Three of the IDs in your wallet — PAN, voter ID and driving licence — all want a photo that looks identical: a recent, front-facing colour headshot on a plain white background. So people assume one photo covers all three. It doesn't. The upload rules diverge enough that a file accepted by one portal is rejected instantly by another.
The short version — three real differences
- File-size cap: 30 KB (PAN/UTIITSL) up to 200 KB (voter ID) — a 6.7× spread.
- Crop shape: only PAN via UTIITSL needs a square; the rest are portrait rectangles.
- Pixel size: each portal sets its own minimum, from 197×276 px to 213×213 px square.
PAN vs Voter ID vs Driving Licence — side by side
Here is the exact 2026 photo spec for each, verified against the respective government portal. The KB limit is the number that rejects most uploads, so it is listed first.
| Document | Portal | Max file size | Pixel size | Crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAN (UTIITSL) | myutiitsl.com | 30 KB | 213×213 px | Square |
| Driving Licence | sarathi.parivahan.gov.in | 40 KB | ≥200×230 px | Portrait |
| PAN (NSDL / Protean) | onlineservices.proteantech.in | 50 KB | 197×276 px | Portrait |
| Voter ID (EPIC) | voters.eci.gov.in | 200 KB | ≥200×240 px | Portrait |
All four rows want JPEG, a colour photo and a plain white background — those never differ. What differs is the machine-enforced part: file size, pixels and crop. (PAN appears twice because it has two portals with different rules; the PAN card photo size guide covers both.)
Difference 1: the file-size cap swings 6.7×
This is the difference that catches everyone. The voter ID portal accepts up to 200 KB; PAN via UTIITSL caps at 30 KB— the same photo needs to be almost seven times smaller for one than the other. A crisp phone photo saved for your voter ID application is usually 120–180 KB, so it sails through NVSP but is rejected on size by every other portal here.
Difference 2: only PAN (UTIITSL) is square
Voter ID, driving licence and PAN-via-NSDL all use a portrait rectangle. PAN via UTIITSL is the outlier: a square 213×213 px crop. Upload a portrait photo to UTIITSL without squaring it and the portal either rejects it or crops your face off-centre — the single most common reason a PAN photo bounces. If you apply for PAN through NSDL instead, the portrait crop is fine.
Difference 3: the pixel minimums differ too
Each portal sets its own minimum resolution: 197×276 px for NSDL PAN, 213×213 px square for UTIITSL PAN, at least 200×230 px for the driving licence, and at least 200×240 px for voter ID. These are minimums, so a slightly larger photo is fine — but going below them makes the photo look blocky and can trip an automated resolution check.
So can one photo cover all three?
Yes — if you prepare it to the strictest common spec rather than the loosest. A colour JPEG on a plain white background, roughly 200×250 px portrait, compressed to under 30 KB, satisfies the KB cap and pixel minimum of all three. The only extra you need is a square 213×213 px version if you use UTIITSL for PAN.
The compress-to-KB tool brings any photo under a chosen KB size in your browser, and each ID has a dedicated resizer that hits its exact spec: PAN, voter ID and driving licence — nothing is uploaded to a server.
For the full spec of every Indian government ID photo — including where Aadhaar differs (its photo is taken at a centre, not uploaded) — see the Indian government ID photo requirements guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PAN, voter ID and driving licence photo the same?
No. They share the same style — a recent front-facing colour photo on a plain white background — but the upload rules differ sharply. The file-size cap ranges from 30 KB (PAN via UTIITSL) to 200 KB (voter ID), pixel dimensions differ, and only the PAN photo via UTIITSL needs a square crop. All three want JPEG.
Which of the three has the strictest photo size limit?
PAN via UTIITSL is the strictest at 30 KB, then the driving licence (Sarathi) at 40 KB, PAN via NSDL at 50 KB, and voter ID (NVSP) is the most generous at 200 KB. If you compress a single photo to under 30 KB, it clears all three portals on file size.
Can I use one photo for my PAN card, voter ID and driving licence?
Yes. Prepare a colour JPEG on a plain white background, roughly 200×250 px, compressed to under 30 KB — that single file satisfies the KB cap and pixel minimum of all three. The one extra step is a square 213×213 px crop if you apply for PAN through UTIITSL, which is the only portal that requires a square.
Why is only the PAN photo square?
PAN via UTIITSL uses a square 213×213 px crop optimised for face-matching, while NSDL PAN, voter ID and driving licence all use a portrait rectangle. If you upload a portrait photo to UTIITSL without squaring it, the portal rejects it or crops your face off-centre — the single most common reason a PAN photo bounces.
Do all three accept a phone photo?
Yes, provided it meets the spec: plain white background, front-facing colour, good even light, and compressed to the portal's KB limit. Take it against a bright white wall, crop to the right proportions, and resize to under 30 KB to be safe across all three. Grainy low-light shots are rejected.