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Korean visa photo requirements

Korean visa photo: size and rules

As of October 27, 2026, a Korea visa photo filed in the U.S. is 2 x 2 inches or 35 x 45 mm, in color, front view on a white or off-white background, taken within 6 months (per overseas.mofa.go.kr, checked on Oct 27, 2026).

The New York consulate accepts only photos printed on photo paper; prints on regular paper are refused.

Los Angeles sends back photos, delaying the application, when the same picture was already used for an older passport or alien registration card.

Updated Rules checked against overseas.mofa.go.krHow we check

Korean visa photo at a glance

Printed size
2 x 2 inoverseas.mofa.go.kr
Background
White or off-whiteoverseas.mofa.go.kr
Glasses
No sunglassesoverseas.mofa.go.kr
Taken within
The last 6 monthsoverseas.mofa.go.kr
Prints needed
One photooverseas.mofa.go.kr

Questions people ask

What size is a Korean visa photo?

It depends on the office. The Korean visa form itself has a 35 x 45 mm photo box, but most Korean posts in the U.S. ask for the American 2 x 2 inch size: the Embassy in Washington, New York, Boston, Chicago and Seattle all write 2 x 2. San Francisco and Houston take either size, and a 2015 notice from Los Angeles names 35 x 45 mm.

Bring one photo and check the page of the consulate that covers your state. None of these offices publishes an eye line, and the only face measure, from Los Angeles, is written as “25×35 mm” without saying how to read it.

Sources: overseas.mofa.go.kr (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

What background does a Korean visa photo need?

White or off-white, with the full face seen from the front and no hat, in color. That is what the visa form prints in its photo box, and Atlanta repeats it with a plain white background.

Los Angeles adds that the background must be plain, light and evenly lit, and the photo free of marks or creases.

Sources: overseas.mofa.go.kr (pages 1, 2, 3)

Can you wear glasses in a Korean visa photo?

Sunglasses are out everywhere. Los Angeles and the Chicago dependent-visa page ban only sunglasses and hats, while Chicago’s job-seeker visa page says no glasses at all, so taking regular glasses off avoids a second trip.

A religious hijab, veil or turban is fine in Los Angeles as long as the face is visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.

Sources: overseas.mofa.go.kr (pages 1, 2, 3)

How should a Korean visa photo be printed?

On real photo paper, in natural color. New York rejects prints on plain paper, Chicago will not take scans or copies, and Seattle asks applicants not to print the photo at home, so send the file to a photo lab or pharmacy counter.

The print goes on the application form: Boston asks for it to be glued, and the Embassy in Washington to be attached. Applicants who complete the e-Form online upload the file instead, and it is printed on the form, according to Atlanta.

Sources: overseas.mofa.go.kr (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Do Americans need a photo for Korea’s K-ETA?

Not for now. The temporary K-ETA exemption that covers the U.S. runs through December 31, 2026, and the Atlanta consulate says U.S. citizens can visit as tourists without a visa until that date.

Travelers who apply for K-ETA anyway upload a color JPG of up to 20 MB, front view, eyes open, with the face taking about 75% of the image and no hat, scarf or sunglasses.

Sources: overseas.mofa.go.kr (pages 1, 2) · k-eta.go.kr

Common reasons a photo is turned down

  1. Los Angeles sends back photos, delaying the application, when the same picture was already used for an older passport or alien registration card. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  2. A photo is also returned in Los Angeles when it is hard to tell it shows the applicant, for example after big changes in face or hair color, poor quality, or hidden ears. overseas.mofa.go.kr

Every rule, with its source

Size and head position

  • The photo box on Korea’s visa application form (Form No. 17) is labeled for a 35 x 45 mm passport-type picture. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • At the consular section of the Korean Embassy in Washington, applicants attach one 2 x 2 inch photo to the visa form. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • Korea’s San Francisco consulate lets tourist visa applicants bring either a 35 x 45 mm or a 2 x 2 inch photo. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • In Houston, the Korean consulate lists one photo in either of the two sizes for a C-3-9 tourist visa. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • A 2015 notice from the Korean consulate in Los Angeles sets a color-neutral 35 x 45 mm photo and writes the full face length as “25×35 mm”. overseas.mofa.go.kr

Background

  • Korea’s visa form asks for a color, full-face photo seen from the front, without a hat, against a white or off-white background. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • The Los Angeles consulate wants a plain, light background with even lighting and a print free of marks or creases. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • The Korean consulate in Atlanta describes the visa photo as a recent full-face, front-view shot on white, with no hat. overseas.mofa.go.kr

Glasses, head coverings and clothing

  • Sunglasses and hats are not allowed in Korean visa photos at the Los Angeles consulate unless there is a medical or disability reason. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • For a dependent (F-3) visa, the Chicago consulate wants a color, front-facing 2 x 2 inch photo with no hat or sunglasses, and refuses scanned or copied photos. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • On its job seeker (D-10-1) visa page, the same Chicago consulate rules out glasses of any kind, not only sunglasses. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • Religious head coverings such as a hijab, veil or turban are accepted by the Los Angeles consulate if the face stays uncovered from chin to forehead. overseas.mofa.go.kr

How recent

  • Korea’s Washington embassy requires the visa photo to have been taken in the last six months. overseas.mofa.go.kr

Digital file

  • Applicants who fill out the e-Form on the Korea Visa Portal upload a photo file instead of bringing a print, according to the Atlanta consulate. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • The K-ETA portal of Korea’s Ministry of Justice takes a color JPG photo of up to 20 MB, which does not have to be the passport picture. k-eta.go.kr
  • For K-ETA, the face is shown full and from the front, filling about three quarters of the image, with eyes open and no hat, scarf or sunglasses. k-eta.go.kr

Printed photo

  • The New York consulate accepts only photos printed on photo paper; prints on regular paper are refused. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • Seattle’s Korean consulate asks for a physical 2 x 2 inch print taken within six months and says not to print it at home. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • Boston’s Korean consulate wants the 2 x 2 inch photo in natural color on photo paper, glued onto the application form. overseas.mofa.go.kr

Where photos come from

  • The Korean consulate in Atlanta says U.S. citizens can take short tourist trips to Korea without a visa through December 31, 2026. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • Korea’s embassy in Washington confirms that the U.S. is among the countries whose temporary K-ETA exemption was extended through 2026. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • Visa applications at the consular section in Washington, D.C., are taken in person only. overseas.mofa.go.kr
  • Travelers whose nationality qualifies for K-ETA are told by the New York consulate to use it rather than apply for a C-3-9 tourist visa. overseas.mofa.go.kr

FAQ

Why is my photo missing from my Korean Visa Grant Notice?

The New York consulate says this sometimes happens and that it does not affect the visa as long as you bring your passport along with the notice. Source: official page "Visa Information — Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Can I reuse the photo from my old passport for a Korean visa?

Better not. Los Angeles returns photos that were already used for a previous passport or alien registration card issued more than six months earlier, and that delays the application. Source: official page "Photo Requirements for Korean Visa Application (2015) — Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Can I wear a hijab in a K-ETA photo?

Yes, for religious reasons, according to the K-ETA FAQ, as long as the face from the forehead to the chin is clearly visible. Source: official page "K-ETA FAQ (search "photo") › Q23 and Q54 — Korea Electronic Travel Authorization", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Who decides whether my Korean visa photo is acceptable?

The consulate handling your file, which can also ask for more documents after its review. No photo service, SelfieToPassport included, can promise that a consulate will accept a photo. Source: official page "C-3-9 Visa (Tourist Visa) — Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Houston", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Is SelfieToPassport the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (Korean Embassy and Consulates in the U.S.)?

No. SelfieToPassport is not affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (Korean Embassy and Consulates in the U.S.) or any other government agency. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (Korean Embassy and Consulates in the U.S.) publishes the photo rules for free at overseas.mofa.go.kr; this page links to each one.

Does SelfieToPassport replace the background of a Korean visa photo?

We crop and resize your original photo and never replace or repaint the background. If the wall does not pass the check, the tool asks for a new photo and tells you how to fix the light or the wall.

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Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page comes from a page published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (Korean Embassy and Consulates in the U.S.), read on the date shown. We rewrite each rule in plain words and link to the page it came from. Each rule has a review deadline; one that passes it without a new check comes off the page.

Something here out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official page.