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India driving licence photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sarathi for the India driving licence, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the India driving licence photo?

For a learner's or driving licence applied for on the Sarathi portal, the photo is 35 x 45 mm (1.4 x 1.75 in), at least 420 x 525 pixels, saved as a JPG of 10 to 20 KB. It must be a recent colour picture, taken in the last 6 months, against a light background, preferably white. Caps, hats and dark glasses are not acceptable. Whether you upload it online depends on your state.

Indian driving licences are issued by the licensing authority of each state, usually the Regional Transport Office (RTO) for your area. Applications go through Sarathi, the licence service on the Parivahan portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, where you first select your state. You start with a learner's licence, valid throughout India for 6 months, and apply for the permanent driving licence before it runs out, after a driving test at the RTO.

The photo travels with the application. Form 2 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, the single form for a new learner's or driving licence, a renewal, a duplicate, an added vehicle class or a change of address or name, has a space for a passport-size photograph and allows an uploaded photo of no more than 50 KB. Sarathi's own scanning guide is narrower: 35 x 45 mm (width x height), 420 x 525 pixels preferred, between 10 and 20 KB. It warns that an online application is not registered until the photo and signature are uploaded as specified.

The details depend on the state. The Parivahan FAQ says the photo and signature upload is offered according to each state's customisation, and Sarathi's learner's licence FAQ says that where online transactions are not enabled you hand a paper Form 2 to the licensing authority. Either way, expect a visit to the RTO for physical document checks and biometrics.

India driving licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sarathi:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.4 x 1.75 in), width x height, passport size
Digital sizeAt least 420 x 525 pixels (420 x 525 preferred)
BackgroundLight-coloured, preferably white
ColourColour
Photo ageTaken within the last 6 months
File size10 to 20 KB on Sarathi; Form 2 allows up to 50 KB
File formatJPG
Print qualityCamera image or scan of at least 300 ppi (118 per cm), true colour
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: light-coloured.

Key requirements

  • Check what your state offers

    Sarathi offers the photo and signature upload where a state has enabled it. In those states the application is only registered once both files are in; where online services are not available, the photo goes on a paper Form 2 handed to the licensing authority.

  • 35 x 45 mm, 10 to 20 KB

    Sarathi wants the photo 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, at least 420 x 525 pixels, as a JPG file between 10 and 20 KB. If the file comes out too large, its guide suggests lowering the scan resolution or the number of colours.

  • Light background, relaxed face

    Use a light-coloured background, white if possible, and look straight at the camera with a relaxed face. The picture must be in colour and no more than 6 months old.

  • Clear eyes behind glasses

    Glasses may stay on if they show no reflections and your eyes can be seen clearly. Dark glasses are refused.

  • No caps or hats

    Caps and hats are not acceptable. Religious headwear is allowed as long as it does not cover the face.

  • An unclear face can be rejected

    Sarathi says an application may be rejected if the face in the photograph is unclear. A re-upload is possible by consulting the approving authority, but only before the scrutiny process is finished.

  • Signature file too

    The signature is uploaded with the photo: black pen on white paper, 256 x 64 pixels preferred, 10 to 20 KB. Applicants who cannot sign give a thumb impression, the right thumb for women and the left for men.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a camera image or scan of 300 ppi or more.
  • Save the photo as a JPG between 10 and 20 KB.
  • Stand against a light background, ideally white.
  • Look straight at the camera with a relaxed face.
  • Sign on white paper in black pen for the signature file.
  • Take your original documents and fee slip to the RTO.

Don't

  • Do not wear a cap, a hat or dark glasses.
  • Do not let your glasses reflect light over your eyes.
  • Do not use a photo older than 6 months.
  • Do not let religious headwear cover your face.
  • Do not upload a blurred or unclear face.
  • Do not go above 20 KB for the Sarathi upload.

Sample photos

How a India driving licence photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

You can wear ordinary glasses in a Sarathi licence photo. The photo specification asks only that the lenses show no reflections and that your eyes can be seen clearly, so check the picture for glare from a flash or a window before you upload it.

Dark glasses are a different matter: Sarathi lists them, together with caps and hats, as not acceptable.

Headwear and religious dress

Leave caps and hats off. Sarathi's specification refuses them, but it allows religious headwear on one condition: the covering must not hide your face.

A turban, scarf or other religious covering can therefore stay on, provided the face itself is fully in view. The other rules still apply: a colour picture, a light background and a straight look at the camera.

Babies and children

A minor applying for a learner's licence needs a parent or guardian to sign the declaration printed in Form 2 under section 7(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. In it the parent or guardian accepts responsibility for the minor's driving, consents to the learner's licence and promises to inform the licensing authority in writing, so that the licence can be cancelled, if they later stop accepting that responsibility.

Form 2 lists this declaration among the documents to enclose or upload for a minor. Sarathi's photo specification has no separate rules for younger applicants: the photo is the same 35 x 45 mm colour file of 10 to 20 KB.

Online, the photo is a file. Sarathi accepts a digital camera image of at least 300 ppi or a print scanned at about 300 dpi in true colour. Its guide says to crop the scan to the edge of the photo, then crop it to the final size in the portal's upload editor. The result should be at least 420 x 525 pixels and 10 to 20 KB. A digital photo can also be cropped and resized to 420 x 525 pixels before upload.

On paper, the photo is pasted in the space provided on Form 2. The form calls it a passport-size photograph without giving a size, so use the 35 x 45 mm that Sarathi specifies. Prints of that size can be made on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

Open the Sarathi portal, select your state and choose the service: New Learner's Licence; New Driving Licence, using your learner's licence number and date of birth; or the services menu for renewal, duplicate and other changes to an existing licence. Fill in the form, pay where online payment is offered, and upload the photo and signature through the Upload Document menu. Application Status shows anything still pending.

Then book a slot and go to the RTO on the scheduled date with your original documents and the fee slip. Some RTOs take fees only at the cash counter or have no online slot booking. Mistakes in a submitted application are corrected through the zonal office or transport department, not online.

How to get your India driving licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the India driving licence: 35 × 45 mm print, 420 × 525 px digital file, light-coloured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: check what your state offers; 35 x 45 mm, 10 to 20 KB; light background, relaxed face; clear eyes behind glasses.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Online, the photo is a file. Sarathi accepts a digital camera image of at least 300 ppi or a print scanned at about 300 dpi in true colour. Its guide says to crop the scan to the edge of the photo, then crop it to the final size in the portal's upload editor.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Open the Sarathi portal, select your state and choose the service: New Learner's Licence; New Driving Licence, using your learner's licence number and date of birth; or the services menu for renewal, duplicate and other changes to an existing licence.

Make this photo online

India driving licence photo FAQ

Sarathi asks for a 35 x 45 mm (1.4 x 1.75 in) colour photo. As a file it should be at least 420 x 525 pixels, with 420 x 525 preferred, saved as a JPG of 10 to 20 KB. The background should be light-coloured, preferably white, and the photo no more than 6 months old.

Usually because of the file size or format. Sarathi shows an error when a file is not as prescribed. The Parivahan FAQ says images must be JPEG, and Sarathi's guide wants the photo between 10 and 20 KB. Lower the scan resolution or the number of colours, or resize the image, and check the file name and size before trying again.

Both figures are official. Form 2 under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules allows an uploaded photo of up to 50 KB, while Sarathi's own scanning guide asks for 10 to 20 KB. A file between 10 and 20 KB satisfies both, so aim for that.

Yes, as long as there are no reflections on the lenses and your eyes are clearly visible. Dark glasses are not acceptable, and neither are caps or hats.

Where your state has enabled the upload on Sarathi, yes: the application is only registered once the photo and signature are uploaded as specified. If the photo still shows as pending, open Application Status, enter your application number and upload it there. In states without online services, the photo goes with the paper Form 2.

Sarathi allows a new upload if the photo or signature is unclear, but only by consulting the approving authority and only before the scrutiny process is complete. For other changes to a submitted application, the Parivahan FAQ sends you to your zonal office or transport department with your original documents.

A signature in black pen on white paper, signed by the applicant alone, scanned to 256 x 64 pixels if possible and saved as a JPG of 10 to 20 KB. Applicants who cannot sign give a thumb impression: the right thumb for women and the left thumb for men.

Related photo specifications

Other India documents

Driving licences nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sarathi. Photo and Signature Scan & Upload Process sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Parivahan. Form 2: application for learner's licence or driving licence parivahan.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Parivahan. Frequently Asked Questions parivahan.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sarathi. FAQ (Learner Licence) sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Parivahan. How can I upload photo and signature? parivahan.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sarathi. choose your state sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sarathi before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"India driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/india/driving-licence-photo

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