35 × 45 mm passport photo (413 × 531 px)
The most widely used photo size in the world. 35 × 45 mm at 300 dpi is 413 × 531 pixels.
The spec, and why the numbers look odd
35 × 45 mm is the Schengen visa standard and the size used by the UK, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe for passports. If a form says “one recent photograph, 35 by 45 millimetres”, this is the one.
The head should occupy 70–80% of the height — noticeably larger than the US 2 × 2 rule. Chin to crown is typically 32–36 mm. The background must be light and plain, usually white or light grey.
The odd pixel numbers (413 × 531) come from dividing millimetres by 25.4 and multiplying by 300. Rounding matters: some portals check the exact dimensions, so do not resize the output afterwards.
Print size vs screen size
| Where it goes | What matters | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Online upload | Pixel dimensions | Portals often re-encode and add a few KB |
| Printed at a kiosk | Physical mm at 300 dpi | Choosing 'fit to page' silently rescales it |
| Home printer | Physical mm at 300 dpi | Set scaling to 100%, not 'shrink to fit' |
| Scanned and re-submitted | 300 dpi | Scanning below 300 dpi softens the face |
Questions
Is 35 × 45 the same as 3.5 × 4.5 cm?
Yes, exactly. Millimetres and centimetres differ only by a factor of ten.
How big should the head be?
70–80% of the frame height, roughly 32–36 mm from chin to crown.
Can the background be blue?
Some countries accept light blue; Schengen generally wants white or light grey. Check the specific consulate.
What if my photo is landscape?
It will be centre-cropped to portrait. Shoot in portrait orientation to avoid losing the sides.