Getting your Indian passport photo wrong is one of the most common reasons applications stall at the Passport Seva Kendra counter. The officer checks several things in under a minute: size, background, expression, print quality, and whether your photo actually looks like you. This checklist covers every requirement so you arrive with a photo that passes.
Quick summary: the physical photo is 45×35 mm (portrait), the digital upload for Passport Seva is 630×810 px JPEG under 250 KB, the background must be plain white, glasses are not permitted, and the print must come from a photo lab. Not an inkjet printer.
The 12-point Indian passport photo compliance checklist
The Ministry of External Affairs specifies these requirements through passportindia.gov.in. Use this as a pre-submission checklist before you print or upload.
Size and digital upload specification
India uses a portrait rectangle, not a square. The physical photo is 45 mm tall by 35 mm wide. This is the dimension that goes on paper application forms and the printed photos you hand to the PSK officer. For the Passport Seva online form, the digital spec is 630 × 810 px (width × height) as a JPEG, under 250 KB. These are the same 7:9 ratio expressed in pixels.
The portal sometimes states a 300 KB or even 1 MB ceiling in different help documents, but staying under 250 KB satisfies every version of the spec. If you submit a photo taken on a modern smartphone (typically 2–10 MB), you must resize and compress it before uploading; the portal will reject anything over the cap.
You also need two printed physical photos for the PSK appointment: one for the officer and one to keep as a record. These are the 45×35 mm prints, not the digital file.
Background requirements
The background must be plain white. Not cream, not light grey, not off-white. White. There must be no pattern, texture, or gradient behind you. This is stricter than many other countries: the UK accepts light grey, Canada accepts white or light grey, but India requires white.
Equally important: no shadows on the background. A shadow appears when you stand too close to the wall or the light source is positioned to one side. The PSK officer looks specifically for background shadows because they are a sign the background was digitally manipulated rather than naturally white.
If your background is not white, you can use the free background replacer to set it to white automatically; no upload needed, runs entirely in your browser.
Face size, position, and expression
Your face must fill 80–85% of the photo height. This is the ICAO biometric requirement: facial recognition systems need the face to occupy a consistent proportion of the frame. A photo where the face is too small (common when taken from too far away) will be rejected.
Specific requirements for face position and expression:
- Face centred in the frame — not tilted left or right
- Head straight — no chin up, no chin down
- Eyes open and looking directly at the lens
- Mouth closed
- Neutral expression — no smiling, no raised eyebrows
- Both ears visible (hair should not cover the ears)
Smiling is the most common expression mistake. It is natural to smile for a camera, but passport photos require a neutral, relaxed expression. A slight smile that does not show teeth is borderline; a visible tooth or dimple will get the photo rejected.
Glasses rule
Glasses are not permitted for Indian passport photos. This applies to prescription glasses, reading glasses, and sunglasses. The restriction exists because frames obstruct the eye region that biometric systems use for facial recognition at immigration checkpoints.
This changed with the ICAO biometric update. If you have an older passport taken with glasses, your renewal photo must be without them. There are no medical exemptions listed by Passport Seva — if you cannot remove your glasses, contact your regional passport office before applying.
Head covering rule
Head coverings are only permitted for religious reasons: turbans, hijabs, niqabs, and similar. Even when a head covering is worn for religious reasons, both ears must be visible, and the face from the forehead hairline to the chin must be completely uncovered. Wearing a cap, hat, or hair band for non-religious reasons is not permitted.
Print quality requirement
The physical photos must be printed on photographic paper by a photo lab. Passport Seva explicitly states that photographs printed on a computer printer or an inkjet printer will not be accepted at the PSK counter.
This rule applies to the physical photos, not the digital upload. You can prepare, crop, and resize the image yourself, but take the final file to a photo lab for printing. Most chemists, stationery shops, and mobile photo studios can print a 45×35 mm photo from a file on your phone.
What the PSK officer checks at the counter
When you arrive at the Passport Seva Kendra, the counter officer checks your physical photos before proceeding. Based on the Passport Seva guidelines and common applicant experiences, the officer typically verifies:
- Photo looks like you — matches your current appearance
- White background with no shadows
- Face is not too small or too large in the frame
- No glasses
- Photo quality — is it a photo-paper print or an inkjet?
- No creases or markings on the photo
- Eyes open, neutral expression
The officer does not measure the photo with a ruler — they check it visually. However, if your photo is obviously not 45×35 mm (too square, too wide, or too tall), it will fail this visual check. Use the free passport photo maker to crop to the exact ratio before printing.
Requirements for specific passport types
Most of the requirements above apply to all Indian passport types, but a few vary:
Minors (under 18)
Children follow the same photo rules as adults — white background, eyes open, neutral expression, no glasses. For infants and toddlers, the mouth does not need to be closed if the child cannot cooperate. Eyes must be visible. The child should not be held by an adult in the photo — no hands or clothing from another person should appear. Use a plain white sheet under the baby to photograph them lying down.
Tatkal passport
A Tatkal passport application uses the same photo spec as a normal application — 45×35 mm print, 630×810 px JPEG, white background, no glasses. The faster processing time does not change what the photo must look like.
Passport renewal (re-issue)
The photo spec is the same as a fresh application. However, if your appearance has changed significantly since your old passport photo (weight change, surgery, age), the officer may take extra care to verify your identity. Bring the best photo you can, not one from years ago repurposed.
Police Verification Certificate (PVC)
The police verification photo is different from the passport photo. For PVC, you typically submit a standard passport-size photo (45×35 mm) with your home address written on the back, but the officer collecting it may have additional local requirements. Confirm at your local police station; the spec is not standardised nationally.
OCI card and Indian e-Visa: different requirements
The OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card and Indian e-Visa have different photo specifications from the domestic passport:
| Document | Size | Shape | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Passport (domestic) | 45 × 35 mm / 630×810 px | Portrait rectangle | Plain white |
| OCI Card | 51 × 51 mm (2×2 in) | Square | Light (not pure white) |
| Indian e-Visa | Varies by destination | Square (usually) | White |
| Police Verification | 45 × 35 mm (typical) | Portrait rectangle | Light background |
Using a domestic passport photo for an OCI card application is one of the most common rejection causes for NRI applicants. The OCI photo is a square (2×2 inches), not a portrait rectangle. Check the specific country's VFS or embassy instructions for the exact OCI digital dimensions and background shade required for your application.
Applying from abroad (NRI and embassy route)
From 1 September 2025, Indian passport applications processed through Indian embassies and consulates abroad require an ICAO-compliant biometric photograph. The practical effect for most applicants is that the white background rule and the no-glasses rule are enforced even more strictly. The photo size (45×35 mm) remains the same.
If you are applying through VFS Global, confirm photo requirements on the VFS portal for your country; some VFS centres have slightly different acceptance criteria (particularly around acceptable background shades) compared to the domestic PSK process.
Common reasons passport photos are rejected
Based on the Passport Seva guidelines and common applicant reports, these are the most frequent rejection reasons:
- Background not white — cream, grey, or shadow visible
- Glasses not removed — any type of glasses
- Face too small — taken from too far away
- Expression incorrect — smiling, open mouth
- Inkjet print — not a photo-lab print
- Photo looks old — does not match current appearance
- Shadow on face — uneven lighting, one-sided flash
- Head covering — non-religious, or face partially covered
- Red-eye or flash artefacts visible in the photo
- Photo creased or damaged — wrinkled or marked
How to prepare a compliant photo step by step
- Take the photo in good light. Natural daylight facing a window is ideal. Avoid direct flash which creates shadows behind you and red-eye. Stand 1–2 metres from a plain white wall.
- Remove glasses. Take the photo without glasses, even if you wear them daily.
- Check background. The wall behind you should appear white in the photo. If it shows any shade, use the background replacer to set it to white.
- Crop to the right ratio. Use the free passport photo maker — it crops to exactly 630×810 px with the face centred automatically.
- Check face coverage. Your face should fill 80–85% of the frame height. Use the face centering checker to verify.
- Compress to under 250 KB. The photo compressor lets you target an exact KB ceiling without visible quality loss.
- Print at a photo lab. Save the JPEG and get it printed on 45×35 mm photo paper at a chemist, studio, or mobile print shop. Do not use an inkjet printer.
- Bring two prints to the PSK appointment. Keep a digital copy of the file in case the officer requests a replacement.
Run a quick quality check before you go
Before your PSK appointment, run your photo through the Rejection Predictor — it checks 9 ICAO criteria (background, face coverage, tilt, lighting, expression markers) entirely on your device. If the tool flags an issue, fix it before you print. A reprinting is cheaper than rescheduling a PSK appointment.