Get the Details on the Netherlands' Visa Photo Requirements [With Examples & Online Photo Tool]

Take a photo with your smartphone and create a picture for the Netherlands Visa in 3 seconds! Don’t risk a rejection of your visa photo, save money and time!

Dutch Visa Photo Guidelines

If you are not a citizen of the European Union or one of the Schengen Zone member-countries, you may need a visa to the Netherlands. A Netherlands visa is a document with a photo pasted to your passport and this photo must meet some special requirements. You will know everything about them when you finish reading our Holland Visa Photo Guidelines. Check how are demanding about:

• visa photo size
• composition and crop of the picture
• correct pose and the head’s position
• background’s color and style
• dress-code
• allowed and forbidden items (glasses, headphones, headgears)

Netherlands Visa Photo - take it with a phone!

Do you know that there are no requirements for taking the Netherlands visa photo professionally? So, you can take and prepare your visa photo at any time and in any place. But what to do with all the requirements about the background, size and crop?

You can stop being worried about the perfect background! Use the Netherlands Visa Photo Tool that can in one second remove an unsuitable background and change it into a required one. This Photo Maker also resizes and crops the picture.

Don’t risk a Dutch Visa photo rejection - take the warranty!

Your photograph uploaded to the NL Visa Photo Generator will be accordingly cropped and resized and at the end verified if it meets all requirements. If you want to be sure that the attached to your application form picture is correct, just let our online photo app verify it!

You pay only for 100% correct photos with a warranty of acceptance by authorities. So, ready to know all the details?

Take the Hollandaise Visa Photo by yourself!

You do not have to pay for the photo session and go to a photography studio to create a perfect Netherlands Visa Picture. Just ask somebody for help or use a tripod, because selfies are not acceptable. You can do it with a smartphone, digital camera, or tablet, but keep in mind that you cannot use a webcam. Then download the Netherlands Visa Photo App from the AppStore or the Google Play Store and read the next paragraphs to learn more about standards for the Dutch Tourist Visa Photo.

Holland visa photo size (dimensions in mm)

Requirements for the size of every Schengen short-term visa, including a Netherlands visa, are exactly the same. The correct size of a photo for a visa to the Kingdom of the Netherlands is 35 mm x 45 mm. Be careful if you take your European visa picture in the US. The standard size of the US visa photos and the US passport photos is 2 x 2 inches, but the Netherlands visa is approximately 1,4-1,8 inches. 

If you want to be 100% sure that you attach to your application form a photo in the correct size, use the Dutch visa photo Generator which automatically resizes uploaded photos to the right dimensions. And you don’t even need to know them in mm or inches! Just let this App do it for you!

Dutch visa photo crop and composition

Schengen visa photos are biometric so don’t be worried if your NL visa picture will be a bit similar to a mugshot. There are some universal rules about composition and head position for biometric photos. The head must be located in the central spot of the picture and must not be tilted in any direction. 

The mouth must close but not tighten. Don’t smile and look straight at the camera. The en-face view is mandatory.

In the crop, the head must fill in 70 - 80% of the image. The head image cannot measure less than 32 mm and more than 36 mm. 

The visa photo crop must show the candidate’s all face with hair from the tip of the chin to the top of the head, neck, and upper part of the shoulders. The face should be clearly visible and there must be a space left between your head and the photo’s edges. If you have voluminous hair, consider wearing it up as it cannot “touch” the upper edge of the picture.

How to obtain this effect? You can keep a distance of 1,20 - 2 metres between you and a photographer or tripod. Or you can take your picture how you like and then upload it to the Dutch Visa Photo Cropping App. And have it done in 3 seconds!

Background and colors in a NL visa photo

You must provide 2 color photos taken on a grey background. You may choose a shade of this color - if you have a dark complexion and/or hair, pick up the light grey and the other way around. No shadows, patterns, other people, or objects must be visible in your visa photo. But you do not need to worry about it. You can take a picture against any background, even in your room or kitchen, and just use our Dutch visa photo background editor which changes the wrong background into the required one.

Remember that the biometric photo which the Dutch visa photo must be - is supposed to show your natural skin tones and the real color of your eyes. Check if it is not overlit or underlit.

Dress-code in the Dutch visa photos

There is only one rule about clothing here: you must not wear uniforms nor any clothes in army patterns or visible insignia which can resemble uniforms.

Apart from that, there is not such a thing as a “dress-code for the Netherlands visa photo”, so you can wear your favourite outfit. If you need inspiration, a simple shirt with buttons or a collar or V-neckline is our recommendation. If you like jewellery, there are no contraindications. Just keep in mind that wearing massive earrings or hair decorations is not recommended as they can obscure the face. If you wear a head covering (only for religious purposes), choose the one in color which is not exactly like the background’s color. In this way, you will obtain a satisfying contrast and you will not blend into the background.

Head coverings in the Dutch (Schengen) visa photo

You are not allowed to keep fashion headgears such as caps, hats or headbands at the moment of capturing a Schengen (Dutch) visa picture.

They are not allowed under any conditions but you can keep head covering if you use it as a part of a religious attire (like hijab, turban or yarmulke etc.) You do not need to prove your religious affiliation like this is for example in the US. However, you are obliged to make sure that this item does not obscure your face. Your facial features including front and chin must be clearly visible in the photo.

Hair and beard in the Netherlands visa photo

If you have a voluminous hairstyle, wear your hair up. If you have long hair and you wear it loose, put it behind your ears as the hair must not cover your face. Remember about the spare space that must be left between the crown and the top edge of the photo. You are not asked to shave your beard for a Dutch visa photo.

Eyeglasses and sunglasses in the Dutch visa photo

This is allowed to wear prescription eyeglasses in the photo for the picture dedicated to a Holland visa. You can pose wearing them but their frames must not cover your eyes or drop the shadow, neither glare on your skin. Glasses must not be tinted or dark (like sunglasses) and cannot give a reflection. Your eyes must be clearly visible. You do not need to submit any written statement from your doctor about the necessity of wearing the eyeglasses.

Jewellery in the photo of the Dutch Visa

The general rule is: you do not need to remove jewellery or piercing as long as these items do not obscure any part of your face and do not give any reflection on your skin.

It applies also to facial piercing. It is allowed as long as your face is still recognizable and these items do not give glare on your skin.

Dutch Visa Photo Quality Requirements

The photo you attach to your visa application form should be printed on high-quality paper. At the moment it is not possible to send a picture via the Internet.

A print resolution must be at least 600 dpi if you have taken it with a phone or digital camera. The image must be:

• sharply focused in all areas
• rich in contrast and clarity
• well contrasted
• properly exposed (not overlit or underlit)
• not damaged, scratched or marked
• printed on photo-quality paper and produced using dye-sublimation

If you want to take a picture with your smartphone, it is easy to produce a high-quality picture, especially if you use a visa photo maker cropping, resizing, and adjusting your visa photo.

Smile in the Dutch Visa Photo

As all the biometric photos, the Dutch visa photo must be taken with a neutral facial expression. Smiling is not allowed, even a little. Do not open your mouth or close your eyes. Look straight at the camera lens, relax your facial muscles and do not blink for a moment. And that’s it!

Originality and validity of the Dutch Visa Picture

Your Schengen (Holland) visa photo must be original. What exactly does it mean? Of course, the photo must present you. But also that the photo cannot be cut out from the larger picture but produced for visa application. You are not allowed either to interfere in your photo by any computer software. Special filters, retouching, using Photoshop and other graphic programs is prohibited and strictly verified. Photos are checked by computer software and if it detects any alteration, the picture is automatically rejected. Validity means that your picture must show your current appearance, so it must be taken within the last 6 months, not earlier.

Mistakes in Holland Visa Photos people make

Be aware that if you fail to meet the requirements about the Schengen visa photo, your application probably will be rejected and you will need to start again all the process of applying. To avoid this, learn about the most common mistakes that people make in their photos. A photo will be rejected if:

• is taken more than 6 months earlier 
• is altered or enhanced by Photoshop or any other computer software
• is printed on the non-photo-quality paper or with an inkjet printer
• is a selfie
• is blurred, not focused, not well cropped or resized

Bear in mind that if in your picture you:

• tilt your head
• smile
• position your head not centrally
• look sideways
• have your eyes closed
• have your mounts open
• smile or make faces
• have sunglasses or tinted glasses
• have everyday glasses that cover your eyes or give a glare
• have a headgear (the exceptions are religious and medical reasons)

Your photo will be rejected. The best option is to check twice every point on the list above or… use a Dutch Photo Visa Validator that verifies uploaded pictures in one moment! If the App accepts your picture, you can be 100% sure that the Dutch embassy or consulate will accept it too!

Remember to attach two identical pieces of your picture to the Dutch visa application form.

Dutch Visa Photo near me

Did the question “where can I take a Holland visa photo near me?” crossed your mind? If so, the answer is very easy: 

You can take the Netherland visa photo there where you want! At your place, office, on the beach - really, wherever you wish! How is this possible? Thanks to the smart visa photo app! With this App you are able to produce an absolutely correct visa photo in 3 seconds. Your photo will be resized, cropped, and adjusted to all demands. 

Netherland Visa Photo Maker

Do you have your favourite shot and want to create a Holland Visa Image from it?

Meet a Tool that adjusts the size, crop and background in one second!

Download the smart Dutch visa photo app from the AppStore for iOS operating devices or from the Google Play Store for Samsung, Nokia, and many other smartphones. This App verifies every uploaded photo, so you will get feedback about your visa picture. And if the App marks it as a correct one, we guarantee you the acceptance of the Dutch embassy or consulate!

Last update: 6/7/23