Russian Visa Photo Requirements

Official photo specifications:

• •Size: 3.5 × 4.5 cm (35 × 45 mm)
• •Background: White or light gray (plain, no patterns)
• •Recency: Taken within the last 6 months
• •Face coverage: Face must occupy 70–80% of the frame
• •Expression: Neutral, mouth closed
• •Eyes: Open, looking directly at camera
• •Head position: Straight, not tilted
• •Glasses: Allowed if worn daily (no tinted lenses, no glare)
• •Head coverings: Only for religious reasons
• •Quality: High resolution, no pixelation, proper exposure
• •Quantity: Usually 2 identical photos required

Common rejection reasons:

• •Wrong size (must be exactly 3.5×4.5, not US passport size 2×2 inches)
• •Colored or patterned background
• •Shadows on face or background
• •Photo too old (visibly different from current appearance)
• •Wearing sunglasses or tinted glasses
• •Overexposed or underexposed
• •Red-eye
• •Photo is a photocopy or printout of a digital photo (low quality)

Where to get compliant photos:

• •Professional passport photo services
• •Photo booths with Russian visa option
• •DIY with proper lighting and white background (print at photo lab)

Digital photo for online form:

• •The visa.kdmid.ru form requires a digital upload
• •Format: JPEG
• •Size: 300–500 KB
• •Dimensions: At least 300×400 pixels
• •Same requirements as printed photo