Passport Size Photo Size in cm, Inches and Pixels

On most Indian forms, "passport size photo" means 3.5 cm wide × 4.5 cm high (35 × 45 mm), which is about 1.38 × 1.77 inches. In pixels that's about 276 × 354 at 200 DPI and 413 × 531 at 300 DPI. The US is the big exception: its passport and visa photo is a 2 × 2 inch square. You can set any of these pixel sizes with the free image resizer, right in your browser.

The phrase gets used loosely, which is why people end up with the wrong photo. Here's what it means in each unit, where the sizes differ, and how to make one.

Passport size photo measurement at a glance

Where	Size	Inches	Pixels at 300 DPI
India (most forms), UK, Schengen	35 × 45 mm (3.5 × 4.5 cm)	about 1.38 × 1.77	413 × 531
USA	51 × 51 mm	2 × 2	600 × 600

The 35 × 45 mm size is the common international one; the UK, Schengen countries and many others use it for printed photos. Always confirm the exact size in the form or notice you're filling in. Exam boards and government portals often give their own pixel size and KB range, and those beat any general rule.

How centimetres become pixels

A photo file has no size in centimetres, only pixels. Centimetres appear when you print it, and the printer's DPI (dots per inch) decides how many pixels fill each inch. The formula is:

pixels = centimetres ÷ 2.54 × DPI

For 3.5 × 4.5 cm:

• At 200 DPI: 3.5 ÷ 2.54 × 200 = about 276, and 4.5 ÷ 2.54 × 200 = about 354. So 276 × 354 px.
• At 300 DPI: about 413 × 531 px, the standard for a sharp photo print.
• At 600 DPI: about 827 × 1063 px, if a print shop asks for extra detail.

Forms that only display your photo on screen often ask for 200 DPI sizes or give pixels directly. Printing needs 300 DPI or more to look sharp. Our guides to what DPI is and resizing an image in cm go further.

The Indian passport itself

For an Indian passport applied for in India, check the Passport Seva site for whether a photo is taken at the Passport Seva Kendra or uploaded. Indian missions abroad are different. Under Global Passport Seva 2.0, from 1 December 2025 applicants must upload an ICAO-compliant photo of 630 × 810 pixels, in colour, unaltered by computer software, with a white background and the face filling 80-85% of the photo. (As per the High Commission of India, Gaborone notice on Global Passport Seva Version 2.0 and ICAO photo guidelines, December 2025.)

Notice that 630 × 810 is exactly the 35:45 shape, at about 18 pixels per millimetre. Check passportindia.gov.in or your mission's latest notice before applying, because the rules were updated in 2025 and may change again.

Other countries' sizes, briefly

• USA: 2 × 2 inches printed; for the online visa form, a square JPEG of at least 600 × 600 pixels and no more than 240 KB (as per travel.state.gov). See our US visa photo guide.
• UK: printed photos are 35 × 45 mm; the digital passport photo is at least 600 × 750 pixels and 50 KB to 10 MB (as per GOV.UK). See the UK visa photo guide.
• Schengen: 35 × 45 mm with the face 32-36 mm tall. See the Schengen visa photo guide.

Printing 8 photos on a 4 × 6 inch sheet

A 4 × 6 inch print (about 10.2 × 15.2 cm) is the cheapest way to get several passport photos. With the sheet held landscape, 35 × 45 mm photos fit 4 across and 2 down: 8 photos, with a little room between them for cutting:

• 4 × 35 mm = 140 mm, inside the 152 mm width.
• 2 × 45 mm = 90 mm, inside the 102 mm height.

For US 2 × 2 inch photos, the same sheet fits 6 (3 across, 2 down) with no room to spare, so shops often print fewer.

Our tools don't build the print sheet itself. Most photo shops and photo-printing apps have a passport layout; give them one correctly cropped 35 × 45 photo and ask for each to print at exactly 3.5 × 4.5 cm, not "fit to page". Our explainer on photo print sizes in pixels covers other print sizes.

Making a passport size photo yourself

1. Crop. In the free image cropper, pick the Passport 35×45 mm shape (or Square 1:1 for US photos). Fit your head and the top of your shoulders in the box.
2. Resize. In the free image resizer, with Lock proportions on, type the width you need: 413 for a 300 DPI print, 276 for a form that asks for 200 DPI, or the exact pixels the form gives. Save as JPG.
3. Check the KB. If the form has a file-size limit, use the free image compressor to bring it down. Our guide to reducing photo size for exam forms walks through the full routine.

The quick way

Crop to the passport shape, type the pixel width you need into the free image resizer, and download. It's free, needs no sign-up, and your photo never leaves your device.