CV Photo Size (35 × 45 mm) and Resume Photo Guide

TL;DR: The usual CV photo size is 35 × 45 mm, which is 413 × 531 pixels at 300 dpi. No official standard exists, so treat that as the safe default: head and shoulders, plain light background, portrait orientation, placed in the top corner of the CV. Only add a photo where it is expected. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain and much of Asia commonly use one; in the US, UK and Canada, leave it off.

What you’ll take away:

• The exact size: 35 × 45 mm for print, at least 413 × 531 px for a digital CV
• How to frame, light and dress for a photo that looks professional
• Which countries expect a CV photo and which ones don’t
• Where the photo goes on the page and how big it should appear
• The mistakes that make a recruiter skip past the picture

If you build your CV with ResuFit, every template lets you switch the photo on or off, so you can keep one version with a picture for Germany and one without for the US.

What size should a CV photo be?

There is no ISO or legal norm for CV photos. What recruiters see most often is the passport format, and it is a safe default:

Use	Common size	Pixels at 300 dpi
Printed or PDF CV (international default)	35 × 45 mm (1.4 × 1.8 in)	413 × 531 px
German Lebenslauf, slightly larger	4 × 5 cm to 4.5 × 6 cm	472 × 591 to 531 × 709 px
Cover sheet (Deckblatt) in Germany	up to about 6 × 9 cm	709 × 1063 px

The pixel figures are simple arithmetic (millimetres ÷ 25.4 × 300), so they tell you the minimum resolution that prints sharply at that size. A bigger original is fine. Save the file as JPG or PNG; the EU’s Europass CV editor, for example, accepts PNG or JPG under 20 MB.

Quick answer for a digital CV: crop to a 7:9 portrait ratio (the 35 × 45 mm shape), export at least 413 × 531 px, and let your template scale it.

How should a resume photo look?

The size gets the photo onto the page. These choices decide whether it helps:

1. Framing: head and top of the shoulders, in portrait orientation. Not a full-body shot and not a tight face crop.
2. Background: plain and light (white, light grey, soft blue). No rooms, trees or patterns.
3. Lighting: even light from the front, such as a window facing you. Avoid a single overhead lamp that casts shadows under the eyes.
4. Clothing: what you would wear to the interview for that job. Solid colours photograph better than busy prints.
5. Expression: look into the camera with a relaxed, natural smile.
6. Editing: brightness, contrast and a background clean-up are fine. Filters and face reshaping are not.

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Germany’s federal employment agency, gives the same advice in its CV guide: go to a photographer if you can, and don’t send a passport photo, a holiday picture, a full-body shot or a selfie.

A modern phone camera is good enough for a DIY shot if someone else holds it at eye level and you stand facing a window.

If a DIY shoot isn’t an option, Magic Hour AI offers a simple two-step workaround: use its AI image generator to create a photo of someone in a professional outfit that matches your industry, then use the face swap tool to replace the face with your own, giving you a polished, studio-quality CV photo in minutes.

Which countries expect a photo on a CV?

The size only matters where a photo belongs at all. A short overview (our country-by-country resume photo guide goes deeper):

Region	Photo on the CV?	Why
United States, Canada	Leave it off	The EEOC says employers should not ask applicants for a photograph
United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia	Usually leave it off	Recruiters expect skills-first CVs without personal images
Germany, Austria, Switzerland	Optional but common	The AGG (2006) means employers can’t demand one; many still expect it
France, Spain, Portugal, Italy	Common, optional	Customary, never a legal requirement
Brazil	Usually not needed	Add one only when the job ad asks for it
Much of Asia and the Middle East	Often expected	Many application formats include a photo field

Two rules cover most cases. If the job ad asks for a photo, add one. If you apply to a US or UK employer, don’t.

Where does the photo go on a CV?

• Position: the top right or top left corner, next to your name and contact details.
• Displayed size: roughly 3 to 5 cm tall on an A4 or Letter page. Large enough to recognize you, small enough that your experience stays the focus.
• Shape: rectangular or square, sometimes with rounded corners. Circles work in modern and creative templates.
• Colour: colour is standard. Black and white can suit a minimalist or art resume template.

Keep the photo in the same visual style as the rest of the document. The five resume formatting principles apply to it like to every other element.

What CV photo mistakes should you avoid?

1. Selfies: arm’s-length angles and uneven light read as casual.
2. Cropped party or holiday photos: a stray shoulder at the edge gives them away.
3. Old photos: the person at the interview should match the picture.
4. Heavy filters or retouching: they look artificial and undermine trust.
5. Wrong proportions: stretching a landscape photo into a portrait slot distorts the face.
6. A photo where it isn’t wanted: in US and UK applications it can distract from your qualifications.

Design-forward CVs can use a photo creatively, as some cool looking resumes show, but the picture itself should stay professional. For icons, QR codes and other graphics, see our guide to images on a resume.

Is a LinkedIn photo the same as a CV photo?

Often you can use the same portrait. LinkedIn displays profile photos as a circle, so leave space around your head when you crop. A CV photo stays rectangular at 35 × 45 mm. The difference is where it’s expected: a LinkedIn profile photo is normal in every market, while a CV photo depends on the country.

How ResuFit handles CV photos

ResuFit tailors your resume to a specific job posting. Every template has an Include Photo switch, so the same resume can go out with a photo to a German employer and without one to a US employer. ResuFit can also generate an AI headshot from a photo you upload; on the free plan you get one generation, shown with a watermark.

Generating and previewing a tailored resume is free; the full PDF download comes with Pro. Browse resume examples from your field to see how formal the photos in your industry tend to be, then build your tailored resume.