Austria Visa Photo Requirements (No-Login Required)

Ensuring your visa photograph aligns with official requirements is critical for a successful Austrian visa application. A photograph that does not conform to established guidelines may cause processing delays or ultimately lead to the rejection of your application.

To facilitate the process, the VisaFast Austria Visa Photo Maker is available. This tool automatically modifies your photograph, adjusting its dimensions, background, and format to precisely align with Austria’s official visa specifications, thus streamlining the procedure and minimizing potential concerns.

The specifications for Austrian visa photographs are detailed below:

Austria Visa Passport Photo Requirements and Specifications

This document outlines the mandatory requirements for passport photographs submitted with Austrian visa applications. Please adhere strictly to the following guidelines:

• Dimensions: The photograph must be between 35mm and 45 mm in height.

• File Size Restriction: The digital image file should not exceed 120 KB. Accepted file formats include JPG and JPEG.

• Background: The background of the photograph must be entirely white, with no shadows or textures.

• Face Visibility: The frontal portion of your face should occupy approximately 80% of the image area.

• Border Removal: Photographs must be submitted without margins or borders.

• Image Recency: The photograph must have been taken no more than 3 months prior to your visa application submission. 6 months This ensures the image accurately represents your current appearance.

• Pose and Expression: The photograph requires a full-face portrait where you are directly facing the camera, exhibiting a neutral expression and a lack of smiling. Maintaining a focused, clear and in focus image.

Note: The VisaFast visa photo tool automatically verifies compliance with all of these specified requirements, streamlining the application process, particularly for submissions by minors.

Photograph Specifications:

The required size for the Austria visa passport photograph is 35mm in width and 45mm in height (1.38 x 1.77 inches, 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm). The facial area within the photograph must extend between 16 mm and 20 mm from ear to ear.

To facilitate accurate biometric verification, the face itself—from the bottom edge of the chin to the highest point of the head (excluding hair)—should account for 70% to 80% of the overall photographic image.

Important: Photographs failing to meet these specifications—specifically with a face measuring less than 27 mm or more than 40 mm—will be automatically rejected.

Austria visa photo sample

Image Specifications

The photograph must be submitted at a minimum resolution of 400 dots per inch (dpi). Carefully verify this parameter during image scanning or upload. Please note that a higher resolution results in a larger image file size.

The photograph must be clearly defined, sharp, free from damage, and of good quality. It must not contain any ink marks or creases.

Requirements for Digital Photos

When submitting Austrian visa applications online, applicant photographs must be saved as JPG or JPEG files. File sizes are limited to 120 KB. Applications with files in unsupported formats, including BMP, TIFF, GIF, or PDF, will likely be rejected. Photographs may utilise black, white, or color representations.

Photograph Specifications

The submitted photograph must meet specific technical criteria. It requires printing on archival-quality paper and should have a minimum resolution of 600 dpi when digitally enlarged. Color rendition is critical, and the image must accurately depict the applicant’s skin tone without color casts.

All photographs submitted must depict solely the applicant; no other individuals or objects are permitted within the image frame.

Important Note: When submitting digital images, they must be of high resolution, rendered in color, and printed onto appropriate photo-grade paper.

Photographic Requirements

The photograph background must be a uniform, light tone to ensure that facial details are clearly visible and distinctly separated from the backdrop.

Specifically, a medium grey background is recommended for applicants with light hair tones, whereas a light grey background is appropriate for those with darker hair. The photograph should be devoid of any patterns. Furthermore, photographs may not contain shadows.

An Austrian visa photograph must not incorporate any borders or extraneous margins. This borderless presentation conforms to established official formatting standards and is necessary for subsequent biometric processing.

Recent Photo Requirements:

A photograph must have been taken within the preceding six months to reliably represent your current physical appearance. Should there be considerable or demonstrable changes, including but not limited to a significant alteration to hairstyle or facial hair, submission of an updated photograph is necessary to ensure proper verification and avoid potential delays or identification complications.

Style and Lighting

Photographs must be taken with even lighting. Shadows, reflections and red-eye are not acceptable. The eyes in the photograph should be open and clearly visible. No hair across the face or eyes. 

Eyes must be in the upper half of the photograph (minimum distance between the centre of the two eyes: 8mm)

Expressions and Frame

You should show your face square on to the camera, no portrait style (not looking over one’s shoulder) or tilted and showing both edges of the face clearly. The facial expression must be neutral, with the mouth closed, and the person looking directly at the camera.

Glasses:

If you wear glasses for medical reasons, you must show your eyes clearly no reflections and no tinted lenses They should not create glare or obscure the eyes, as reflections can interfere with biometric accuracy. The edge of glasses or lenses should not cover any part of the eyes

Head Coverings

Head coverings are permitted solely for recognized religious or medical justifications. These coverings must be uniform in appearance, free of patterns, and shall not obstruct the applicant’s facial features. During inspection, the entire face—from the base of the chin to the upper forehead—must be clearly visible, including the peripheral edges. Facial shadows resulting from headwear are deemed unacceptable.

Austria Visa Photo Specifications for Minors

– Two identical photographs must be submitted for each child, regardless of age. One photograph should be affixed to the parent’s visa application form when the child is traveling under the parent’s passport.

– For applicants under the age of nine (9), the child’s face should occupy approximately 50% to 80% of the photograph’s frame.

– The distance from the bottom of the child’s chin to the uppermost point of the hair (excluding any hair) should measure between 22mm and 36mm.

– Children aged five (5) or younger are not required to exhibit a neutral expression or maintain direct eye contact with the camera. Centering of the child’s head within the photograph dimensions is not mandatory.

– For infants younger than one (1) year of age, the photograph does not require the child to have open eyes.

– The photographic frame must exclusively depict the child, without showing hands, toys, chairs or any individuals other than the child in the picture.

– The child’s face should be discernible, and positioned facing forward.

Please be advised: Should any support apparatus be necessary, this must not be visible within the submitted photo. Support should be adequately concealed under the child’s clothing where possible.

Austria Visa Photo Requirements & Tool Usage

Potential applicants for Austrian visas should carefully review Austria’s official visa photo specifications to guarantee compliance. The following tool assists in generating photos that fulfill these necessary criteria, enabling a streamlined application process.

1. Submit a Suitable Photograph

You must upload a photograph that meets the specified requirements. Acceptable formats include JPEG, JPG, or PNG. If a photograph from your device is not suitable, you may be required to take a new selfie at the point of application.

2. Adjustments and Resizing

Utilize the ‘Transform’ function to automatically modify your photograph, ensuring it adheres to the precise requirements outlined by the Austrian visa guidelines for dimensions and cropping.

3. Obtaining and Submitting Your Photo

After completing your photograph, obtain the digital file meeting Austrian visa requirements and include it as an attachment with your visa application. This process is efficient, confirms accuracy, and minimizes applicant inconvenience.

Do’s and Don’ts of Austria Visa Photo

Do’s

• Submit two recent photos taken no more than six months ago

• Use a plain light background with uniform lighting

• Centre the face and include the shoulders and crown

• Maintain neutral or slight natural expression with eyes open

• Provide high-resolution images, at least 300 dpi

• Wear everyday clothing that contrasts with the background

• Attach one child’s photo to your application form if necessary

• Use JPEG files for digital submissions and correct print specifications

Don’ts

• Do not tilt the head or use angled shots

• Do not wear hats or eyewear with glare or tint

• Do not obscure your face with hair, headgear, or eyeglasses

• Do not wear white clothing that blends with the background

• Do not include other people, toys, or props in children’s photos

• Do not submit edited, blurry, shadowed, or overexposed images

• Do not use non-JPEG formats or exceed embassy file size limits