.
300 DPI is the print standard for passport photos; a 35×45 mm photo is then 413×531 px.
Place several copies on a 4×6 in (10×15 cm) photo print or an A4 page, ready for a photo kiosk or home printer.
How many photos on the sheet. A 4×6 in print fits 6 photos of 2×2 in or 6 of 35×45 mm; an A4 sheet fits more.
How to use this tool
- 1
Use a recent, evenly lit photo
Stand about a meter in front of a plain wall, facing a window or a soft light, so no shadow falls on the face or behind it. The photo must be from the last six months.
- 2
Keep the German Schengen setting
Country & document is the Schengen 35 × 45 mm spec, Background is Light grey and Auto-centre face puts your eyes on the right line.
- 3
Print four copies on one sheet
Print layout places four photos on a 4 × 6 in print with Cut lines. Press Make, print at a photo lab and cut one or two for the appointment.
Germany visa photo requirements by visa type
| Country | Photo size | Background | Max KB | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEGermany, Schengen visit visa (C) | 35 × 45 mm print, head 32–36 mm | Plain light, grey preferred | auswaertiges-amt.de | |
| DEGermany, airport transit visa (A) | 35 × 45 mm print | Plain light | — | |
| DEGermany, national visa (D) and residence permit | 35 × 45 mm, digital at the immigration office | Plain light grey | Office system | — |
| ATAustria and other Schengen states, visit visa | 35 × 45 mm print | Plain light | — | |
| DE · DE · DE · AT | ||||
Germany does not run its own visit-visa photo rule: the EU Visa Code asks every Schengen state for an ICAO-compliant portrait, and German missions add the practical detail from the Federal Ministry of the Interior's photo sample chart, which shows the head filling 32–36 mm of the 45 mm height with the eyes level and the face centered.
Where you hand the photo in depends on the country you apply from. Many German embassies and consulates outsource appointments to an external provider such as VFS Global or TLScontact; others take applications at their own counter. Both check the print against the same chart, so a photo that fails at a visa center fails at a consulate too. If your trip also includes France, a French mission may prefer the same light grey; see France visa photo size.
Germany Schengen visa photo, from file to appointment
Make the print
Crop to 35 × 45 mm here and print the 4 × 6 sheet at a photo lab, not on office paper.
Fill in VIDEX
Print the signed form, attach one photo where the form shows the box, and keep the spare copies.
Attend the appointment
The officer compares the print with your face and scans fingerprints if your last scan is older than 59 months.
Why light grey beats white for German missions
Pure white can wash out the edge of the face
German photo guidance asks for a uniform, light background with enough contrast to the head and hair, and its sample chart uses light grey. Blond hair or pale skin against stark white is a common reason for a second appointment, so this page defaults to Light grey.
Germany visit visa photo questions
How many photos does the German visa center want for a visit visa?
One biometric photo is the usual requirement for a Schengen short-stay application to a German mission, glued or attached to the printed form. Some missions ask for two, so read the checklist for your country on the mission's website before printing.
Do I need a printed photo if VFS takes my fingerprints?
Usually yes. The visa center scans ten fingerprints for the Visa Information System, but the printed photo is still part of the paper file at most German missions. Fingerprints can be reused for 59 months, so a repeat visitor may skip the scan but not the photo.
Which online form do I fill in for a German Schengen visa?
German missions use VIDEX, the Federal Foreign Office's online form, which you print, sign and bring with the photo. VIDEX does not take a photo upload, which is why the printed 35 × 45 mm copy matters.
Does a child under 12 need a photo for a German visit visa?
Yes. Children under 12 are exempt from fingerprints, not from the photo. Babies may have their eyes closed, but the head size and background rules otherwise apply, and the child must be alone in the picture.
Will the same photo work for a German work or study visa?
The size is the same, but long stays go through the national visa and later the immigration office, which has its own digital photo rules. Those steps are covered on the German visa photo size page.
Can I use my Germany visa photo at another Schengen consulate?
Yes, the 35 × 45 mm format is shared by every Schengen state, so the same print fits an Austrian, Dutch or Italian application. The full rule set is on the Schengen visa photo size page.