Denmark Schengen Visa Photo Requirements (Type C)

Photo size and shooting rules

This page covers the photograph for a Denmark short-stay Schengen visa (Type C) — the visa for short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Long-stay visas and residence permits follow a different process and are not covered here. Denmark is a member of both the EU and the Schengen area.

The print size is 35 × 45 mm (35 mm wide × 45 mm high), as specified by the nyidanmark.dk short-stay visa checklists. The English version of the Visa Code Handbook hosted on nyidanmark.dk adds the collection rule: consulates should only require and collect one photograph from the applicant, and the photograph must fulfil the photographic specifications in the Handbook's Annex 11 (the ICAO-based standard). The shooting rules — a plain light background, colour, a frontal pose with a neutral expression and the mouth closed, eyes open and visible, glasses only without lens reflection, no head covering except for religious or medical reasons — follow the Schengen/ICAO common guidelines, and the photo must be no more than 6 months old and match your current appearance. This service prepares a 35 × 45 mm print.

The number of prints and the exact submission steps are set by the office that accepts applications where you live. Danish missions handle visa applications for some other Nordic Schengen states in some locations, so confirm the main destination of your trip and the competent office on the official pages 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 as adults: a recent photo, a plain light background, the child alone in the frame, eyes open and visible, a neutral expression with the mouth closed, and both edges of the face clearly shown. Denmark does not publish an age-banded child face-size table for visa photos; the Schengen/ICAO common guidelines are the reference standard for children as well.

Because there is no Denmark-specific child face-size table, prepare the child's photo at the same outer size (35 × 45 mm) and to the same quality rules as for adults unless the accepting office's checklist says otherwise. Babies and very young children who cannot sit unaided may be supported, but no supporting hands, toys, or other objects may appear in the frame.

Fingerprint and live-photo capture rules for children are part of the application/biometrics process rather than the photograph specification. The office that accepts your application can confirm the current biometric procedure for children.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

These points combine the nyidanmark.dk checklist and Visa Code Handbook wording with general ICAO-style preparation checks.

Denmark-specific risks: a print that is not 35 × 45 mm; a patterned or dark background; shadows on the face or behind the head; tinted or reflective glasses; head covering other than religious or medical; a black-and-white print; a photo older than 6 months or no longer matching your current appearance; a low-resolution print. The common failure patterns and fixes follow the ICAO guidelines.

• 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.