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India ID card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Election Commission of India (form published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar) for the India ID card, 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 ID card photo?

India has no single ID card photo. For a Voter ID card (EPIC), the Election Commission's Form 6 asks for one recent, unsigned, passport-size colour photo of 4.5 x 3.5 cm (35 mm wide, 45 mm high) with a white background, eyes open and both edges of the face visible. For Aadhaar you bring no photo: UIDAI captures it at the enrolment centre, and it can only be updated there.

India does not issue one national identity card. The documents people carry as photo ID come from different authorities: the Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC, or Voter ID) from the Election Commission of India, Aadhaar from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and the PAN card, driving licence and passport from their own departments, each covered on its own page. This page covers the two most often meant by an Indian ID card: the Voter ID, for which you supply the photo, and Aadhaar, for which you do not.

For a Voter ID, you apply to the Electoral Registration Officer of the constituency where you ordinarily live, using Form 6, the application form for new voters. A colour photo is pasted on the form, and after enrolment the EPIC is delivered free of cost by speed post to the address you give. The same photo rules apply when a registered voter asks for a new photo on Form 8.

Aadhaar works differently. The facial photograph is one of the biometrics UIDAI records at enrolment, with ten fingerprints and two iris scans, so you must enrol in person and no print is needed. Photo, fingerprint and iris updates are not available online or in the Aadhaar app; they are made only at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or an enrolment and update centre.

India ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Election Commission of India (form published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar):[1]

Print sizeVoter ID: 35 x 45 mm, the 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm passport size on Form 6
Digital sizeVoter ID: printed photo, no pixel size published. Aadhaar: no photo supplied, taken at the centre
BackgroundWhite (Voter ID, Form 6)
ColourColour
Photo ageRecent (Voter ID, Form 6)
Print qualityVoter ID: good quality, unsigned print pasted in the space on Form 6
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: white.

Key requirements

  • Voter ID: 4.5 x 3.5 cm colour print

    Form 6 has a space for one recent, passport-size colour photograph of 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm showing a frontal view of the full face. That is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high.

  • Voter ID: white background, no signature

    The ECI's guidelines for Form 6 ask for a good-quality photo with a white background and say it must be unsigned. Paste it in the space provided on the form.

  • Voter ID: eyes open, face edges visible

    The Form 6 guidelines say the eyes must be open and both edges of the face must be clearly visible. The photo box itself asks for a frontal view of the full face.

  • Voter ID: Form 8 for a new photo

    A voter who wants the photo on the electoral roll changed uses Form 8 and pastes a photo of the same kind: 4.5 x 3.5 cm, colour, unsigned, white background. The photo box on Form 8 is filled only if the photo is to be changed.

  • Aadhaar: photo taken at the centre

    UIDAI has no online enrolment: you visit an enrolment centre because your biometrics, including the facial photograph, are captured there. To change the picture later, ask for a biometric update at an Aadhaar centre; UIDAI sets no limit on how often.

  • Aadhaar: glasses off, face uncovered

    UIDAI's capture guidelines tell operators to have glasses taken off and not to allow accessories that cover any part of the face. The head may stay covered as long as the full outline of the face is visible.

  • Aadhaar: new photo at 5 and 15

    Children's biometrics, photo included, must be updated when they reach 5 and again at 15. The update is free once between 5 and 7 years, and once between 15 and 17 years.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Voter ID: paste a recent 4.5 x 3.5 cm colour photo on Form 6.
  • Voter ID: use a white background.
  • Voter ID: keep your eyes open and both sides of your face in view.
  • Aadhaar: go in person to an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre.
  • Aadhaar: book a biometric update to change your photo.
  • Aadhaar: take your child for the updates at 5 and 15.

Don't

  • Voter ID: do not sign the photo.
  • Voter ID: do not use a black and white print.
  • Aadhaar: do not wear glasses for the photo.
  • Aadhaar: do not cover any part of your face.
  • Aadhaar: do not expect to update the photo online or in the app.

Sample photos

How a India ID card 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

For Aadhaar, glasses come off. UIDAI's facial image guidelines tell the operator to have them removed before the photograph is taken, and to capture a frontal pose with a neutral expression, teeth closed and both eyes open, looking into the camera.

The ECI's Form 6 guidelines for the Voter ID do not mention glasses. They do require open eyes and both edges of the face clearly visible, so check that your eyes show clearly in the print.

Headwear and religious dress

For Aadhaar, the head may remain covered, but the full contour of the face must be visible. UIDAI's guidelines say women in purdah or ghoonghat must reveal the full face before the photograph is captured, that a turban or other headgear is allowed as a religious or traditional practice, and that an eye patch is accepted for medical reasons.

For the Voter ID, the Form 6 guidelines set no separate headwear rule, but both edges of the face must be clearly visible in the pasted photo.

Babies and children

Aadhaar has no lower age limit: even a newborn can be enrolled. A child under 5 goes to the centre with a parent or legal guardian, who must already have Aadhaar. Only the facial photograph is captured at that age, with no fingerprints or iris scans, and a birth certificate is mandatory for children born on or after 1 October 2023.

A small child may sit on a parent's lap for the photo, but the parent's face must not appear in the picture. The full set of biometrics, photo included, is then recorded at 5 and updated again at 15; each of these mandatory updates is free if done once between 5 and 7 years and once between 15 and 17 years.

The Voter ID rules the ECI publishes describe a print: one recent, unsigned, passport-size colour photo of 4.5 x 3.5 cm with a white background, pasted in the space on Form 6, and on Form 8 when the photo is to be changed. The guidelines give no pixel size or file limit. If you apply through the Election Commission's voters' portal rather than on paper, follow the limits shown on its upload screen.

Aadhaar needs neither a print nor a file: the operator's camera captures the photo at the centre. For Form 6, a 35 x 45 mm print can be made on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

For a Voter ID, address Form 6 to the Electoral Registration Officer of your Assembly Constituency and attach self-attested copies of a proof of date of birth and a proof of ordinary residence. Give your Aadhaar number for authentication, or state that you do not have one. The form can be filled in English or in the official language of the state.

For Aadhaar, visit any Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre with valid proof of identity and address. The same centres handle biometric updates, including a new photo, and the mandatory updates for children at 5 and 15.

How to get your India ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the India ID card: 35 × 45 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: voter ID: 4.5 x 3.5 cm colour print; voter ID: white background, no signature; voter ID: eyes open, face edges visible; voter ID: Form 8 for a new photo.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The Voter ID rules the ECI publishes describe a print: one recent, unsigned, passport-size colour photo of 4.5 x 3.5 cm with a white background, pasted in the space on Form 6, and on Form 8 when the photo is to be changed.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. For a Voter ID, address Form 6 to the Electoral Registration Officer of your Assembly Constituency and attach self-attested copies of a proof of date of birth and a proof of ordinary residence.

Make this photo online

India ID card photo FAQ

Form 6 asks for one recent, passport-size colour photograph of 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm, which is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. It must have a white background, be unsigned and show the full face from the front with the eyes open and both edges of the face clearly visible.

No print is needed. UIDAI has no online enrolment because your biometrics, a facial photograph, ten fingerprints and two iris scans, are captured at the enrolment centre. Bring valid proof of identity and address instead.

Visit an Aadhaar centre and ask for a biometric update. UIDAI says there is no limit on how many times the picture can be changed, but photo, fingerprint and iris updates cannot be made online or in the Aadhaar app.

Use Form 8, the form for correcting entries in the electoral roll. Tick the photo option and paste a recent, unsigned, passport-size colour photo of 4.5 x 3.5 cm with a white background in the box meant for it.

No. UIDAI's facial image guidelines tell the enrolment operator to have glasses taken off before the photo is captured. Accessories that cover any part of the face are not allowed, although an eye patch worn for medical reasons is accepted.

Not for the Voter ID: Form 6 and Form 8 print the photo box as 4.5 x 3.5 cm, so a square 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photo does not fit. Aadhaar takes no photo from the applicant at all.

UIDAI records only a facial photograph for children under 5. At 5 the full set of biometrics is recorded, and at 15 it must be updated again, photo included. These mandatory updates are free when done once between 5 and 7 years and once between 15 and 17.

Related photo specifications

Other India documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Election Commission of India (form published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar). Form 6: application form for new voters ceoelection.bihar.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Election Commission of India (form published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar). Form 8: shifting of residence, correction of entries, replacement EPIC ceoelection.bihar.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Unique Identification Authority of India. Enrolment and Update (FAQs and capture guidelines) uidai.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Unique Identification Authority of India. About your Aadhaar uidai.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Unique Identification Authority of India. Aadhaar app FAQ uidai.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Unique Identification Authority of India. Aadhaar enrolment and update charges uidai.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Election Commission of India (form published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"India ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/india/id-card-photo

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