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India PAN card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department) for the India PAN card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 18 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the India PAN card photo?

Since 1 April 2026, a new PAN is applied for on Form 93 (Indian citizens) or Form 95 (individuals who are not Indian citizens). Each takes two recent colour photographs of 4.5 x 3.5 cm, that is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, with a white background. Sign or put your left thumb impression across the left photo only, and do not staple or clip either one. Instant e-PAN through Aadhaar needs no photo.

The Permanent Account Number (PAN) is allotted by the Income Tax Department, which has appointed only two service providers to receive and process applications: Protean eGov Technologies (formerly NSDL e-Gov) and UTIITSL. You can apply online on either portal or hand a paper form to one of their PAN centres. The photo you paste becomes the image on your PAN card, and the form warns that the clarity of the card depends on the quality and clarity of that photograph.

The forms changed on 1 April 2026, when the Income-tax Act, 2025 and the Income-tax Rules, 2026 took effect. Forms 49A and 49AA are not accepted after 31 March 2026: Indian citizens now use Form 93, foreign individuals Form 95, and companies and other entities Forms 94 and 96. The Income Tax Department says the size of the photograph was increased for better visibility and identification, and the new forms print the photo boxes as 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm.

One route has no photo at all. Instant e-PAN on the Income Tax e-filing portal is free for adults who have Aadhaar with a linked mobile number and no PAN yet. It needs no scanned photo or signature, and it gives you an electronic PAN rather than a printed card.

India PAN card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department):[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm, printed on Forms 93 and 95 as 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm
Digital sizeNo pixel size published: Forms 93 and 95 take printed photos; instant e-PAN needs none
BackgroundWhite
ColourColour
Photo ageRecent
Print qualityTwo prints, neither stapled nor clipped; the right-hand photo clear and without any mark
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

  • Use the new form

    Protean's checklist tells applicants to use the form for their category: Form 93 for an individual who is a citizen of India, Form 95 for an individual who is not, and the PAN CR form for changes or corrections. Forms 49A and 49AA were discontinued after 31 March 2026.

  • Two colour photos of 4.5 x 3.5 cm

    All individual applicants, including minors and persons of unsound mind, affix two recent colour photographs of 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm in the spaces on the form. The boxes are portrait, 35 mm wide and 45 mm high.

  • White background

    The guidelines for Forms 93 and 95 ask for photographs with white backgrounds. The quality of the print matters, because the card image is taken from it.

  • Sign across the left photo only

    Your signature or left thumb impression goes across the photo on the left, partly on the photo and partly on the form. The photo on the right must stay clear and unmarked; Protean warns that a mark hiding the face can stop the application being processed.

  • Paste, do not pin

    Photographs must not be pinned, stapled or clipped to the form. Paste them in the boxes provided.

  • Attested thumb impressions

    If you use a thumb impression instead of a signature, it must be attested by a Magistrate, a Notary Public, an Oath Commissioner or a Gazetted Officer under official seal and stamp.

  • Same photo size for corrections

    The Request for Changes or Correction in PAN Data form for individuals has the same two 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm colour photo boxes, with the signature across the left one.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use Form 93 if you are an Indian citizen and Form 95 if you are not.
  • Paste two recent colour photos of 4.5 x 3.5 cm.
  • Choose photos with a white background.
  • Sign across the left photo so the signature runs onto the form.
  • Have a thumb impression attested under official seal.
  • Fill in the form in block letters, in English.

Don't

  • Do not use Form 49A or 49AA after 31 March 2026.
  • Do not staple, pin or clip the photos.
  • Do not sign or mark the right-hand photo.
  • Do not use the old 3.5 x 2.5 cm photo size.
  • Do not write a date or designation next to your signature.

Sample photos

How a India PAN 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.

Babies and children

Minors can be allotted a PAN. The guidelines for Forms 93 and 95 say all applicants, minors included, affix two colour photographs, and the Income Tax Department's FAQ on the new forms says a minor's application needs Aadhaar and a photograph of the minor, plus proof of identity and address of a representative assessee.

The representative assessee, usually a parent or guardian, fills in Part E of the form, which is mandatory when the applicant is a minor, and can sign the declaration on the minor's behalf. Instant e-PAN is not available to minors, so a child's PAN goes through Protean or UTIITSL with printed photos.

Forms 93 and 95 are built around prints: two photo boxes marked 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm. If you apply online and choose physical submission, you print the acknowledgement, paste the photographs on it, sign across the left one and post it with your documents to Protean's PAN Services Unit in Pune, where it should arrive within 15 days of the online application. Paperless routes, such as e-KYC with e-Sign or DSC-based applications, need no physical documents.

One Protean page for online Form 95 applications still quotes 3.5 x 2.5 cm photos for the acknowledgement, a size left over from Form 49A and also shown in Protean's older FAQ. The forms themselves and Protean's current checklist say 4.5 x 3.5 cm. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

Apply online on the Protean or UTIITSL portal, or take the completed form to a PAN centre run by either of them. UTIITSL's notice states that the Income Tax Department has authorised only these two organisations to receive and process PAN applications. Quoting Aadhaar is mandatory on Form 93 except for exempt categories, and a copy of the Aadhaar letter goes with a physically submitted acknowledgement.

Indian citizens living abroad also use Form 93. Foreign citizens use Form 95; they cannot use the Aadhaar e-KYC route.

How to get your India PAN card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the India PAN 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: use the new form; two colour photos of 4.5 x 3.5 cm; white background; sign across the left photo only.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Forms 93 and 95 are built around prints: two photo boxes marked 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply online on the Protean or UTIITSL portal, or take the completed form to a PAN centre run by either of them. UTIITSL's notice states that the Income Tax Department has authorised only these two organisations to receive and process PAN applications.

Make this photo online

India PAN card photo FAQ

Two recent colour photographs of 4.5 x 3.5 cm (35 mm wide, 45 mm high) with a white background. This is the size printed in the photo boxes of Form 93 and Form 95, the PAN application forms for individuals since 1 April 2026.

No. The 3.5 x 2.5 cm size belongs to Form 49A, which is not accepted after 31 March 2026, and the Income Tax Department increased the photo size on the new forms. Some Protean pages still show 3.5 x 2.5 cm, but Forms 93 and 95 and the correction form for individuals use 4.5 x 3.5 cm.

Across the photo on the left of the form, so that part of the signature or left thumb impression is on the photo and part on the form. The photo on the right must stay clear and unmarked: a mark that hides the face can stop the application being processed.

No. The Income Tax Department's e-PAN FAQ says no scanned photo or signature is needed for the Aadhaar e-KYC route. Instant e-PAN is free for adults with a valid Aadhaar, a linked mobile number and no existing PAN, and it gives you an electronic PAN rather than a physical card.

No. The form guidelines say the photographs should not be stapled or clipped, and Protean's checklist adds that they must not be pinned either. Paste them in the boxes provided.

Form 95, which replaced Form 49AA for individuals who are not citizens of India. Its photo rules match Form 93: two recent colour photographs of 4.5 x 3.5 cm with a white background, with the signature across the left one. Protean's online Form 95 page still mentions 3.5 x 2.5 cm, but the form itself says 4.5 x 3.5 cm.

Corrections and requests for a new card with the same PAN go on the Request for Changes or Correction in PAN Data form. The version for individuals has two 4.5 x 3.5 cm colour photo boxes, with your signature or left thumb impression across the left photo.

Related photo specifications

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Official sources

  1. 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 1 November 2026.
  2. Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Form No. 95: application for allotment of PAN (individual, not a citizen of India) tinpan.proteantech.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). New PAN: Do's and Don'ts tinpan.proteantech.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Apply online: new PAN (Form 93 / Form 94) tinpan.proteantech.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Apply online: new PAN (Form 95 / Form 96) tinpan.proteantech.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Request for changes or correction in PAN data (individual) tinpan.proteantech.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). FAQs on PAN application procedure tinpan.proteantech.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Income Tax Department. Form No. 93/94/95/96: frequently asked questions incometaxindia.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  9. Income Tax Department. Form No. 93/94/95/96: forms for PAN allotment (note on changes) incometaxindia.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  10. Income Tax Department, e-filing portal. FAQs on e-PAN incometax.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  11. UTIITSL (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). PAN services (notice on new forms and authorised entities) pan.utiitsl.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  12. UTIITSL (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Guidelines for filling Form No. 93 (PDF) pan.utiitsl.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  13. UTIITSL (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Guidelines for filling Form No. 95 (PDF) pan.utiitsl.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  14. UTIITSL (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Blank Form No. 93 (PDF) pan.utiitsl.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  15. UTIITSL (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department). Guidelines for submitting a PAN application online pan.utiitsl.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  16. Protean. DSC-based online application for new PAN (Form 93 / Form 94) tin.tin.proteantech.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  17. Income Tax Department, e-filing portal. Instant e-PAN FAQ incometax.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  18. PIB. Cabinet approves the PAN 2.0 Project (25 November 2024) pib.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Protean eGov Technologies (PAN service provider for the Income Tax Department) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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