Make your photo now
Need a Russian Visa Photo? Upload any sharp, front-facing portrait and this free maker crops it to the exact 35 x 45 mm standard with the official head-height guides, checks it against the published rules, and gives you both a digital photo and a print-ready 4 x 6 in sheet — entirely in your browser, with no ads and no watermark.
Make my Russian Visa Photo now →
Not sure whether your photo will pass? See Why ID photos get rejected.
Russian Visa Photo requirements
| Photo size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Pixels (print) | 413 x 531 px at 300 DPI · 827 x 1063 px at 600 DPI |
| Head height | 32–36 mm from chin to crown — typical ICAO guidance (not separately published for this document). |
| Background | Plain white or off-white. |
| Glasses | Allowed if there is no glare, no tint, and the frames do not cover the eyes. |
| Editing | Keep edits minimal; most authorities reject retouched photos even where no explicit rule is published. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open, facing the camera straight on. |
| Official source | Official photo requirements ↗ |
Russia specifics
Do you bring your own photo for a Russian visa?
It depends on the visa. The unified electronic visa (единая электронная виза) from the Russian MFA portal electronic-visa.kdmid.ru is handled entirely online: you upload a JPEG photo of your face and a scan of your passport data page, and nothing is printed. The portal wants a photo no more than six months old, full face on a plain light-coloured background, with the face taking up 70 to 80 percent of the frame and a rectangular 35 by 45 aspect ratio. The tool produces that JPEG and the plain light background.
For a consular visa on paper (виза), you complete the form at visa.kdmid.ru, print it, and glue one photograph (фотография) of 3.5 x 4.5 cm, taken within the last six months, into the box on the form. The Warsaw consular section asks for a camera print on photographic paper, white or off-white background, full face, non-smiling, no sunglasses or hat unless worn for religious reasons. So for a paper visa you bring your own print, and the tool's 4 x 6 inch sheet gives you a 35 x 45 mm photo to cut out.
Where to print a Russian visa photo
You apply from your own country, so any photo shop, pharmacy or kiosk that prints the tool's 4 x 6 inch sheet on photo paper will do; consulates refuse photocopies, so ask for a true photographic print. Some VFS Global Russia visa centres sell photos on site:
- The VFS Global centre in the United Kingdom listed six passport size photos for GBP 10.00 at its Edinburgh premium lounge, and a photo service at extra charge with mobile biometrics. Those figures are from an archived December 2019 copy of its page; the live page would not load, so treat the price as historical.
- The VFS Global centre for the United States lists no photo service; you bring one photo stuck to the form.
Why the Russian MFA rejects photos
- E-visa: a photo older than six months, other people or objects in the frame, or a border around the image.
- E-visa: head tilted or turned, mouth open, eyes not clearly visible, hair across the eyes, or a face that is not 70 to 80 percent of the picture.
- E-visa: shadows, flash reflection on the face or lenses, tinted lenses, frames covering the eyes, red eyes, unnatural colours or blur.
- E-visa: a background that is not plain and light, or a file that is not JPEG or not in 35 by 45 proportions; the form refuses it.
- Consular visa: a photocopied or group photo, sunglasses or a hat, a photo stapled rather than glued, or one that misses 35 x 45 mm; the Warsaw consular section treats the application as incomplete.
Official source, verified 3 September 2026
The e-visa photo rules are on the Consular Department e-visa application page; pixel and file size limits appear only inside the form after login, so treat exact pixel or kilobyte figures seen elsewhere as unofficial. Paper visa rules come from the visa.kdmid.ru form instructions and the Warsaw photo specification. The New York consulate page linked from this tool now sits behind a browser check; its archived text allows a face covering about 50 percent of the photo, looser than the portal's 70 to 80 percent. Since 23 August 2025 the unified e-visa is valid for 120 days with a stay of up to 30 days, per the Warsaw and Dublin consular sections.
Checked against the official source on 2026-09-03.
Sources
- evisa.kdmid.ru/
- visa.kdmid.ru/
- warsaw.kdmid.ru/en/info/photo-specification/
- vfsglobal.com/russia/usa/Tourist.html
- electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/faq.html
- web.archive.org/web/20191210003911/https://ru.vfsglobal.co.uk/additional_services.html
- web.archive.org/web/20220120023731/https://newyork.mid.ru/web/newyork_en/russian-visa-phot
- electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/faq_en.html
- newyork.mid.ru/web/newyork_en/russian-visa-photo-specifications
- warsaw.kdmid.ru/en/info/news/1049/
How to make it in 3 steps
- Take or choose a photo. Stand in front of a plain light wall in even light with no shadows, camera at eye level about 2 m away, head and shoulders in frame with space around your head.
- Crop with the head guides. The maker opens preset to the 35 x 45 mm standard with the official 32–36 mm head range marked. Drag and zoom until the crown of your head and your chin sit on the guides, then run the built-in photo check.
- Download. Save the single photo (for online uploads) or the 4 x 6 in print sheet, and print it at any photo shop, pharmacy photo kiosk or at home for the price of a regular photo print.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a Russian Visa Photo?
35 x 45 mm — 413 x 531 px at 300 DPI. The head must measure 32–36 mm from chin to the top of the head.
What background color does a Russian Visa Photo need?
Plain white or off-white.
Can I take a Russian Visa Photo at home with my phone?
Yes. Stand in front of a plain light wall in even daylight, have someone take a sharp, front-facing photo from about 2 m away, then crop it to the exact 35 x 45 mm standard with the free maker — the head guides show you the official head-height range.
Is this Russian Visa Photo maker really free and private?
Yes — completely free, with no ads, no watermark and no signup. Unlike photo-booth apps and paid services, your photo is processed entirely in your browser and is never uploaded to any server.
Where can I print my Russian Visa Photo?
Download the 4 x 6 in (10 x 15 cm) sheet and print it as an ordinary borderless 4 x 6 in (10 x 15 cm) photo at actual size (100%, no scaling) at a photo shop, a pharmacy photo kiosk, an online print service or on a home printer, then cut along the guide lines. You pay only for an ordinary photo print, not a photo-booth service fee. Local examples: VFS Global. More detail: Printing passport photos in Russia.