Size reference
Find the right passport photo size for your country, document and application route. Compare cm, inches and pixels, then prepare your photo.
Print at 2 × 2 inches (50.8 × 50.8 mm exact). Keep your real appearance and original background. The official page also describes this as 51 × 51 mm.
Open This Application RouteExact size conversion
Original millimetre or inch values stay unchanged when switching units. Editing a dimension creates a custom print size; digital and original-file rules stay separate.
5.08 × 5.08 cm
50.8 × 50.8 mm · 2 × 2 in
600 × 600 px at 300 DPI
Keeps this document and application rule. Original-only routes stay unedited.
| Application | Physical size | Digital file | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| US passport · paper | 2 × 2 in / 5.08 × 5.08 cm | 600 × 600 px at 300 DPI | Prepare print |
| US visa · DS-160 | Digital application | 600–1200 px square JPEG | Check digital |
| US online renewal | Original digital photo | Original JPEG, PNG, HEIC/HEIF | Check original |
| DV entry | Digital application | 600 × 600 px JPEG | Read DV rules |
| Canada passport | 50 × 70 mm | Professional capture & printing | Guidance only |
| Custom print | 35 × 45 mm example | 413 × 531 px at 300 DPI | Use custom |
01 · Know the requirement
Choose the country and the way you are applying before measuring a photo. A US paper passport uses a 2 × 2 inch print. DS-160 uses a square digital JPEG, while online passport renewal uses an original digital photo. Those are different tasks even though they are all US applications.
02 · Choose your next step
Millimetres, centimetres and inches describe a print. Pixels describe a digital image. DPI connects pixels to physical size only when printing. The converter below keeps the physical size exact and rounds the final pixel dimensions to whole pixels.
Official sources · checked 2026-11-06
Requirements can change. The authority’s current instructions and final review take precedence.
Questions about this task
No. A US paper passport photo is square; a Canadian paper passport photo is 50 × 70 mm. Application channels can also have different digital requirements.
This reference is about the photograph used in an application, not the passport booklet or card dimensions.
Choose physical units for printing. Use the digital portal’s stated pixel and file rules for an online upload.
Paper applications, online renewals and visa portals can require different files. Select the exact application route.
Custom mode prepares dimensions only. It does not verify a country’s document rules, photographer requirements or image content.
Read the issuing authority’s current instructions. Use a custom print size only if that process allows self-prepared photos; do not assume the US preset applies.
