Passport photo size in pixels, cm and KB (India, US, Schengen)
Every form says "passport size" and almost none say what that is in pixels. Here are the numbers for the common standards, how dpi turns millimetres into pixels, and the two-step way to get a phone photo to the right size and under the KB limit, in your browser.
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · by the Cortex Digital Hub team
Quick answer. The Indian passport photo is 35 mm × 45 mm (width × height). At 300 dpi that is 413 × 531 pixels; at 600 dpi, 826 × 1063. The same 35 × 45 mm size is used for Schengen visas, the UK and most of Europe. The US passport and visa photo is 2 × 2 inches, 51 × 51 mm, which is 600 × 600 pixels at 300 dpi (digital uploads accept 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200). Most online forms also cap the file at 20 to 50 KB in JPG. Resize to the pixel size first, then compress to the KB limit; doing it in the other order wastes quality.
Resize a photo to passport size → Free · opens Resize to passport size
Step by step
- Take or choose a photo with the head centred, plain light background, no shadows, and space above the head.
- Open the passport-size resizer (413 × 531 px, fill-and-crop is pre-set). Download; the proportion is now exactly 35:45.
- If the form has a KB limit, open Compress image to 50 KB (or 20 KB) and drop the resized file. The compressor hits the limit exactly.
- Upload. For the US 2 × 2 size, use the Image Resizer with 600 × 600 and fill-and-crop instead.
Tips that save a second attempt
- dpi is only a label for pixels per inch when printing. For an online upload, the pixel size is what matters; 413 × 531 is the safe choice for 35 × 45 mm.
- Face size rules (typically 70 to 80 percent of the frame height from chin to crown) depend on your crop, not the pixel size. Compare with the form's sample image.
- Keep a copy at full resolution. Compress a copy to the form's KB limit; do not compress the original.
- For a printed sheet of passport photos, place the 413 × 531 crop on an A4 or 4 × 6 canvas in the free photo editor; a 4 × 6 inch print holds eight.
Frequently asked questions
What is passport size in cm?
3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm tall for India, Schengen, the UK and most countries. The US uses 5.1 × 5.1 cm (2 × 2 inches).
What is passport size in pixels?
413 × 531 px for 35 × 45 mm at 300 dpi. 600 × 600 px for the US 2 × 2 inch photo at 300 dpi.
What file size do forms want?
Commonly 20 to 50 KB in JPG for Indian government and exam portals; up to 240 KB for the US DS-160; check the specific form. The size compressors on this site hit any limit exactly.
Can I use a phone photo?
Yes, if the background is plain and the lighting even. Crop with the passport-size resizer; the Remove Background tool can give a clean white background first.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. Resizing and compression run in your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server and nothing is stored.
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