PHOTO GUIDE

Austria Schengen Visa Photo Requirements (Type C)

Photo requirements for an Austria short-stay Schengen visa (Type C): the photo size, background, and face-position conditions to meet for the application. The format is 35×45 mm with the head about 2/3 of the image on a single-colour light background, no more than 6 months old.

Checked: 2026-08-15

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Key photo requirements

Print size: 35 mm wide × 45 mm high. The BMI Passbild-Kriterien fixes both dimensions at 35×45 mm — a single 35 mm width rather than the broader ICAO/Schengen 35–40 mm band — with the head about 2/3 of the image and no taller than 36 mm. The BMEIA visa page requires the photo to follow ICAO criteria (face 70–80%).
Age of photo: no more than 6 months. Both the BMI page and the oesterreich.gv.at lexicon entry state the 6-month maximum explicitly, and the photo must match your current appearance.
Background and pose: single-colour, light, ideally grey (medium-grey recommended for light hair, light-grey for dark hair), with no pattern and no shadow; look straight at the camera with a neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible. White is not required at the BMI/oesterreich.gv.at level.
Colour and geometry: colour is required — black-and-white photos are not accepted. The BMI page specifies an eye distance (centre-to-centre between the pupils) of at least 8 mm, optimal 10 mm.
Glasses and head covering: eyes fully visible with no tinted or reflective lenses; head covering allowed only for religious reasons with the full face from chin to forehead still clear.
Copies and submission: the number of prints and the submission route depend on the office that accepts your application. Confirm the count and steps on the official checklist of the Austrian representation responsible for your place of residence.

Photo size and shooting rules

These are the photo rules for an Austria short-stay Schengen visa (Type C) — the visa for short stays of up to 90 days per 180-day period. National visas (Type D) for stays of 91 days to 6 months, residence, work, or study follow a different document list governed by the Aliens' Police Act (FPG) and are not covered here.

Austria explicitly applies its national passport-photo standard to visa photos: the oesterreich.gv.at "Applying for a visa" page requires the photo to be "in accordance with the specified passport photo criteria", and the BMEIA visa page requires "a passport photo according to ICAO criteria (colour, 35×45 mm)". The BMI Passbild-Kriterien fixes both dimensions at 35 mm wide × 45 mm high — a single 35 mm width rather than the broader ICAO/Schengen 35–40 mm band — with the head about 2/3 of the image and no taller than 36 mm, and an eye distance of at least 8 mm (optimal 10 mm). The ICAO face-ratio rule also applies because the BMEIA page cites the ICAO standard. Prints must be in colour with natural skin tones on photo-quality paper.

The number of prints and the exact submission steps are set by the office that accepts applications where you live. Confirm the live checklist on the official Austrian representation page for your country of residence before you book or print.

Recency: no more than 6 months old; must look like you today.
Quality: colour, sharp focus, high quality, no creases or ink marks. Digital captures printed on photo-quality paper at high resolution.
Background: plain light-coloured (a plain light grey can work if even). Avoid busy scenes and strong shadows on the face or behind the head.
Lighting: even light, natural skin tones, appropriate brightness and contrast; no flash reflection on skin, no red-eye.
Pose and expression: look straight at the camera; face square-on, not tilted; eyes open and not covered by hair; neutral expression, mouth closed; alone in the frame.
Glasses: eyes fully visible; no tinted lenses; no flash reflection on the lenses; frames must not cover the eyes. Remove glasses if those conditions are hard to meet.
Head covering: only for religious reasons, and the full face from chin to forehead and both edges of the face must still be clear.
Editing: keep brightness and crop adjustments that do not change how you look. Avoid contour reshaping, eye or nose changes, and heavy beauty filters. The photo must remain realistic with natural skin tones.

Photos for children

Children need a photograph that meets the same quality rules: recency, a single-colour light background, and the child alone in the frame. The BMI Passbild-Kriterien has a dedicated "Kinder" (children) section: the child must appear alone in the photo, the face must be fully visible, and the eyes must be open. Austria applies this national passport-photo standard to visa photos via the oesterreich.gv.at visa page. The general criteria also permit deviations where the person's stage of development or physical condition makes compliance impossible, which accommodates infants.

Austria does NOT publish an age-banded child face-size table (unlike Germany or the Netherlands, whose national ID-document photo standards define age bands). The BMI child criteria are qualitative only, so there is no separate millimetre range for young children — use the same head-height ceiling and framing unless the accepting office's checklist says otherwise. Re-check the BMI page if it is updated.

Fingerprint and live-photo capture rules for children (for example, that under-12s are exempt from fingerprints) are part of the application process rather than the photo specification. The office that accepts your application can confirm the current biometric procedure for children.

Illustration of preparing a child visa photo

Common mistakes and how to fix them

These are the mistakes to avoid with an Austria visa photo, and how to fix them.

Austria-specific risks: wrong print size (not 35×45 mm); head over the height ceiling; a black-and-white print instead of colour; a patterned or dark background (the BMI standard asks for single-colour, light, ideally grey); shadows on the face or behind the head; eye distance under 8 mm; tinted or reflective glasses; head covering other than religious; tilted head or portrait-style framing; photo older than 6 months; low-resolution print.

Note the background rule differs from some other Schengen states: Austria does not require white. A single-colour, light, ideally grey background is the BMI/oesterreich.gv.at standard; medium-grey is recommended for light hair and light-grey for dark hair. Confirm the accepting office's checklist before you print, since a mission-level checklist may add tighter wording.

Head cut off or tilted: retake with more distance, face square-on to the camera, both edges of the face visible.
Uneven colour, shadows, or blow-out on the background: use a plain light background and even light so the face and the back of the head stay free of hard shadows.
Glasses glare: remove glasses if practical, or use clear lenses and lighting that shows the pupils fully.
Old photo: replace any portrait older than six months or that no longer matches your appearance.
Heavy beauty filters: start again from a natural image; do not change face shape or skin texture.
Pixelated print: export a high-resolution colour file and print on photo-quality paper.

Illustration of common visa photo mistakes

Create your Austria digital photo

Create a digital JPEG for your Austria visa application in your browser.

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What this tool creates

the required face photo (for printing)

Also available as an iPhone appOpen the App Store

Check before you apply

Photo requirements can change. Before you submit, re-check the BMI Passbild-Kriterien page, the oesterreich.gv.at visa page, and the BMEIA visa page, and confirm the checklist of the official Austrian representation that will accept your application.

shoumei.org helps users prepare photo files based on publicly available requirements. It does not submit visa applications, and it is not an official government service, Schengen authority, embassy, consulate, VFS Global, TLScontact, or BLS International service. Please verify the latest requirements with the official embassy, consulate, or visa application center before submitting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What size is an Austria Schengen visa photo?

The BMI Passbild-Kriterien fixes both dimensions at 35 mm wide × 45 mm high, with the head about 2/3 of the image and no taller than 36 mm. The BMEIA visa page requires ICAO-conformant photo framing. This service prepares a 35×45 mm print within that range. Confirm the live checklist of the office that accepts your application before you submit.

Can I reuse a photo from another application?

Only if it already meets every rule: 35×45 mm, head about 2/3 of the image within the height ceiling, a single-colour light (ideally grey) background, in colour, taken within 6 months, matching your current appearance, and with no tinted or reflective glasses. Matching the outer size alone is not enough, and the photo must still look like you today.

What background colour is required?

The BMI Passbild-Kriterien requires a single-colour, light, ideally grey background (medium-grey for light hair, light-grey for dark hair) that contrasts with the face and hair, with no pattern and no shadow. White is not required as long as the background is plain, light, and even.

May I wear glasses?

Only if the eyes are fully visible with no flash reflection on the lenses, no tinted lenses, and no frames covering the eyes. Otherwise remove the glasses for the photo.

Is a black-and-white photo accepted?

No. The BMI page states that black-and-white photos cannot be used, and the BMEIA visa page requires a colour photo. Use a colour print with natural skin tones on photo-quality paper.

Can I take the photo with a smartphone?

The BMI page does not name a required camera. If you use a smartphone, the final print must still meet every rule: 35×45 mm, head about 2/3 of the image within the height ceiling, eye distance at least 8 mm, sharp focus, even lighting, single-colour light background, in colour, and on photo-quality paper.

Do the same rules apply to children?

Yes for quality. The BMI Passbild-Kriterien has a dedicated "Kinder" section: the child must appear alone, the face fully visible, and the eyes open. Austria does not publish an age-banded child face-size table, so use the same framing unless the accepting office's checklist says otherwise.