ID Photo vs. Passport Photo vs. Visa Photo: What's the Difference?
People search "ID photo," "passport photo," and "visa photo" somewhat interchangeably, but they're not always the same requirement — and submitting the wrong one is a real, common mistake. Here's how to tell which one you actually need.
Passport photo
The photo that goes into your national passport application. This is usually the strictest of the three, since it's tied to a document that lasts 5–10 years and is checked by border control worldwide. Sizes vary — most follow the 35×45mm ICAO standard, but the US and India use 51×51mm (2×2in), Finland uses 36×47mm, and Spain's passport genuinely uses the small 26×32mm DNI-card format.
Visa photo
The photo for an entry visa to a specific country — often, but not always, the same physical size as that country's own passport photo. The US visa (DS-160) uses the identical spec to the US passport (51×51mm print / 600–1200px digital), so if you already have a compliant US passport photo, it usually works for a US visa too. China's visa photo, on the other hand, has its own distinct spec (33×48mm) that doesn't match a generic passport photo.
ID photo / ID picture
The broadest and vaguest of the three terms — it can mean a national ID card photo (Spain's DNI, several EU countries' ID cards), a driving licence photo, or just a generic "photo for identification purposes." National ID card specs are often similar to passport specs in the same country, but not always identical — worth checking the specific document rather than assuming.
Driving licence photo
A specific case of "ID photo," usually issued by a national transport authority rather than the passport office. In the UK, DVLA's driving licence photo spec is identical to the passport photo spec, and the same photo (or a re-upload of it) is often accepted for both — see our UK driving licence guide for details.
The safe rule: check the specific document
Because these terms overlap in casual use but not always in actual government requirements, the safest approach is to check the exact spec for your specific document and country rather than reusing a photo across document types and assuming it'll work.
Not sure which one you need?
Search your country and document on MyApprovedPhoto — every listing states the exact size and rules for that specific document, not a generic assumption.
Find your document →