India photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 16 documents issued in India, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Indian passports use a 35 x 45 mm shape: abroad you upload a 630 x 810 pixel JPG on white, while in India the photo is taken at the Passport Seva Kendra. Visa uploads are square JPEGs. OCI photos are squares of at least 51 x 51 mm on a light, non-white background. PAN Forms 93 and 95 take 4.5 x 3.5 cm prints, e-FRRO takes 3.5 x 3.5 or 3.5 x 4.5 cm uploads, and PCC sizes vary by mission.
Overview
An Indian passport photo is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) on a plain white background, and applications made through Indian missions abroad upload it as a 630 x 810 pixel colour JPG of up to 250 KB, with the face filling 80 to 85% of the frame.
Photo rules in India depend on the authority. The Ministry of External Affairs runs Passport Seva for passports and police clearance certificates, and its embassies and consulates also issue regular visas and register births abroad. The Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Bureau of Immigration, runs the e-Visa portal, the OCI card portal and e-FRRO for foreigners staying in India. Driving licences come from state licensing authorities on the Sarathi portal, and PAN cards from the Income Tax Department.
How the photo is submitted differs as much as its size. Passport and PCC photos for applications made in India are captured at the Passport Seva Kendra. Applications from abroad, e-Visas, OCI cards, e-FRRO and Sarathi use uploaded files, each with its own pixel or file-size limit, while the PAN forms, the Voter ID form and many mission checklists still want prints pasted on paper. PIO cards are no longer valid after 31 December 2025, so former holders apply for an OCI card. India has no single national ID card: the Voter ID (EPIC) takes a 4.5 x 3.5 cm print on white, and the Aadhaar photo is taken at the enrolment centre.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | 35 × 45 mm | 630 × 810 px | Plain white, without shadows |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| e-Visa | — | — | Plain light-coloured or white |
| Visa | 2 × 2 in | — | Plain light-coloured or white, no shadows |
Identity cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID card | 35 × 45 mm | — | White |
| Voter ID card (EPIC) | — | — | White |
Driving licences
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving licence | 35 × 45 mm | 420 × 525 px | Light-coloured, preferably white |
Residence and work permits
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRRO | 35 × 35 mm | — | Plain light-coloured or white, with no shadows |
| OCI card | 51 × 51 mm | 900 × 900 px | Plain light colour, not white |
| PIO card | 51 × 51 mm | 900 × 900 px | Plain light colour, not white |
Exam and application photos
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| JEE (main) application photo | — | — | White |
| NEET (UG) application photo | 4 × 6 in | — | White |
| SSC examination application photo | — | — | — |
| UPSC examination application photo | — | — | Plain white, with no shadows |
Other documents
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aadhaar card | — | — | — |
| PAN card | 35 × 45 mm | — | White |
| PCC / birth certificate | 2 × 2 in | 630 × 810 px | White |
Frequently asked questions
No. The passport upload from abroad is a rectangular 630 x 810 pixel JPG of up to 250 KB, with 35 x 45 mm prints. Visa uploads are square JPEGs, up to 1 MB for an e-Visa and 300 KB for a regular visa, and VFS Global in the US asks for 2 x 2 inch visa prints.
Usually not. Passport Seva captures your photograph at the Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra. Parents of a child under 4 bring one recent 4.5 x 3.5 cm print with a white background.
Since 1 April 2026 individuals apply on Form 93 (Indian citizens) or Form 95 (other individuals), which replaced Forms 49A and 49AA. Both take two recent colour photographs of 4.5 x 3.5 cm with a white background, pasted without staples or clips, with the signature across the left-hand photo only. Instant e-PAN through Aadhaar needs no photo.
Licences are issued by state licensing authorities through the Sarathi portal. The central application form, Form 2, has a box for a passport-size photograph and allows an uploaded photo of up to 50 KB for online applications. Sarathi's own scanning guide is stricter: 35 x 45 mm, at least 420 x 525 pixels, a JPG of 10 to 20 KB on a light, preferably white, background. The Parivahan FAQ says the upload service depends on each state's set-up.
It depends on the card, because India has no single national ID card. Form 6 for a Voter ID (EPIC) asks for one recent, unsigned colour photo of 4.5 x 3.5 cm on a white background. For Aadhaar you bring no photo: UIDAI captures it with your other biometrics at the enrolment centre.
The e-FRRO portal of the Bureau of Immigration takes a JPG of up to 1 MB in passport size, 3.5 x 3.5 cm or 3.5 x 4.5 cm, showing the full face on a plain light or white background without a border. It refuses photos edited with Photoshop or any other software or mobile app.
No. The Embassy of India in Washington says PIO cards are not valid after 31 December 2025 and that conversion of PIO cards to OCI cards has been discontinued after that date. Former PIO cardholders apply for a new OCI card, which uses a square photo of at least 51 x 51 mm.
For applications made abroad, yes, within the MEA rules. Have the photo taken from 1.5 metres against a plain white wall in even light, with glasses off and mouth closed, then crop it to 630 x 810 pixels and save it as a JPG of up to 250 KB. The MEA says photos must be unaltered by software, so do not swap the background or retouch the face. In India the Passport Seva Kendra takes the photo, and the print for a child under 4 must be on photo paper, not a computer printout.
Not the passport, which uses the 35 x 45 mm shape. The OCI card takes a square of at least 51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 in) on a light background that is not white, and VFS Global in the US asks for 2 x 2 inch prints with regular visa, police clearance and birth registration applications. Visa uploads are square files with no fixed pixel size.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Southern Asia:
Official sources
- Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Seva. Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications mportal.passportindia.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Seva. Global Passport Seva portal (GPSP 2.0), photo upload guidance mportal.passportindia.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Seva. FAQs: Services Available (photographs for minors, change of appearance) passportindia.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Seva. Getting Started passportindia.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. e-Visa: eligibility, documents and photo requirements indianvisaonline.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. Instructions (regular visa application) indianvisaonline.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Immigration. Frequently Asked Questions (OCI) ociservices.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- VFS Global, Indian consular application centres in the USA. PCC checklist (August 2026) vfsglobal.com. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Parivahan. Form 2: application for learner's licence or driving licence parivahan.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Parivahan. Frequently Asked Questions parivahan.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. e-FRRO portal indianfrro.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sarathi. Photo and Signature Scan & Upload Process sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Form No. 93: application for allotment of PAN (individual, citizen of India) tinpan.proteantech.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Election Commission of India (form published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar). Form 6: application form for new voters ceoelection.bihar.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Unique Identification Authority of India. Enrolment and Update (FAQs and capture guidelines) uidai.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of India, Washington DC. Conversion of PIO card to OCI card indianembassyusa.gov.in. Checked 3 November 2026.
Cite this page
"India photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/india