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Schengen Visa Guide

Schengen Visa Photo Requirements for Egyptians

A Schengen visa photo must be 35x45mm, on a white background, taken within the last 6 months, with a neutral expression and no glasses. Photo errors are one of the top rejection causes for first-time applicants.

Technical specifications

  • Dimensions: 35x45 mm (35 mm wide, 45 mm tall).
  • Background: plain white, uniform, no shadows.
  • Face size: 70-80% of photo height (chin to forehead).
  • Resolution: 600 dpi or higher for printed photos.
  • Age: taken within the last 6 months.
  • Quantity: 2 identical photos.

Facial expression and pose

  • Neutral expression (not smiling, mouth closed).
  • Eyes looking directly at the camera.
  • Face centred and parallel to the camera.
  • Eyes open and clearly visible, no hair covering them.
  • Shoulders even.

Glasses and head coverings

  • No glasses (including sunglasses), unless medically required with documentation.
  • Head coverings allowed for religious reasons, provided facial features (forehead, cheeks, chin) remain fully visible.
  • No shadows on face (use even lighting).

Where to get the photo in Egypt

Major photo studios in Cairo (Carrefour, City Stars, Wadi El Mall) take biometric photos to Schengen specs in 10 minutes for ~EGP 50-100. Larger pharmacy chains (El Ezaby, Seif) also offer this service. Specify "Schengen visa photo" so they know the exact specs.

Top reasons photos get rejected

  1. Background not pure white (greyish, cream, or coloured).
  2. Smiling or open mouth.
  3. Photo older than 6 months.
  4. Wearing glasses in the photo.
  5. Shadow on face or background.
  6. Face too small or too large in frame.
  7. Lighting issues (closed eyes from flash).

How Veeza helps

When you upload your photo to Veeza, our AI automatically checks it against Schengen specs. If anything is off (wrong background, wrong expression), we flag it on WhatsApp before submission.

Start your application: Sweden, France, Netherlands.