Switzerland Visa Photo: A 35 × 45 mm Print for Your Swiss Visa

A Switzerland visa photo is the printed passport photo you hand in for a Swiss Schengen visa (type C) or national visa (type D). The standard photo is 35 × 45 mm, in colour, on a plain white or light background; only the Swiss posts in mainland China ask for a different size.

The Switzerland visa photo size and rules, from the Swiss representations' checklists and the ICAO photo guidelines they link to:

• Size: 35 × 45 mm, the “standard ICAO dimensions” for the Swiss embassies covering the UAE and Bahrain, Pakistan, Jordan and Iran; the embassy in India gives only the width, 35–40 mm.
• Mainland China: the Swiss Embassy in Beijing and the Consulates General in Shanghai and Guangzhou list 35 × 40 mm on white or light grey, which a 35 × 45 mm photo does not match.
• Face: 70–80% of the photo height, about 32–36 mm from chin to top of head.
• Colour and age: in colour, taken within the last 6 months.
• Background: plain white or light, no shadows. The embassies in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India ask for white.
• Pose: facing straight at the camera, neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible, no hair across them.
• Lighting: uniform — no shadows, flash reflections or red eye.
• Glasses: no reflections or tinted lenses; frames must not cover the eyes.
• Head coverings: religious reasons only, face visible from chin to forehead with both edges showing.
• Print: good-quality photo paper, undamaged, not stapled, not a copy or scan.

Swiss visas are issued by Swiss embassies and consulates abroad; the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is the responsible authority in Switzerland. You apply to the Swiss representation responsible for your place of residence — at most representations through VFS Global, where your fingerprints are taken.

In the UAE, India, the Philippines and Russia, one photo is glued or pasted onto the application form. Your facial image is scanned from the print or taken on the spot, but the print stays on the checklist. The Swiss online visa system (swiss-visa.ch) lets applicants at some representations fill in the Schengen form online, but documents are handed in at an appointment; in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and China, online submission is not possible.

1. Take a straight-on photo against a plain white or light wall, in even light.
2. Upload it here — the Switzerland visa is already selected.
3. IDPhotoBy sizes the photo to 35 × 45 mm, then checks the background.
4. Download the printable sheet and print it on good-quality photo paper.

IDPhotoBy formats your photo — size, crop and a background check. It does not retouch or beautify your face and cannot promise acceptance: each Swiss representation decides.

Check the official application portal before submitting. Other Schengen visas: see our Schengen visa photo page.