Indian Passport Photo Size & Rules (Passport Seva 2026)

The Indian passport photo spec confuses people because there are really two of them — one for the printed photo you paste on a paper form, and one for the digital photo you upload to the Passport Seva portal — and a third, different spec entirely if you're applying through an embassy abroad or for an OCI card. Here is every rule, where each applies, and how to make a compliant photo for free.

What size is an Indian passport photo?

For the domestic Passport Seva process, the printed photograph is 45 × 35 mm (4.5 × 3.5 cm)— a portrait rectangle, taller than it is wide. This is not the US 2 × 2 inch (51 × 51 mm) square; several international tools wrongly apply the US size to their “India” preset, which is the most common reason an otherwise-good photo is rejected.

For the online application, Passport Seva's photo-upload instructions require a digital image that is exactly 630 × 810 px in JPEG format, under 250 KB. That pixel ratio (630:810) is the same 7:9 proportion as the 45 × 35 mm print — they are the same shape, just one is measured in millimetres and the other in pixels.

The white background rule

The background must be plain white — and Passport Seva checks it strictly, including the luminance, so an off-white, cream, or light-grey wall can fail. There should be no shadows falling on the background behind you and no objects, furniture, or texture in the frame.

White is harder to photograph than people expect: a white wall in normal room light usually comes out grey or yellow. The fix is either a true background replacement or shooting against a brightly and evenly lit white surface. For the full breakdown of why white matters and how it differs across countries, see passport photo background colour.

Face size, position and expression

Your face must take up 80–85% of the photo — measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. On a 45 mm-tall photo that is roughly 36–38 mm of face. Too small (a distant shot with lots of background) and too large (a tight crop that clips the top of the head) are both rejected.

• Full head visible — from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, with both edges of the face inside the frame.
• Head centred and straight — not tilted, looking directly at the camera.
• Both ears visible where possible — frontal full-face view.
• Neutral expression — eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, no hair across the eyes.
• No glasses — Passport Seva asks for glasses to be removed to avoid glare and reflections.
• Head coverings only for religious reasons, and even then the face from chin to forehead and both edges must be fully visible.

Dark or contrasting clothing helps you stand out against the white background. For a step-by-step on getting these right at home with just a phone, see how to take a passport photo at home.

The “no computer printout” rule

One rule trips up people who make their own photos: for the pasted paper photograph, Passport Seva states that a photograph printed on a computer or inkjet printer will not be accepted — it must be a genuine photo-paper lab print. You can absolutely prepare and crop the photo yourself; you just need to get the final image printed at a photo lab (or use a print service) rather than running it through a home printer onto ordinary paper.

This rule applies only to the physical pasted photo. For the online upload, you submit the 630 × 810 px JPEG directly — no printing involved.

Applying from abroad (NRI / embassy applications)

If you are applying through an Indian embassy or consulate abroad (often via VFS), a widely-reported change effective 1 September 2025 moved those applications to ICAO-compliant photographs. This is the same 45 × 35 mm portrait proportion and white background, with the ICAO biometric rules: face 80–85% of the frame, taken from about 1.5 metres, uniform lighting, no red-eye, natural expression.

The important point: this ICAO switch applies to the embassy/consulate (NRI) route, not the domestic Passport Seva Kendra process, which has long used the 45 × 35 mm spec already described. If you're applying inside India, follow the domestic rules above. If you're applying abroad, confirm the exact requirement on your local mission's page, as it can vary by country and service provider.

OCI card and Indian e-Visa are different

Two specs are frequently — and wrongly — treated as the same as the passport photo:

• OCI card: a 51 × 51 mm squarephoto on a light (not pure white) background. Using a 35 × 45 mm white passport photo for an OCI application is a common rejection.
• Indian e-Visa (for foreign nationals visiting India): a square digital photo, roughly 350–1000 px, white background — different again from both the passport and OCI specs.

If you need a square format, prepare it separately rather than reusing the portrait passport crop.

Why Indian passport photos get rejected

• Wrong size or shape — using the US 2×2 inch square instead of 45×35 mm portrait.
• Background not white enough — grey, cream, or shadowed; fails the luminance check.
• Face too small or too large — outside the 80–85% band.
• Glasses, glare, or shadows on the face.
• Computer printout pasted on the form instead of a photo-lab print.
• Online file too large — over the 250 KB limit, or not exactly 630×810 px.

For the complete rejection checklist with fixes, see why passport photos get rejected. Applying for a child? The rules relax slightly — see the baby and infant passport photo guide. Comparing to other countries? See passport photo size by country.

How to make an Indian passport photo free

Upload any clear, front-facing photo to the passport photo maker, choose India, and it crops to the 45 × 35 mm proportion with a plain white background and the correct 80–85% face coverage — ready to print at a lab or upload online. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded to a server.

For the online upload, if your exported file is over the 250 KB cap, compress it to a custom KB target without losing the required dimensions. For the full guide to hitting an exact file-size limit on any portal, see how to reduce passport photo file size.