Korea visa photo size — 35×45 mm MOFA / K-ETA dimensions

Exact dimensions and pixel size

Korea uses the 35×45 mm portrait dimension shared with most of Asia (Japan, Vietnam, Thailand) and Europe. At 600 DPI this is approximately 827×1063 pixels. The K-ETA portal specifically caps file size at 100 KB — one of the strictest file-weight limits globally — so the JPEG must be aggressively compressed while preserving recognisability.

The same 35×45 mm spec applies to all Korean visa categories at consulates abroad: C-3 tourist, C-4 business, D-2 university student, D-4 language student, E-series work permits, F-series family reunification, and the H-1 working holiday. One photo covers any application across the MOFA system.

Head height and framing

Head height chin to crown must be 32-36 mm — 70-80% of the photo height. Eyes face the camera on a horizontal line, no tilt. The face is centered horizontally with shoulders visible at the bottom.

Korean consulates run a manual photo check at the visa interview. The K-ETA portal runs an automated check at upload that validates aspect ratio and face detection but is more lenient than European systems on millimetre-level head positioning.

Background and colour

Plain white background is mandatory. MOFA explicitly rejects coloured, grey, or patterned backgrounds — Korea is one of the strictest jurisdictions on the white-background requirement, alongside India and Saudi Arabia. Uniform lighting matters; visible shadows behind the head are the most common K-ETA upload rejection cause.

Photo must be in colour with natural skin tone. Heavy beauty filtering or AI smoothing is flagged by the K-ETA portal's increasingly sophisticated screening. Korean visa officers compare against your existing visa records (where present) and against the passport biographic page.

Recency, glasses and expression

Photo must be taken within the last 6 months. The K-ETA system links to MOFA's visa records, so significant divergence from a recent prior visa photo can trigger manual review.

Glasses are not permitted under MOFA's ICAO 9303 alignment. Religious head coverings are accepted only when the face is fully visible. Expression must be neutral with mouth closed; eyes open and looking at the lens.

K-ETA portal upload requirements

The K-ETA portal at k-eta.go.kr accepts JPEG only, file size between 10 KB and 100 KB, minimum 700×700 pixels for the digital photo. The 100 KB cap is unusually tight — complypic uses targeted JPEG compression to fit within the cap while preserving image sharpness.

Korean consulates abroad (Washington DC, London, Sydney, Manila) follow the same 35×45 mm white-background spec for sticker visas where K-ETA isn't applicable (long-stay D and E categories). The Alien Registration Card (ARC) issued after arrival also uses the same photo spec, so one generated photo covers entry plus residence.

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