Portugal Visa Photo (visto nacional / Schengen, fotografia tipo passe 35 x 45 mm): size and requirements
The Portugal Visa Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches). Not stated by the MNE; plain light grey is our rendering choice, and neither the MNE nor the saved ICAO excerpt states a colour; head 70 to 80 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros (Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, Vistos) with ICAO Doc 9303.
For the printed passport-type photos handed in with a Portuguese national (D) visa (two photos per the residence-visa document list; the other D-visa lists were not verified) or a Schengen short-stay visa applied for through Portugal (one photo) at a consulate or VFS centre. Not for the Cartão de Cidadão or Portuguese passport, which are photographed at the counter.
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; the MNE states only 'fotografia tipo passe')
- Background
- not stated by the MNE; plain light grey is our rendering choice, and neither the MNE nor the saved ICAO excerpt states a colour
- 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
- CheckNational (D) visas want two identical photos ('Duas fotografias iguais, tipo passe'); a Schengen short-stay visa through Portugal wants one. Bring two and you are covered either way.
- CheckThe MNE asks for photos that are 'atualizadas e em boas condições de identificação do requerente' but publishes no millimetre or background rule; no size is published, so we print the ICAO Doc 9303 passport-photo geometry (35 x 45 mm, head 70 to 80 percent).
- CheckOur advice, not an MNE rule: VFS Global and other external centres used by Portuguese consulates often photograph applicants on site for a fee; check your centre's checklist 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 Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros (Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, Vistos) with ICAO Doc 9303.
Duas fotografias iguais, tipo passe, atualizadas e em boas condições de identificação do requerente;
Uma fotografia tipo passe;
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].
Quote 1 is in Portuguese from the MNE national-visa page 'Residência' (documentação instrutória) at source.url and quote 2 from the Schengen page https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-schengen/documentacao-instrutoria/schengen-para-efeitos-de-curta-duracao; vistos.mne.gov.pt answers 403 to direct requests and both were read via the r.jina.ai text proxy (sources/pt/mne-vistos-nacionais-residencia.txt, sources/pt/mne-vistos-schengen-curta-duracao.txt). The MNE publishes no size, background or head rule; quotes 3-5 are ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3 (sources/icao/icao-9303-part3-portrait-excerpt.txt, Wayback 2024-09-12). Background 'light-grey' is our rendering choice (neither the MNE nor the ICAO excerpt names a colour); glasses and head-covering values are ICAO-style defaults, not MNE rules. No saved source says Portuguese consulates apply ICAO 9303; the geometry is our choice in the absence of a published size. Only the 'Residência' national-visa document list was saved; temporary-stay, job-seeker and other D-visa lists were not fetched. printsRequired 2 follows the residence-visa list; the Schengen list asks for one.
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
