The home of Pope John Paul II, Fredric Chopin and Marie Curie, Poland’s long and tumultuous history is closely linked with that of the rest of Europe. Poland has been conquered, partitioned, and subject to wars at many times in its long history. Whatever has happened, the Poles have maintained their unity and have never lost their fierce patriotic zeal. Even while under post World War II communist rule, long before other countries in the same situation tried to will their freedom, the Poles made a valiant although failed attempt when they rose up against the foreign rule in 1956.

The Polish people are famous for their friendliness, hospitality and their strong family values. Poland today is a modern country but for the tourist looking for something different, there are old villages where time seems to stand still and you are taken back hundreds of years, pastoral setting that rival those to be found anywhere else in Europe in their beauty and serenity and ancient castles and forts that take the visitor back to the more turbulent times in Poland past. Its location in the heart of Europe makes it a great place to either begin or end an exploration of the rest of the continent.

Requirements for Polish passport photographs are:

• Three identical photos must be submitted along with the application

• The photos must not be more than 6 months old

• The size should be 35mm X 45mm

• The photos should be in color and must have a light grey background

• The size of the facial image, as measured from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin must be between 31 to 36mm

• The eye line should be between 20 to 30mm from the bottom of the photo.

Visa photo requirements are somewhat different and are spelt out in more details:

• The photos should be submitted in 3 copies

• They must be in color

•  The photos must be printed of high quality paper and have a bright background

• The photos should not be more than 6 months old.

• The person should be looking straight at the camera and both sides of the face should be clearly visible.

• The head should occupy about 75% of the total picture surface

• The shoulders should be visible

• Facial coverings and hats or other headgear are not permitted in the photos

• Hair should not cover any part of the face and the eyes should be clearly visible

• The mouth must be shut and teeth not visible in the photosWhile there is no restriction on the wearing of glasses in the photos, it is preferable to remove them to ensure that reflections do not affect the visibility of the eyes.

Pakistan, until about half a century ago, was a part of India. When India became independent, the North West part of the country became an independent state. Much like India in many ways and sharing much of the same heritage, it is a place of great charm and has many places of natural beauty. Visitors should be aware that it is an Islamic state and Islamic laws and conventions, including those on women travelling alone or how women are required to dress, apply. The unrest in neighboring Afghanistan has affected the tourist inflow to the country but the volume of business visitors has remained unaffected.

Photos for Pakistan passports and visas must meet the same criteria. While the specifications for the photos are not a demanding as some other countries, you should ensure that what you submit meets the laid down photo requirements.

The photos should be recent and never more than six months old. Two copies of the photos need to be submitted along with either the passport or visa application. Be careful of the size since it is not that used by most countries – the photos need to be of a 2 inch X 2 inch size. The size of your face in the picture, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair, should be between 1 and 1 3/8 inches in size and you need to be looking directly at the camera. The photos should be in color and have a white or near white background. You should be wearing normal clothing, as appropriate for your country, when the picture is taken and hats, scarves or other head coverings are not allowed. If your religion  or a medical condition requires you to wear a head covering, you will be asked to submit a signed affidavit stating that it is worn for religious reasons or else provide a doctor’s certificate that the head gear is a medical requirement. There is no standard format laid down for this affidavit or medical certificate so the best thing to do, if you need to submit one, is to contact the embassy and ask them for the wording and other requirements.

An unusual requirement is that while the photos have to be printed on thin paper, the paper itself must be able to withstand temperatures of up to 225 degrees F. This because the passport photos are heat fused onto the document. This does not apply to visa photos, but since some embassies prefer to stick to a single standard, it is safer to ensure that even visa photos meet this requirement.

Pakistan exempts people from certain countries from requiring a visa. On the other hand, there are restrictions on entry into the country for certain categories of people, especially if they in the case of certain nationalities if they have been found to have travelled to India within a short time of their Pakistan visit. Your best option will be to contact your nearest Pakistan Embassy or Consulate and ask them about any restriction that may apply in your case.

Made up of over 17000 islands and stretching over 5000 miles along the equator, Indonesia is a place of great natural beauty and offers the tourist a wide variety of topographies and ecological regions, which explains why it is growing in popularity as a tourist destination. An ideal destination for the outdoor tourist, it offers miles upon miles of coral reefs that lie in clear waters, making diving and snorkeling a joy. There are thousands of miles of pristine beaches, both at the popular tourist resorts and the remote locations - ideal for the adventurous traveler. Rainforests, volcanoes and an abundance of unique wildlife, including the famed Komodo Dragon make up just some of the other attractions.

Indonesian passport photo requirements are fairly simple:

•   6 photos of 50cms square size are to be submitted along with the passport application. Please note that some Indonesian government departments and Embassies give slightly different photo sizes. To be safe, please contact the embassy or office you are submitting the passport application to and check on the size they require.

• The photos should be in color with a medium red background. This means that the red should not be so bright as to reflect light and affect the clarity of the picture and not so dark as to cause the details of the face to be lost in a dark background.

• You must be looking directly at the camera

• Your face should be in the center of the photos and occupy about 75% of the photo area

• The size should be 50cms square

• 2 copies are to be submitted with the visa application.

• The photos should be in color with a white background. Light shades and patterns will not be accepted.

• The size of your face in the photos is very important. Measuring from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, the image should be not less than 1 inch and not more that 1 and 3/8 of an inch
  

• The photos should not be more than six months old

• Your clothes should be normal daily wear. Uniforms are not acceptable in visa photos even for those whose work requires them to wear one.

• If you normally wear a wig or hair extensions or use a visible hearing aid or other such device these should be worn in the photo. However, spectacles should not be worn.
  

Just because the Indonesian visa photo requirements are not too complicated, do not submit any old photos. You may find them being rejected and have to apply all over again.

The Indonesian government permits citizens from selected countries to enter Indonesia without a visa or to obtain an automatic visa on arrival. There are two types of visa – tourist and business and both have different requirements in terms of the application procedure and supporting documents required.

India is more than just a country. In size it occupies an entire subcontinent. Its population numbers over one billion and is second only to China. It is home to hundreds of cultures, languages and every religion known. Climatically it contains just about every environment you could ask for, from snow capped peaks to lush valleys, from the desert to the rain forest and everything in between.

India is one of the world’s oldest civilizations with a history dating back to at least 4000 BC and probably beyond that. From the prehistoric Aryans who came from the steppes of Central Europe to the Mughals from Central Asia to the British who occupied the country till it became independent in the mid 20th century, it has assimilated all the cultural influences it has received and made these influences its own.

Tourism is a major industry in the country and no matter what the tourist is looking for, they will find it here. The people are warm and friendly and Indian tradition holds hospitality as being almost a holy trait. In the last decade the economy has been growing at a very high rate and today it is one of the worlds leading economies and most experts feel that the 21st century will see both China and India emerging as super powers.

Indian visa and passport photos specs are fairly straight forward but they must be strictly adhered to or the application will be rejected. The photos must be 3.5cms X 4.5cms and in color. The background must be white. While that is about all the official visa sources have to say, please do keep the following in mind because applications have been known to be rejected for not confirming to the these factors:

• If you are wearing glasses, please make sure that reflection from the lenses do on limit the visibility of your eyes

• If you have long hair, ensure that it does not obscure your face.

• It is preferable not to wear a hat or any kind of head covering in the photos.

• You should be looking directly at the camera and both sides of your face should be visible in the photos

• Your face should occupy about 75% of the total photo area.

There are both tourist and business visas available for visiting India. The tourist visas are fairly easy to obtain. All you need is a passport with at least six months validity left and a confirmed round trip ticket. Business visas too are easy to obtain but may require the submission of more details about the nature of the business the visit is for. India does not bar the entry of people form any country, although in the case of certain countries where there are diplomatic or security concerns, some special requirements may exist. Contacting the Indian Embassy to check on any special requirements (unlikely though it may be) and the visa fees is a good idea.

France is one of the world’s most frequented destinations. It is one of the most popular holiday locales and offers the tourist everything from the glories of Paris to the famous wines of the Burgundy and Champagne regions, to the beaches of Nice and St. Tropez and incredible scenery in the interiors of the country. From the Loire valley to the French Alps, there is something here for everyone. And of course, the delights of French food are known throughout the world. The country is also one of the world’s largest economies and has trading ties with every corner of the planet which translates into huge volumes of business adding to the already huge tourist inflow.

French requirements for both passport and visa photographs are spelt out in detail and any deviation from these specifications will result in the passport or visa application being rejected. The following conditions must be met for both passport and visa photos:

• The photos should be submitted in 2 copies

• The photos should be less than six month old

• The photos should be of a 3.5cms X 4.5cms size

• The size of the head in the picture, measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin should be approximately 3cms.      That is, the face should make about 80% of the total photo area.

• If possible, the ears should be exposed

• Photos should be in color showing natural skin tones.

• The background should be either white or a very light color. Anything else is not acceptable.

• Glasses or other eyewear of any kind that affects the appearance of the person is not allowed. To be on the safe side, it is best to remove your spectacles before having your photo taken even if you normally wear them.

• Face masks and veils, even if traditional and part of normal wear, are not permitted.

• The photos should not have any flash reflection on the skin

• There eyes should not appear red in color as often happens with flash photography.

• Hair should not obscure, even partly, a clear view of the person’s eyes. 

France exempts citizens of many countries from require a visa to enter the country for short durations.

Because of increasing security concerns France is very particular that citizens applying for a passport and visitors wanting a visa should comply with all the specifications and requirements of the photographs failing which the applications will be rejected without any reference to the applicant. So please be sure that the photos you submit along with your passport or visa application for France, do not deviate in any way for the conditions mentioned above.