Austria Visa Photo: Size and Standards [And a Hassle-Free Visa Photo Tool]

Austria visa photo specifications

Since 1997, Austria has been a state member of the Schengen Area, which has standard visa rules for foreign visitors. While some countries and their nationals are granted visa-free entry and unlimited stay in the Schengen area, others must go through the tiresome application process in order to receive a visa and, consequently, the permission to enter and stay on the Schengen territory. The citizens of countries that do not need a visa to enter Austria can only stay for 90 days every half a year, and they need to fill out the residence registration form at a local registration office. However, nationals of EEA countries (EU member countries, Lichtenstein, Iceland, and Norway) and Switzerland are allowed to stay for an unlimited period of time. 

When applying for an Austrian visa or any other Schengen visa, a photo will be essential for your application. Our guide discloses Austrian Visa Photo specifications and which documents are required for the application process.

Austria visa photo - an online guide

Obtaining an Austrian visa should not be an impossible mission. Nevertheless, each country has different rules concerning its official documents. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that you are well informed to meet all requirements before you hand in your application for a visa. Everyone who applies for an Austrian visa must include a photograph of themselves in the application, and the photo has to follow specific criteria to be accepted. You can choose to make your photo in a photo studio, or you can use a professional and very convenient online photo service, Passport Photo Online, right from your home.

Austria visa photo size

The size of the Austrian visa photo has to be 35mm in width and 45mm in height. The photograph must include the whole head of the applicant, including the hairstyle. Around 70-80% of the picture must be filled with the applicant’s face, with an acceptable face height of 32-36mm. The head position must be straight (portrait photos are not allowed), and the face should not be covered by any object. 

Austrian visa photo - requirements

• The photo must not be older than six months (it must reflect the current look of the applicant).
• The photo must be in color. 
• The background must be in light color (light gray is suggested).
• The applicant must look straight into the camera. 
• The applicant must retain a neutral facial expression (light smiling is allowed, but the mouth must stay closed).
• Wearing clothes that match the background should be avoided. 
• Eyes must be visible, wide open, and not obscured by hair or else.
• Optical glasses are allowed if necessary, and if wearing them does not change the look. When wearing glasses, the applicant’s eyes must be visible and not covered by frames. 
• Religious headwear is allowed only if the face is visible from the lower tip of the chin to the forehead (e.g., a hijab scarf is permitted, but not a niqab). 
• The photo must be of good quality - sharply focused, high contrast.
• The skin tone must be neutral. 
• The photo must be printed on high-quality picture paper with at least 600 dpi printing resolution.

Austrian visa photo online tool - take your photo at home

If you are looking for convenient software that enables you to make visa or passport photos right from your home, check Passport Photo Online!

It is a professional ready-to-use solution that assists you at every step of the process to get a perfect passport or visa photo. All you need to have is a smartphone or camera, a proper facial expression, and a correct pose. Passport Photo Online software which utilizes AI (artificial intelligence), will do all the rest, including image uploading, editing the background, cropping, and double-checking whether the photo meets all official national standards.

Visa or passport photos requirements are similar in most countries, and they differ only in minor details such as the size of the photo or the size of the face in the photo. If the photograph is not in line with all rules at the national level, your application process will be prolonged; therefore, to avoid disappointment, it is important to make sure that your photo is valid and correctly taken. However, if you decide to use our online visa photo maker, we guarantee that your picture will be accepted by any institution you are applying to. 

How does the Austrian visa photo maker work

In order to get a perfect photo that meets all requirements for an Austrian visa application, you can use our online service or download the mobile application. If you decide to take a photo with your smartphone, then we advise you to follow the steps below:

1. Download the Passport Photo Online application on your smartphone - it is available in both AppStore and GooglePlay.
2. Make a photo that is not a selfie. You can ask a friend or a family member to take a picture of you, or you can use the self-timer feature. 
3. Open the application and choose the type of documents you are applying for.
4. Upload the photo.
5. The software will analyze the photo to check whether it meets the requirements.
6. In the end, if the photo is approved, you can choose a premium option to receive only a digital photo via email, or in case you want a physical photo as well, then you can choose a premium+printing option. 

Whichever option you choose, your photo will be verified by experts before you receive it, and if anything is wrong, you will be notified promptly to take another photo, and we will also let you know which mistakes to avoid. 

Instead of downloading the application, you can also use the online service. In that case, you will have to go to the Passport Photo Online website, choose the desired document, upload your photo, and within minutes, you will see the result. The good thing about using an online passport photo maker is that you can try different outfits, wear different make-ups, and take as many photos as you like. In the end, you are the one who chooses the best photo for your identification card.

With our technological solution, we are determined to end the era of ugly passport and visa photos! 

The commonly made mistakes on photos for Austrian visa application and how to avoid them

Suppose you decide to use our digital service and take the Austria visa photo at home. In that case, we advise you to follow the above-specified requirements carefully because any small mistake can lead to the rejection of your application. We created a list of the most common mistakes that you should keep in mind when taking and submitting your photos. 

Wrong photo size 

One of the common reasons why visa pictures get rejected is the wrong size. The accepted size for an Austrian visa photo is 35 mm x 45 mm. You do not need to worry if your photo is bigger because you can always crop it to the required size or let our software do it for you. 

Edited photos

People like to edit photos and use special filters, especially when it comes to creating social media posts. For this reason, almost all smartphones now include diverse options you can choose when taking your photo (e.g., reduce wrinkles, remove scars, etc.). However, the photo required for the Austrian visa application must not be edited because it has to show the person accurately. Edited pictures will lead to the rejection of the whole application. 

Wrong head position

Portrait photos will not be approved for an Austrian visa or passport photo; therefore, make sure that your head is in a straight position (not tilted) with your eyes looking straight forward into the camera. 

Selfies

Taking selfies has become a global phenomenon, and everybody enjoys making them. However, when it comes to visas or passports, selfies will not be accepted. You have to ask somebody else to take a photo of you from a distance of approximately 1.5m, or you can use a self-timer on your mobile device or camera. 

Poor quality

The photo must be sharp and have a clear focus on the applicant’s face. It should be printed on high-quality photograph paper, which must not be damaged or dirty, nor have ceases or layers. The face of the applicant must be evenly lit. Shading on the face and reflections must be avoided. 

Overexposure or underexposure

Although using flashes and selfie lights might make our photo more attractive, in most cases, artificial lights create shadows that appear on your photo, which is not recommended for visa photos. Too much light can lead to overexposure in photography (too bright photos). But also, if you have too little light, your photos might be underexposed (too dark). We advise you to take your picture in the daylight because it will make your skin look natural and create a balance between overexposure and underexposure. 

Red eyes

The visa photo should represent the applicant as accurately as possible, meaning that photos with red eyes will be rejected. The natural eye color must be apparent. 

One of the leading causes for red eyes is the camera’s flash; therefore, you should turn it off when taking your visa photo or use the anti-red eye function.

Inappropriate background

It is important to remember that some countries are strict when it comes to the background color (e.g., Russia allows only white or off-white). For the Austrian visa, the background must be in light shades; if possible, you should use light grey. Colorful backgrounds must be avoided.

Last update: 9/24/23