Schengen Visa Biometric Photos for the following Countries are required: Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands

To cope with increased terrorist activities and international crime as well as
increasing volumes of international travel, countries around the world have introduced
biometric passports and other biometric ID documents. One of the key
features of biometric ID documents is the inclusion of the digital photo image
as mandatory biometric information. Because this biometric information will be
used to authenticate the identity of the passport bearer, the requirements of
the digital image are extremely strict, sometimes down to the pixel: an accuracy
beyond the judgement of the human eye.
Making it even more complex, different countries and different documents have
different requirements: photographers, drug stores and photo booths are not
equipped or trained to handle them all. As a result, people applying for new passports
or other ID documents are at risk that their application will be rejected. If it
is, they face the hassle and higher costs of getting a new photo and reapplying,
perhaps paying rush fees as well. If time is tight, it could even put their upcoming
trip in jeopardy.