ICAO guide · India
Indian passport photo requirements (2026)
Indian missions abroad now accept only ICAO compliant photos with passport applications. Here are the exact size, the file limit and every rule, so your photo passes the Passport Seva check the first time.
Indian passport photo at a glance
- Dimensions
- 630 × 810 px
- File format
- JPEG (.jpg)
- Maximum file size
- 250 KB
- Background
- Plain white
- Face in frame
- 80–85% of the photo
- Colour
- Full colour
- Glasses
- Remove them
- Age of photo
- Last 6 months
The short answer
Upload a colour JPEG of exactly 630 × 810 px, no larger than 250 KB, with a plain white background. Your face should fill 80–85% of the photo, with your eyes open, mouth closed and no glasses.
Do you need to upload a photo?
It depends on where you apply. The rules for how the photo looks are the same in both cases.
Upload required
Applying from abroad
Indian embassies and consulates moved to Global Passport Seva 2.0 on 28 October 2025. You now upload an ICAO compliant photo with every passport application, and most missions have enforced the rule since 1 December 2025.
Taken at your appointment
Applying in India
An officer captures your photo live at the Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra. You don't need to upload or bring a photo for the passport itself, but the same rules apply to how you look on the day.
Indian passport photo rules
The portal checks your photo with software before an officer ever sees it. Meet every rule below and the check has nothing to flag.
Face and pose
- Look straight at the camera with your head level.
- Centre your face and keep your shoulders square.
- Show your full face from the chin to the top of the head.
Expression and eyes
- Keep a natural expression with your mouth closed.
- Open both eyes fully, with no hair across them.
- Make sure the photo has no red-eye.
Light and background
- Use even light with no shadows on your face or behind you.
- Avoid flash reflections on your skin.
- Use a plain white background with no texture or objects.
Glasses, turbans and head coverings
- Remove your glasses to avoid glare.
- Wear a head covering only for religious reasons.
- Keep your forehead and face fully visible under a turban, hijab or dupatta.
Clothing and accessories
- Wear a dark or coloured top so it doesn't blend into the white background.
- Remove large earrings, nose rings and anything shiny near the face, if you can.
- Keep make-up natural so your face matches your appearance in person.
Image quality
- Submit a sharp photo with no blur or grain.
- Don't use filters, beauty modes or apps that reshape your face.
- Never scan or photograph an older printed photo.
Ignore old square photo specs
Some websites still list a square photo between 350 × 350 and 1,000 × 1,000 px. Mission notices issued since late 2025 ask for a 630 × 810 px rectangle, so a square photo is likely to fail.
Photos for children and babies
Children follow the same size, file and background rules as adults. For a baby, lay a white sheet on a bed, place the baby on it and take the photo from directly above in daylight.
Keep hands, toys and dummies out of the frame, and make sure no one else appears in the photo. If your baby can't keep their eyes open, ask your mission whether it accepts closed eyes for infants.
How to resize a photo to 630 × 810 px and under 250 KB
Any photo editor can do this. Follow the steps in order, because resizing before cropping distorts the face.
Prefer not to do it by hand? Our tool crops, resizes, whitens the background and checks the photo for you.
- 1
Crop to a 7:9 ratio first
630 × 810 px is a 7:9 rectangle. Crop your original to that shape before resizing, so the portal doesn't receive a stretched or squashed face.
- 2
Resize to exactly 630 × 810 px
Set the width to 630 and the height to 810. A file that is even one pixel off can fail the portal's dimension check.
- 3
Export as JPEG and check the size
Save at about 85% quality, then check the file size. If it is over 250 KB, lower the quality a step at a time instead of shrinking the image.
- 4
Give the file a simple name
Use letters, numbers and an underscore, such as rahul_sharma.jpg. Spaces and symbols in the file name can break some uploads.
Did the portal reject your photo?
Passport photo price in India
Upload and check your photo for free, then pay once when you download. There is no subscription.
Standard
₹199
- Checked against ICAO 9303
- Instant digital download
- Full-resolution JPG for online forms or printing
- Photo and invoice by email
- Money-back guarantee if rejected
Expert editHuman review
₹399
- Everything in Standard
- Manual review by a photo specialist
- Hand retouch of lighting, shadows and background
- Final version emailed to you
These prices apply to visitors in India. Applying from abroad? You pay in your local currency, from $7.99.
Indian passport photo FAQ
- What is the photo size for an Indian passport?
- The online upload must be 630 × 810 pixels in JPEG format and no larger than 250 KB. If your mission also asks for printed photos, use 35 × 45 mm prints on photo paper.
- What background colour does an Indian passport photo need?
- Use a plain white background. Missions reject cream, grey, blue and patterned backgrounds, and they also reject white backgrounds with visible shadows.
- How much of the photo should my face cover?
- Your face should fill about 80–85% of the photo. Crop close to the head and the top of the shoulders, and leave only a small gap above your hair.
- Can I wear glasses in my Indian passport photo?
- No. Indian missions ask applicants to remove glasses to avoid reflections, so take them off before the photo.
- Can I wear a turban or hijab?
- Yes, if you wear it for religious reasons. Your forehead and face must stay fully visible, and the covering must not cast a shadow on your face.
- Can I smile in an Indian passport photo?
- Keep a natural expression with your mouth closed. A wide smile or visible teeth can cause the face-matching check to fail.
- Do I need to upload a photo if I apply in India?
- No. An officer takes your photo at the Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra during your appointment. Only applicants who apply through an Indian mission abroad upload a photo.
- Can I use a photo taken on my phone?
- Yes. Most applicants abroad take the photo on a phone and then crop and resize it. Use the rear camera, stand in front of a plain wall and ask someone to take the photo from 1–2 m away.
- My iPhone saves photos as HEIC. How do I get a JPEG?
- Go to Settings, Camera, Formats and choose Most Compatible before you take the photo. Our tool also accepts HEIC files and exports a 630 × 810 px photo for India.
- How much does an Indian passport photo cost online?
- With our tool, a checked digital photo costs ₹199 in India. The ₹399 Expert edit adds a manual review and hand retouching by a photo specialist. You upload and check your photo for free, and pay only when you download.
- Can I reuse the photo from my old passport or visa?
- No. The photo must be recent, ideally taken in the last 6 months, and older photos rarely meet the new 630 × 810 px ICAO format.
- Why does the portal say my photo is not valid as per ICAO standards?
- The portal's automated check found a problem with the background, lighting, head size, pose or image quality. Our guide to that error explains each cause and how to fix it.
Get a 630 × 810 px photo that passes
Upload a phone photo, see the check results for free and pay ₹199 only when you download.