Indian Passport Size Photo Guide (2026)

Passport Size Photo India 2026 — Size, Rules & Free Online Maker

Whether you are applying for an Indian passport, a government job, a visa, a bank account, or a college admission — you are going to need a passport size photo. But getting the dimensions, background colour, and file size exactly right is more complicated than it sounds, and getting it wrong causes delays, rejections, and wasted trips to the photo studio.

This guide covers everything you need to know about passport size photos in India in 2026 — the exact dimensions, the official rules, what to avoid, and how to create one for free in under 2 minutes without visiting a studio.

Standard Passport Size Photo Dimensions — India 2026

For an Indian Passport (Offline application / submission):

| Specification | Requirement | |--------------|-------------| | Size | 35mm × 45mm (width × height) | | Background | Plain white or off-white | | Face coverage | 70–80% of the frame | | Expression | Neutral, both eyes open | | Glasses | Not permitted (since 2021) | | Head covering | Not permitted (except for religious reasons) | | Print quality | 600 DPI minimum |

For Government Job Portal (Online uploads — NIC standard):

| Specification | Requirement | |--------------|-------------| | Pixel dimensions | 200×230 pixels (width × height) | | File size | 20KB–50KB (varies by portal) | | Format | JPEG / JPG only | | Background | White or light colour |

These are different requirements for different contexts. The 35×45mm physical dimension is for printed photos you submit physically. The 200×230 pixel digital requirement is for online form uploads.

Photo Requirements for Other Common Indian Documents

| Document / Exam | Photo Size | File Size | Format | |----------------|-----------|----------|--------| | Indian Passport (printed) | 35×45mm | N/A (physical) | Print | | UPSC Online Form | 200×230 px | 20KB–300KB | JPG | | SSC Online Form | 200×230 px | 20KB–50KB | JPG | | IBPS / Bank Exams | 200×230 px | 20KB–50KB | JPG | | NEET UG | 200×230 px | 10KB–200KB | JPG | | Aadhaar Card | 200×200 px | — | JPG | | PAN Card | 213×213 px (approx) | — | JPG | | Driving Licence | 3.5×4.5 cm | — | JPG | | Indian Visa (online) | 2×2 inches (51×51mm) | Under 240KB | JPG |

Official Rules — What Makes a Passport Photo Valid or Invalid

The Indian Passport Office has strict rules about what makes a passport photo acceptable. Submitting a non-compliant photo is one of the most common reasons for passport application delays.

Your photo MUST:

Have a plain white or off-white background (no patterns, no gradient)
Show your full face, both ears visible, front-facing directly at the camera
Be taken within the last 6 months
Be in sharp focus with even lighting — no shadows on face or background
Have your face occupying 70–80% of the frame
Be printed on high-quality photo paper if submitting physically
Be in colour (not black and white)

Your photo MUST NOT:

Have glasses of any kind (spectacles were banned for passport photos in India in 2021)
Have any head covering (except for genuine religious reasons with an affidavit)
Show your teeth (closed-mouth neutral expression required)
Have flash glare in your eyes or on your skin
Be a selfie with an arm visible
Have any border or frame
Be digitally altered (removing blemishes is acceptable; changing face shape, skin tone, or background colour digitally is not)

How to Take a Perfect Passport Photo at Home — Step by Step

You do not need a studio or a professional photographer. A modern smartphone and a few minutes are all you need.

What you need:

A smartphone with a decent camera (any modern iPhone or Android)
A plain white wall or a white sheet hung as a background
Good natural lighting (sit near a window in daylight — not direct sunlight)
A friend to take the photo (or a tripod)

Step-by-step:

Set up your background — Stand or sit in front of a plain white wall. If you do not have a white wall, hang a white bedsheet. Make sure there are no patterns, posters, or furniture visible.
Position yourself in good light — Face a window. Natural daylight gives even, shadow-free lighting. Avoid standing with a window behind you (silhouette effect) or under harsh overhead lights (shadows under eyes and nose).
Position the camera at eye level — Ask a friend to hold the phone at your eye level, about 1.5–2 metres away. Avoid selfies — the angle distorts facial proportions.
Pose correctly — Look directly at the camera. Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open. Shoulders square.
Take 5–10 photos and choose the sharpest one with the most even lighting.

How to Make the Photo the Right Size — Free Online Tool

Once you have your photo, use Imgkaro's Passport Photo Maker to:

Upload your photo — any format accepted (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP)
Choose your country/specification — select India for automatic preset
Crop using the guide to centre your face correctly
Set background — automatically set to white if needed
Download your passport-size photo, ready to print or upload

For online government form uploads specifically, use the Resize to 200×230 tool which sets the exact digital dimensions required by Indian government portals.

If the portal also has a file size limit (20KB or 50KB is most common), then compress after resizing using Compress to 20KB.

How to Print at Home or at a Shop

Printing at a photo studio / stationery shop:

Download the photo at 300–600 DPI resolution
Ask for 4 prints on a 4×6 inch sheet (standard size that fits standard photo albums)
Cost: ₹10–₹30 per print at most photo studios

Printing at home:

Use glossy photo paper (available on Amazon or local stationery shops)
Set print size to 3.5cm × 4.5cm (one photo)
Or arrange 8 photos on an A4 sheet for efficient printing

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use a selfie for a passport photo?

Not recommended for official passports — selfie angles distort facial proportions and the arm is sometimes visible. For online form uploads where the photo is just for identification, a well-lit selfie that meets the background and size requirements usually works.

Q: Do I need to visit a photo studio?

No. With Imgkaro's free Passport Photo Maker and a good smartphone camera, you can create a compliant passport photo at home in under 5 minutes.

Q: Can I remove the background digitally?

For Indian passport photos, the official background must be white. Using Imgkaro's Background Remover to remove a messy background and replace it with a clean white background is perfectly acceptable for digital submissions. For physical passport applications, use a proper white-background photo taken against a real white background.

Q: My phone takes HEIC photos — what do I do?

Convert to JPEG first using Imgkaro's HEIC to JPG tool, then resize and compress as needed.

Q: How recent does the photo need to be?

For Indian passports: taken within the last 6 months. For government job forms: most portals do not specify a recency requirement, but a current likeness is expected.

Create your passport size photo for free: