2×2 inch vs 35×45mm passport photos — what's different
Last updated 2026-08-13
The two dominant sizes worldwide aren't the same shape, let alone the same size — and a photo cropped for one will never pass for the other.
The two sizes that cover most of the world
35 × 45mm is the more common of the two globally — the UK, the EU, and most of Asia use it. 2 × 2 inches (a square, unlike 35×45mm's portrait shape) is used by the US and a handful of other countries, mostly in the Americas.
They're not interchangeable
2 × 2 inches is 50.8 × 50.8mm — square, and considerably larger in every dimension than 35 × 45mm's portrait rectangle. A photo correctly cropped and sized for one will be the wrong aspect ratio and the wrong size for the other; there's no way to convert between them by just resizing.
Which one do you need
Check the specific country and document you're applying for, not the size a friend or forum post mentioned for a different country's application.