Reference · checked September 2026

Passport photo size in inches, cm and pixels

Seven photo sizes cover almost every ID document in the world. The US uses 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) for passports and visas; most of Europe uses 35 x 45 mm; and the sizes people search for in centimeters (4x4, 5x5, 3x4) belong to specific countries' documents, not to any US form. Each size below has its exact conversions and its verified uses, sourced from the governments that require them.

US passport photo size in inches, cm and pixels

One size, four ways to write it. The passport size photo in inches is 2 x 2; in centimeters it is 5.08 x 5.08 cm (commonly rounded to 5 x 5 cm); in millimeters, 51 x 51 mm; and as a digital file it is 600 x 600 pixels at 300 DPI (visa uploads accept up to 1200 x 1200). The same 2 x 2 inch figure covers the US visa and every USCIS form that takes prints, and inside the photo the head must measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm).

Photo size conversion table

Pixel figures are arithmetic (inches x 300), rounded to the nearest pixel. Double them for 600 DPI. Print sizes come from each government's own published rule.

2 x 2 inches: the US standard

The State Department publishes it directly: the correct printed size of a passport photo is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches. The same frame serves US visas, every USCIS form that takes prints, India's visa ("Two 2X2 inches photographs" per the Indian Embassy in Washington), and India's OCI card, though the OCI background rule differs. For the full US rule set, see the 2x2 photo requirements; to produce one from a phone picture, the maker outputs the exact print and digital figures.

35 x 45 mm: most of the rest of the world

The UK passport photo is 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, which GOV.UK calls the standard size used in photo booths in the UK, with the face measuring 29 to 34 mm crown to chin. The Netherlands uses the same 35 x 45 frame for passports and ID cards, and Schengen visa checklists from the German missions in the US ask for one biometric photo at 35 x 45 mm. Note that Australia is not a clean 35 x 45: its passport office accepts a range, 35 to 40 mm by 45 to 50 mm.

The centimeter sizes: 4x4, 5x5, 3x4

4 x 4 cm has one well-documented use: Argentine passport applications at consulates, which ask for one 4x4 photo, front-facing, on a white background. Photo-tool sites often attribute 4x4 to Brazil or Nigeria; both are wrong. Brazil's identity documents use 3 x 4 cm (the famous "foto 3x4"), and Nigeria's passport uses 35 x 45 mm. Japan's immigration checklists also use the 3 x 4 frame: 4 cm tall by 3 cm wide, taken within 6 months, for residence applications. 5 x 5 cm is the odd one out: no document distinctly requires it. It is the metric name for the US 2 x 2 inch photo, and US embassies themselves write it that way: approximately 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm).

33 x 48 mm and 1 x 1 inch

The Chinese visa photo is 33 mm wide by 48 mm high, portrait, in color, taken within 6 months, bare head, on a white background, with the head itself measuring 15 to 22 mm wide and 28 to 33 mm high. The orientation matters; it is not a square and not reversible. The 1 x 1 inch photo belongs to Philippine government processes: the PhilHealth ID, the BIR TIN ID (white background, taken within the last 6 months), and police exam applications. No US federal form is verified to use 1 x 1 inch, so if a US checklist seems to ask for one, reread it; it almost certainly means 2 x 2.

Photo size questions

How big is a 4x4 photo?

4 x 4 centimeters: 40 x 40 mm, 1.57 x 1.57 inches, or 472 x 472 pixels at 300 DPI. Its verified real-world use is Argentine passport applications at consulates, which ask for '1 foto 4x4' on a white background. It is smaller than a US passport photo, which is 2 x 2 inches (about 5 x 5 cm).

What size is a 5x5 photo?

5 x 5 centimeters, which is 1.97 x 1.97 inches, or 591 x 591 pixels at 300 DPI. No major document distinctly requires 5x5 cm: it appears almost exclusively as the metric rendering of the US 2 x 2 inch photo. US embassies themselves use the equivalence, describing immigrant visa prints as 'approximately 2 X 2 inches (5 X 5 cm)'.

What is the passport photo size in inches?

2 x 2 inches for the US passport, US visa and every USCIS form that takes prints. The head inside the photo must measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.

What is the passport size photo in cm?

For the US, 5.08 x 5.08 cm, usually rounded to 5 x 5 cm (exactly 51 x 51 mm). Note that many other countries use 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) instead, so convert against the country whose document you are filing.

What size is a US passport photo?

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) printed, per travel.state.gov. As a digital file for visa uploads, square between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels. At 300 DPI, a 2 x 2 inch print is exactly 600 x 600 pixels.

What is 35x45 in inches?

35 x 45 mm is 1.38 x 1.77 inches, or 413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI. It is the standard photo size for the UK passport (45 mm high by 35 mm wide, per GOV.UK), Dutch passports and ID cards, and Schengen visa applications.

What is a 1x1 picture?

A 1 x 1 inch photo (25 x 25 mm, 300 x 300 pixels at 300 DPI). Its verified uses are Philippine government processes: the PhilHealth ID, the BIR TIN ID (white background, taken within 6 months), and NAPOLCOM exam applications. No US federal form is verified to use 1 x 1 inch.

Is 4x4 the same as passport size?

No. A US passport photo is 2 x 2 inches, which is about 5 x 5 cm. A 4 x 4 cm photo is a full centimeter smaller on each side. Submitting one for the other fails the size check in both directions.