France Visa Photo (France-Visas, 2 ICAO photos 35 x 45 mm): size and requirements
The France Visa Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Not stated by France-Visas; ICAO rules apply, so we default to the plain light grey used for Schengen visas; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against France-Visas (Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères / Ministère de l'Intérieur) with ICAO Doc 9303.
For the two printed photos handed in with a short-stay or long-stay French visa application at a consulate or visa centre. Not for a French passport or ID card, which require an approved photographer, and not for the titre de séjour requested in France.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches)
- Head height
- Head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height (ICAO Doc 9303: the crown-to-chin portion of the facial image shall be 70 to 80 per cent of the longest dimension; France-Visas states only 'normes OACI')
- Background
- not stated by France-Visas; ICAO rules apply, so we default to the plain light grey used for Schengen visas
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Allowed without glare or tint
- Head covering
- Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
- Photo age
- Taken within the last 6 months
- Prints needed
- 2
- We deliver
- 827 x 1063 px (600 DPI), plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckFrance-Visas asks for two photos, not one, 'aux normes OACI'; bring both prints to your appointment.
- CheckBecause the rule is ICAO rather than the French identity-document arrêté, a white background is not forbidden here as it is for a French passport; we still default to light grey for contrast.
- CheckOur advice, not a France-Visas rule: external visa centres may offer to take the photo on site for a fee; check whether yours insists on it before paying for prints.
Source and verification
No national rule published; ICAO 9303 standard applies. Last checked 2026-10-07 (archived copy dated 2024-09-12) at France-Visas (Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères / Ministère de l'Intérieur) with ICAO Doc 9303.
2 photos aux normes OACI
Submitted portraits should be 45.0 mm x 35.0 mm (1.77 in x 1.38 in) in dimension.
The crown-to-chin portion of the facial image shall be 70 to 80 per cent of the longest dimension defined for Zone V, maintaining the aspect ratio between the crown-to-chin and ear-to-ear details of the face of the holder.
A submitted portrait shall have been captured within the last six months before application, as outlined in [ISO/IEC 39794-5].
France-Visas publishes no national photo norms, only '2 photos aux normes OACI' on the 'Demande de visa' page (read via the r.jina.ai text proxy because france-visas.gouv.fr sits behind Cloudflare; saved as sources/fr/france-visas-demande-de-visa.txt). The size, 70-80 percent and six-month figures are from ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (8th edition), read from a Wayback snapshot of 2024-09-12 of https://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/9303_p3_cons_en.pdf (sources/icao/icao-9303-part3-portrait-excerpt.txt). Background colour, glasses and head-covering values are our ICAO-style defaults and are not quoted from France-Visas.
We are an independent service, not a government website. Applying for a passport or visa is done with your government; we only prepare the photo.
Frequently asked questions
