Free Germany Visa Photo Online — Make a 35×45 mm Biometric Photo

Need a Germany visa photo? Upload a recent portrait and IDPhotoBy sizes and crops it to Germany's official 35×45 mm biometric standard — your face filling 70–80% of the photo height on a plain, single-colour, shadow-free background — with the Germany Visa document already selected. You get a print-ready file for the one biometric photo you submit with a German Schengen (short-stay) visa application. It is free — no payment required.

A German visa photo is a printed photo you bring in person to a German embassy or consulate (or a VFS visa application centre) abroad — not uploaded online. It never touches your face; only the size, crop and background are prepared.

The requirements for a German visa photo come from the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and its biometric photo template (the Foto-Mustertafel), and IDPhotoBy checks your photo against them. Here is what the specification asks for:

• Size 35×45 mm — 35 mm wide by 45 mm high (3.5×4.5 cm), a portrait biometric photo.
• Face 70–80% of the height — measured from the chin to the top of the head (the crown), which is about 32–36 mm, with your head centred and straight — neither tilted nor turned.
• Plain, single-colour, bright background — ideally a neutral or light grey that contrasts clearly with your face and hair, evenly lit, with no shadows, reflections or pattern.
• Neutral expression — look straight into the camera with your mouth closed.
• Eyes open and clearly visible — not covered by hair or by your glasses frames.
• Glasses — allowed only if they do not reflect, are not tinted and do not cover your eyes; sunglasses are not accepted.
• Bareheaded — head coverings are permitted only for religious reasons.
• Colour photo — with accurate, realistic skin tones (black-and-white is also permitted).
• Recent — the photo must be not older than 6 months and still look like you.
• Print quality — printed on high-quality photo paper at a resolution of at least 600 dpi.

Retouched or filtered photos are rejected — the official Foto-Mustertafel shows a retouched, filtered photo as a rejected example.

The German visa photo size is 35×45 mm — that is 3.5×4.5 cm, or about 1.38×1.77 inches — a portrait biometric photo with your face at 70–80% of the height. This is the common Schengen biometric size, so the same 35×45 mm applies whether you apply directly at a German mission or through a VFS visa application centre.

IDPhotoBy outputs an 827×1063 px file at 600 dpi, which prints at exactly 35×45 mm on high-quality photo paper — that figure is our output size, not a number you have to hit yourself.

A German Schengen visa is applied for in person, by appointment, at the German embassy or consulate (or its external visa service provider) responsible for where you legally reside — not inside Germany. Your photo is a document you print and bring:

• You submit one recent 35×45 mm biometric photo together with your application form, passport and the other required documents.
• At the appointment the mission takes your fingerprints on site; the photo is brought with you, not captured there.
• There is no online photo-upload step for the photo itself — the biometric photo is a physical print you hand over.

IDPhotoBy formats your photo to 35×45 mm and gives you a print-ready file, plus a printable sheet so you can print a spare.

Not the same as a German passport inside Germany: since 1 May 2025, passport and ID-card photos applied for inside Germany must be captured digitally at the authority — but that domestic rule does not govern a Schengen visa photo submitted at a mission abroad, where a self-prepared printed 35×45 mm biometric photo is still a required, accepted document.

• Upload a recent, well-lit portrait with the tool on this page — the Germany Visa document is already selected.
• IDPhotoBy resizes and crops your photo to 35×45 mm with your face at 70–80% of the height, and prepares the plain, single-colour, shadow-free background the specification requires.
• Preview the result — check the face size and position, the plain background, and that your eyes are open and clearly visible.
• Download the finished photo, free, and use the printable sheet to print your 35×45 mm biometric photo on photo paper to bring to your appointment.

This free German visa photo maker doubles as a size checker and resizer for a photo you already have. There is no app to download — it runs online in your browser.

IDPhotoBy sizes and crops your uploaded photo to the 35×45 mm German biometric standard and prepares the plain, single-colour, shadow-free background the rules require. It does not retouch, beautify or otherwise edit your face — Germany's Foto-Mustertafel lists retouched and filtered photos as rejected examples, so your face is left exactly as it is.

We also make no acceptance promise. No online tool can promise a visa photo will be accepted — your file is prepared to the published Auswärtiges Amt requirements, and the German embassy or consulate where you apply makes the final decision. And it stays free: no paid plan and no per-photo charge.

You do not need a studio — you can take a German visa photo at home with a phone. Stand about 60 cm in front of a plain, evenly lit wall in a neutral or light grey (or other plain, single) colour, face the camera straight on with a neutral expression, mouth closed and both eyes open, and hold the phone at eye level. Fill the frame with your head and the top of your shoulders, then upload it here and let IDPhotoBy crop it to the exact 35×45 mm size.

The same works for a baby or child's visa photo — a child who needs a German visa needs their own biometric photo. Lay an infant on a plain, light sheet and photograph from directly above, then crop to size. Take the photo within the last 6 months so it reflects your current appearance.

• A busy or shadowed background. It must be a plain, single colour — ideally neutral or light grey — with clear contrast to your face and hair, and no patterns or objects.
• An edited or "beautified" photo. Retouching and filters are rejected; use a straight, unedited photo and let the tool handle only the size, crop and background.
• Reflective, tinted or eye-covering glasses. If your glasses reflect, are tinted or hide your eyes, take them off — sunglasses are never allowed.
• Smiling or an open mouth. Keep a neutral expression, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.
• The wrong size. The photo must be 35×45 mm with your face at 70–80% of the height; IDPhotoBy sets this for you, and either matte or glossy 600 dpi photo paper is fine.

Requirements and channels can change — check the official rules (Germany's Federal Foreign Office / Auswärtiges Amt, or the German embassy or consulate where you will apply) before you submit; the mission makes the final decision on your photo.