Print photo or digital photo?
Most applications now accept a digital file, but the two routes have different requirements, and a file that is perfect for a print can still be refused by an upload form.
Open the cropper
Pick the size for the country you are applying to, or continue with the size you chose last.
What changes between the two
- Printed photo
- Measured in millimetres and printed at 300 ppi or more on photographic paper. Matte stock is safer if the rules mention reflections; the UK asks for a minimum of 600 dpi.
- Digital photo
- Measured in pixels, usually with a file-size window. The US accepts 600×600 to 1200×1200 px up to 240 kB; India’s e-Visa wants 10 kB to 1 MB; the Chinese visa form expects 354×472 px.
- Same framing either way
- Start from the largest, sharpest original you have, crop it to the official size, and export a 300 ppi or 600 ppi file. That one file serves both a print and an upload.
- Never upscale a small photo
- Enlarging a low-resolution image invents pixels; the face ends up soft and the file can be refused for quality.
Choosing an export resolution
- 300 ppi. The print standard that passport agencies and photo labs expect. For a 35×45 mm photo that is 413×531 px.
- 600 ppi. Use it when the rules mention 600 dpi, as the UK does, or when you want extra detail for a large print.
- 72–150 ppi. Only for screens, drafts and previews. Do not submit these to a print or an upload form.
More on photo requirements
- The rules that apply everywhereHead size, background, expression, glasses, headwear, lighting and editing: the parts of a passport or visa photo that almost every country checks.
- How to prepare a photo that passesFive steps from taking the photo to exporting the file: lighting, camera height, expression, cropping with the country preset and choosing a resolution.