Bulgaria Visa Photo Maker

Bulgaria Visa Photo Requirements (Size, Background & Digital Specs)

The short answer: a 35 × 45 mm colour photo, plain white / light background, head 32–36 mm tall, taken in the last 6 months. Save it as JPEG for the e-Visa portal and print it on photo paper for a consulate or VAC appointment.

Visa Authority & Consular Overview

Bulgarian visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria through its diplomatic missions abroad, its e-Visa portal, and, in many countries, outsourced visa application centers (VACs). Now that Bulgaria is a full Schengen member, short-stay (Type C) visas are issued under the common EU Visa Code and are valid across the whole Schengen Area, while longer stays are covered by national Type D visas.

Whichever mission handles your file, the photo standard is the same Schengen 35 × 45 mm format described above. If you are combining Bulgaria with other Schengen destinations, the same photo works — see our Schengen visa photo guide for the shared rules that apply across the zone.

Bulgaria Visa Application Process (e-Visa, Consulate & VAC)

The route you take decides whether your photo is submitted digitally, in print, or both:

1. e-Visa portal

For eligible travellers, the online e-Visa system accepts the application and a digital JPEG photo. Here the pixel dimensions and maximum file size matter most.

2. Consulate / embassy

Where in-person lodging is required, you book an appointment and bring printed photos on photo paper along with your form and supporting documents.

3. Visa application center (VAC)

Many missions route applications through a VAC that collects your documents, printed photo and biometrics. A print-ready sheet is essential for this step.

Because Bulgaria borders Romania (also a full Schengen member since 2025) and is a short hop from Greece, many travellers plan multi-country trips — the same 35 × 45 mm photo is valid for each of those Schengen visas.

Bulgaria-Specific Visa Photo Rules

Beyond the raw dimensions, Bulgarian consular practice pays close attention to a few details that trip up applicants:

• Uniform light background — plain white or very light grey, evenly lit, with no shadow line behind the head or shoulders.
• Full face visible — hair pushed back from the eyes, chin to crown clearly shown, no tilting or turning.
• Natural colour and contrast — true-to-life skin tones, no heavy filters, beautification or red-eye.
• Recent likeness — the photo must look like you do today, since it is checked against your live appearance at the biometric step.
• Sharp focus — high resolution with no pixelation, printed on quality photo paper for in-person lodging.

Child & Infant Bulgaria Visa Photo Requirements

Children and babies need their own compliant 35 × 45 mm photo — a parent may not appear in the frame. The same background and head-size rules apply, with a little flexibility for very young infants:

• Lay a baby on a plain white sheet and photograph from directly above to get an even background.
• Eyes should be open where possible; a neutral expression is expected but strict neutrality is relaxed for infants.
• No dummies, toys, hands or supporting arms visible in the shot.
• Even lighting with no shadows across the face or backdrop.

Upload the child's photo the same way — the tool crops and sizes the smaller face to the correct head height automatically.

Repeat & Extension Visa Photo Rules

Unlike a passport, a visa is not "renewed" — each new application (or extension request) is treated fresh, so you generally need a new photo every time. Reusing an old image is a common cause of rejection because it may fall outside the 6-month recency window or no longer match your appearance. Take a new photo for every Bulgaria visa application, even if you applied recently.

Digital Visa Photo Upload Rules (e-Visa Portal)

For online submission, the file itself has to obey the portal, not just the visual composition:

• Format: JPEG (.jpg) is expected by most e-Visa portals.
• Pixels: at least 413 × 531 px at 300 DPI, keeping the 35:45 ratio; larger is fine if the ratio holds.
• File size: keep it under the portal's maximum (often around 1 MB) — an oversized file is a silent upload failure.
• Colour: full-colour, sRGB, no greyscale or CMYK exports.

If you need to double-check pixel maths for the 35 × 45 mm format, our photo size in pixels reference breaks down the exact figures at common DPI settings.

Consulate & Visa Application Center Submission Rules

When you lodge in person, bring your printed photos to the appointment:

• Usually one or two identical 35 × 45 mm prints on quality photo paper.
• Uncut or neatly cut, unmarked, unstapled and unbent — staff may attach it to your form.
• Matching the digital copy if you also completed part of the process online.
• Recent enough that it still matches your live face and biometrics captured at the VAC.

Biometric & Facial-Recognition Standards

Schengen visa photos follow ICAO biometric conventions so that automated systems can read your face reliably. That means the head must be centred and upright, both eyes open and clearly visible, the expression neutral with the mouth closed, and lighting even so there are no shadows or hotspots across the face. Because your photo is compared with the live capture taken at the appointment, an outdated or heavily edited image can fail facial matching even if every measurement is correct.

Can I Take My Bulgaria Visa Photo at Home?

Yes — a home photo is perfectly acceptable as long as it meets the spec. Here is how to get it right:

• Phone camera: use the rear camera of a reasonably modern phone for the sharpest result.
• Lighting: face a window or soft light source so the light is even and shadow-free on both your face and the wall.
• Background: stand about 40–50 cm in front of a plain white wall so no shadow falls behind you.
• Distance & framing: have someone shoot from roughly one metre at eye level, head and top of shoulders in view.
• Printing: for a consulate/VAC copy, print at 35 × 45 mm, 300 DPI, on photo paper.
• Digital file: for the portal, keep the correct pixels and stay under the maximum file size.

Common self-shooting mistakes: tilting the head, smiling, standing too close (which distorts the face), uneven lighting, and casting a shadow on the wall. Upload your shot and the tool corrects framing, sizing and background automatically.

Bulgaria Visa Photo vs US Visa Photo

Travellers often assume all visa photos are the same. They are not — the Bulgaria (Schengen) format and the US format differ in almost every dimension:

Bulgaria visa photo vs Bulgaria passport photo

They share the same 35 × 45 mm Schengen/ICAO size, so the templates look identical — but you should not simply reuse the photo already in your passport. Consulates want a recent image (within 6 months) that is not a duplicate of your passport picture. If you only need the raw dimensions for a print shop, our 35 × 45 mm photo size guide covers the shared measurements, while this page stays focused on the visa-specific rules.

How to Create Your Bulgaria Visa Photo (Step by Step)

Our Bulgaria visa photo maker turns a plain selfie into a compliant 35 × 45 mm photo in five steps:

1. Upload

   Drag in or select a JPEG, PNG or WebP photo taken against any background — a phone selfie is fine.

2. Auto-crop & biometric framing

   The tool detects your face and crops to 35 × 45 mm with your head at 70–80% of the frame.

3. Set the background

   One-click removal replaces your backdrop with the plain white / light tone Bulgarian consulates require.

4. Verify against the Bulgaria visa spec

   Check the size, head height, pixel dimensions and file size against the 35 × 45 mm Schengen standard.

5. Download

   Export the upload-ready JPEG for the e-Visa portal and a print-ready sheet for your consulate or VAC appointment.

Common Bulgaria Visa Photo Rejection Reasons

Most refusals come down to a short list of avoidable errors:

• Wrong dimensions or a square crop instead of 35 × 45 mm
• Background that isn't plain white/light, or has shadows
• Head too large in the frame
• Head too small in the frame
• Shadows across the face or behind the head
• Glasses glare, or glasses where not permitted
• Photo older than the 6-month recency window
• Poor or uneven lighting
• Beautification filters or digital retouching
• File larger than the portal's maximum size
• Pixel dimensions below the portal's minimum
• Low resolution that fails biometric capture at the VAC
• Appearance no longer matches at the interview