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India visa photo requirements

The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs for the India visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 7 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the India visa photo?

For an Indian e-Visa you upload a square JPEG photo of 10 KB to 1 MB, front facing, without glasses, on a plain white or light background. The regular visa form on the same portal takes a square JPEG of 10 KB to 300 KB, with the head measuring 25 to 35 mm (1 to 1 3/8 in). Where the mission wants a print, as VFS Global does in the US, it is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) and identical to the upload.

Visas for India are applied for on the Indian Visa Online portal, which is run by the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs. There are two routes, and each has its own photo upload. The e-Visa is granted online as an Electronic Travel Authorisation: you upload a recent front-facing photo with a white background and the photo page of your passport, and the portal warns that the application can be rejected if either is unclear or not to specification.

A regular visa is for applicants outside India who file the online form, choose the Indian mission they will apply to and upload a photo, then hand in the printed form with supporting documents at the mission or its outsourcing agency. In the United States that agency is VFS Global, which also asks for one 2 x 2 inch print pasted on the form and identical to the uploaded photo. That is when the 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) size applies; an e-Visa needs no print at all.

India visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs:[1]

Print size2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) for prints the mission asks for (VFS Global, US)
Digital sizeSquare: height and width must be equal; no pixel range published
Head height25 to 35 mm (1 to 1 3/8 in), top of hair to bottom of chin (regular visa)
BackgroundPlain light-coloured or white, no shadows; the e-Visa overview asks for white
ColourColour print (VFS Global, US)
Photo ageRecent (e-Visa); not older than six months (VFS Global US student visa checklist)
File sizee-Visa: 10 KB to 1 MB; regular visa: 10 KB to 300 KB
File formatJPEG
Print qualityGlossy paper, front view, white background (VFS Global, US); paste on the form, do not staple
Pixels when printed600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
2 in2 in25–35 mm
2 × 2 in photo drawn to scale, with the 25–35 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain light-coloured or white.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Do not retouch or otherwise enhance or soften the photo.

Photo specifications (visa)[6]

Key requirements

  • Square file only

    Both upload forms say the height and width of the photo must be equal. Crop a rectangular picture to a square that still shows your whole head before you upload it.

  • Know your file-size limit

    The e-Visa accepts a JPEG of 10 KB to 1 MB. The regular visa form is stricter, at 10 KB to 300 KB, so a file saved for an e-Visa can be too large for a regular visa application.

  • No spectacles for the e-Visa

    The e-Visa rules ask for a full face, front view, eyes open and no spectacles. VFS Global in the US gives the same instruction for regular visa uploads.

  • Head size and position

    Your full head, from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, must sit in the centre of the frame. For regular visas the head should measure 25 to 35 mm (1 to 1 3/8 in) on the 2 x 2 inch scale.

  • Plain background, no borders

    Use a plain white or light-coloured background with no shadows on you or behind you, and upload the photo without any border. The e-Visa overview asks specifically for a white background.

  • Upload it the right way up

    VFS Global in the US returns applications whose uploaded photo shows the face pointing downwards or sideways, treating them as ineligible. The face in the file must point upwards.

  • Print matches upload

    Where a print is required, it must be the same photo as the upload. VFS Global in the US wants one 2 x 2 inch colour print on glossy paper, front view, white background, pasted on the form rather than stapled.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Crop the photo to a square before uploading.
  • Check the file-size limit of the form you are using.
  • Use a plain white or light background.
  • Take off your glasses.
  • Upload the photo upright, with the face pointing up.
  • Paste any required print on the form; do not staple it.

Don't

  • Do not add a border around the photo.
  • Do not upload a photo with shadows on the face or background.
  • Do not wear tinted or dark glasses.
  • Do not retouch, enhance or soften the photo.
  • Do not send a print that differs from the uploaded file.
  • Do not upload a blurred or unclear picture.

Sample photos

How a India visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in, head height 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

Take glasses off. The e-Visa photo rules ask for the face without spectacles, and VFS Global's US checklists for regular visas say the uploaded photo should be taken without glasses.

VFS Global's separate photo specification for prints still talks about avoiding glare on eyeglasses by tilting the head, but the newer upload rules are stricter, so a photo with no glasses at all meets every version. Tinted or dark lenses are never acceptable.

Headwear and religious dress

The Indian Visa Online pages do not mention head coverings. The photo specification VFS Global publishes for visa applicants in the US allows them only for religious reasons, and then the face must still show in full, from the chin up to the forehead and across to both edges.

Keep hair away from your eyes as well. The same specification wants the eyes open, level and clearly visible, not covered by hair or by eyeglass frames.

Babies and children

Each child needs a separate application and a photo of their own: the regular visa instructions say each online form is meant for one person only. VFS Global's photo specification relaxes some rules for babies and young children, but the child must be alone in a clear frontal photo.

On the VFS Global checklists in the US, a minor signs or writes their name in the space below the photo on the first page of the form. A child under 5 may give a left thumb impression instead, and both parents sign the application as well.

The e-Visa is fully digital: you upload a square JPEG photo of 10 KB to 1 MB and a PDF of your passport photo page of 10 KB to 300 KB, and no print is needed. The regular visa starts with the same kind of upload, capped at 300 KB, and then goes to the mission on paper.

Whether a print is needed then depends on the mission. VFS Global in the US asks for one 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) colour print on glossy paper, identical to the upload. A square digital photo can be resized to fit the file limits, and a 2 x 2 inch print can be made from it on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. Measure the print before you paste it on the form.

Where to submit the photo

For an e-Visa, use the e-Visa section of the Indian Visa Online portal: fill in the form, upload the photo and the passport page, and pay online. Carry a copy of the Electronic Travel Authorisation when you travel, and check that its status shows as granted before you set off.

For a regular visa, choose your Indian mission on the portal and submit the form to get an Application ID. Then book an appointment and take the printout with your documents to the mission or its outsourcing agency. Where online payment and appointments are not offered, you take the printout to the mission and pay there.

How to get your India visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the India visa: 2 × 2 in print, plain light-coloured or white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: square file only; know your file-size limit; no spectacles for the e-Visa; head size and position.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The e-Visa is fully digital: you upload a square JPEG photo of 10 KB to 1 MB and a PDF of your passport photo page of 10 KB to 300 KB, and no print is needed.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. For an e-Visa, use the e-Visa section of the Indian Visa Online portal: fill in the form, upload the photo and the passport page, and pay online.

Make this photo online

India visa photo FAQ

The upload has no fixed pixel size: it must be a square JPEG, between 10 KB and 1 MB for an e-Visa or between 10 KB and 300 KB for a regular visa. Where a mission wants a print, as VFS Global does in the US, it is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head measuring 25 to 35 mm.

A recent front-facing photo in JPEG format, 10 KB to 1 MB, with equal height and width. Show your full face with eyes open and no spectacles, the whole head centred, on a plain white or light background, without shadows or borders. You also upload the photo page of your passport as a PDF of 10 KB to 300 KB.

No. The e-Visa rules ask for a photo without spectacles, and VFS Global's US checklists say the same for regular visa uploads. Tinted or dark glasses are refused under every version of the rules.

Not for an e-Visa, which is handled entirely online. For a regular visa it depends on the mission and its application centre. VFS Global in the US asks for one 2 x 2 inch print on glossy paper with a white background, pasted on the application form and identical to the uploaded photo.

The portal warns that applications can be rejected when the uploaded photo is unclear or not as per specification. Check that the file is a square JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB, that you are not wearing glasses, that your whole head is centred with eyes open, and that the background is plain white or light with no shadows or border.

Nearly. Both must be square JPEGs showing the full face and head on a plain white or light background, without shadows or borders. The e-Visa allows files up to 1 MB and asks for no spectacles; the regular visa caps files at 300 KB and states a head size of 25 to 35 mm.

The e-Visa asks for a scan of the passport bio page showing your photograph and details, saved as a PDF of 10 KB to 300 KB. Some e-Visa types need one more document, such as a business card or a hospital letter, also as a PDF within the same limits.

Related photo specifications

Other India documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 2 × 2 in

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Official sources

  1. Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. e-Visa: eligibility, documents and photo requirements indianvisaonline.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. Instructions (regular visa application) indianvisaonline.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. VFS Global, Indian consular application centres in the USA. Visa services (India, United States) vfsglobal.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. VFS Global, Indian consular application centres in the USA. Tourist visa checklist (10 years) vfsglobal.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. VFS Global, Indian consular application centres in the USA. Student visa checklist vfsglobal.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. VFS Global, Indian consular application centres in the USA. Photo specifications (visa) vfsglobal.com. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of India, Bern. Notice on ICAO photo requirements indembassybern.gov.in. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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