If you want to travel to Russia, you will have to apply for a visa at the Russian embassy. The application form, in addition to all the other required documents, requires you to attach a photo that needs to follow strict guidelines to be accepted. To be safe, you’ll want to print multiple pictures in the right template.
Check if you have enough blank pages (at least one) on your passport and get ready!
In this article, we will illustrate all the requirements for a Russian visa photo and how to get the perfect Russian visa photo template for the lowest price possible.
Russian visa photo requirements
A photo for a Russian visa application needs to follow these specifications:
- 35 mm in width and 45 mm in height (1 3/8″ x 1 3/4″) in size.
- The head has to be centered, covering between 70% to 80% of the picture, perfectly visible from the chin to the top, including the edges.
- The photo ought to be sharply focused, clear, and without any marks or damage.
- The background of a Russian visa picture needs to be white or light-colored, uniform, and without any patterns or visible objects.
- Retouched or photocopied passport pictures are not accepted.
- The light must be balanced, avoiding underexposure or overexposure. For the best light, just use sunlight through a window; this will perfectly show your natural colors.
- You must look straight into the camera lens, without tilting your head or looking away. Maintain a neutral expression, with your eyes open and mouth closed.
- Make sure to remove the hair from the face; if hair obstructs the view, the visa photo will not be accepted.
- You are not allowed to wear glasses in a Russian visa photo, even if you wear them every day, so you need to take them off. If you can’t remove them for medical reasons, make sure that the lenses don’t create any glares, that the frame doesn’t cast shadows on your face, and avoid thick frames.
- You can just wear the clothes you wear every day. However, uniforms are not acceptable in the picture. It’s also a good idea to avoid white clothing, which might blend in with the background and get your Russian visa picture rejected.
- Hats and head coverings are acceptable exclusively for religious reasons. Even in this case, your facial features must be fully visible.
When you attach the visa photo to the application form, you can either glue it or use double adhesive tape. You are not allowed to staple it.
Russian visa photo – summing up
If you need to enter the Russian Federation, you need to apply for an appropriate visa.
If you need more than one visa photo, the best way is to print them is in a 10×15 cm layout: you’ll get more of them for a fraction of the price.
