Portugal Schengen Visa Photo Requirements (Type C)

Photo size and shooting rules

This page covers the photograph for a Portugal short-stay Schengen visa (Type C) — the visa for short stays. National visas (Type D) for longer stays, residence, work, or study follow a different document list on the Portugal MFA (vistos.mne.gov.pt) portal and are not covered here.

The Portugal MFA required-documentation page lists only 'Passport Photograph' and states no dimensions, background colour, age, or face ratio. Its biometric-identifiers page references the International Civil Aviation Organization regulations, which links that 'Passport Photograph' to the EU ICAO photograph guidelines PDF hosted by the European Commission as the Schengen visa photo standard. Under that PDF the format is 35–40 mm in width with the face taking up 70–80% of the photograph, no more than 6 months old, on a plain light-coloured background, colour neutral with natural skin tones, high-quality colour printed on photo-quality paper (black-and-white is not acceptable). No chin-to-crown millimetre figure is stated in either source, so frame by the 70–80% face ratio. This service prepares a 35×45 mm print within that range. The common shooting rules below are drawn from the same EU ICAO guidelines and Schengen/ICAO guidance.

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 Portugal MFA page for your country of residence before you book or print. Fingerprints and a live photo are captured separately at the appointment as biometric identifiers; children under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting but must still attend, and a compliant photo is part of the file.

• 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 colour photo, a plain light-coloured background, and the child alone in the frame. The basis here is the ICAO general rules (childPhotoBasis: icao-general): the Portugal MFA publishes no child-specific photo rules and no separate numeric face-size table for children, and its biometric-identifiers page references International Civil Aviation Organization regulations, so the EU ICAO photograph guidelines apply to children as well. Under those guidelines the child must appear alone in the frame with no chair backs, toys, or other people visible, looking at the camera with a neutral expression and mouth closed.

The Portugal MFA pages and the EU ICAO photograph guidelines do not publish a separate, age-based face-size table for children (unlike some other Schengen states, which publish a relaxed range for young children). Treat the 70–80% face ratio and the plain light-coloured-background rules as applying to children too, unless the office that accepts your application tells you otherwise. Minors need their own photograph under the same quality rules.

Fingerprint and live-photo capture rules for children (for example, that under-12s are exempt from fingerprints, and prints taken within the last 59 months may be reused) 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.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

These points combine the Portugal MFA wording with the EU ICAO photograph guidelines and general ICAO-style preparation checks.

Portugal-specific risks: a width outside 35–40 mm; the face under 70% or over 80% of the image; a dark or patterned background (the EU ICAO guidelines ask for plain light-coloured); shadows on the face or behind the head; flash reflections on the face; a black-and-white photo (colour is required); tinted or reflective glasses; a tilted head or portrait-style framing; a photo older than 6 months or that no longer matches your current appearance; a low-resolution print.

Because the Portugal MFA required-documentation page states only 'Passport Photograph' with no numbers, the safest reading is the EU ICAO photograph guidelines PDF, which the biometric-identifiers page reaches via its ICAO reference. When in doubt, frame by the 70–80% face ratio on a plain light-coloured background.

• 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.