The Short Answer
For the India e-Visa, the photo is a square JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB: full face, front view, eyes open, no spectacles, on a plain light-coloured or white background with no shadows and no border. The passport bio page is uploaded separately as a PDF of 10–300 KB.
For a regular visa applied for on the Indian Visa Online form, the photo is also a square JPEG, but the file limit is lower — 10 KB to 300 KB — and the dimensions must be between 350 × 350 and 1000 × 1000 pixels.
Those are the figures the government portal publishes. Everything else below is about meeting them. For everything else an application has to satisfy — passport validity, supporting documents and category-specific conditions — see the full India visa requirements.
One habit first: upload only through the official Indian Visa Online portal — lookalike sites often "resize" your photo for a fee and can introduce the very errors that cause rejection. See our official government portals directory for the genuine links.
e-Visa Photo and Document Specifications
| Requirement | Official specification |
|---|---|
| File format | JPEG |
| File size | Minimum 10 KB, maximum 1 MB |
| Shape | Height and width must be equal (square) |
| Face | Full face, front view, eyes open |
| Glasses | Without spectacles |
| Framing | Head centred in the frame, the full head shown from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin |
| Background | Plain light-coloured or white |
| Shadows and borders | No shadows on the face or background; no border |
| Passport bio page | A scan of the page with your photograph and details, as a PDF of 10–300 KB |
| Business or medical documents | PDF, 10–300 KB each |
Source: the e-Visa application requirements on indianvisaonline.gov.in. The e-Visa page sets no pixel range; the regular visa form's 350 × 350 to 1000 × 1000 is a safe target for both.
Regular Visa Photo Specifications
A regular (sticker) visa is applied for on the same portal's online form, and the photo is uploaded there too:
| Requirement | Official specification |
|---|---|
| File format | JPEG |
| File size | Minimum 10 KB, maximum 300 KB |
| Shape | Height and width must be equal (square) |
| Dimensions | Minimum 350 × 350 pixels, maximum 1000 × 1000 pixels |
Source: Indian Visa Online, Online Visa Photo Upload Process.
The 300 KB limit catches people who prepared an e-Visa photo first: a file that passes the e-Visa's 1 MB limit can still be refused here.
Printed photos. Many Indian missions and their visa application centres also ask you to bring a printed photo with the form, commonly square and 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). The size and number are set by the mission, so follow your mission's or centre's own checklist rather than a general figure. Don't simply reuse a passport photo: many countries' passport photos are rectangular (for example 35 × 45 mm), and India wants a square image.
Fixing a Photo the Portal Keeps Refusing
The upload errors are unhelpfully generic, so work through the causes in the order they actually occur:
| What you're seeing | Almost always means | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Rejected instantly | Wrong file type, or a .jpg that is really a .png or HEIC renamed | Re-export as a genuine JPEG. Renaming the extension does not convert the file — the regular form says only JPEG files can be uploaded. |
| Refused as the wrong size or shape | Not a perfect square | Crop to exactly 1:1. Check the pixel readout, not how square it looks. |
| "File too large" | Over 1 MB on the e-Visa, or over 300 KB on the regular form — very common with phone cameras | Re-save at lower JPEG quality, or downscale toward 600 × 600. Don't crop tighter to shrink it; you'll cut off the hair or chin. |
| "File too small" | Under 10 KB, usually from heavy compression | Re-save at higher quality from the original. |
| Photo looks fine, still refused | An iPhone photo saved as HEIC | Change the phone to "Most Compatible" capture, or export explicitly as JPEG. |
Shooting it yourself works — a phone against a plain white or light wall, in even daylight, with someone else holding the camera at eye level. Selfies tend to fail: an arm's-length shot distorts the face and tilts the head, and the harsh light close to a window throws the shadows the rules exclude.
Avoid photographing a printed photo. Re-photographing a print adds glare, texture and colour shifts, and it is the easiest way to end up with a shadow or a visible border.
OCI and Passport Photos Are Different Again
If you are applying for an OCI card or an Indian passport service, those have their own photo specifications — do not assume the visa photo will be accepted. Always follow the specification for the exact service you are applying for.
Common Photo Mistakes
- Rectangular photo where a square is required
- Wrong file limit — an e-Visa-sized file (up to 1 MB) used on the regular form (300 KB)
- Patterned, coloured or shadowed background instead of plain light or white
- Wearing spectacles, or glare hiding the eyes
- Head cropped at the top of the hair or the chin
- A border left from a scan or a template
- Passport page uploaded as an image instead of a PDF, or a PDF over 300 KB
Quick Pre-Submit Checklist
- Square JPEG
- File size: 10 KB–1 MB for the e-Visa; 10–300 KB for the regular form
- Plain light or white background, no shadows, no border
- Full face, front view, eyes open, no spectacles
- Full head in frame, from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin
- Passport bio page as a PDF of 10–300 KB
Not sure which visa (and therefore which specification) you need? Start with our India Visa Finder.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size photo is required for the India e-Visa?
A square JPEG with a file size between 10 KB and 1 MB. The e-Visa page sets no pixel range; the regular visa form's 350 × 350 to 1000 × 1000 pixels is a safe target.
What size photo is required for a regular India visa?
On the Indian Visa Online form: a square JPEG between 350 × 350 and 1000 × 1000 pixels, and between 10 KB and 300 KB. If your mission or visa centre also asks for a printed photo, follow its checklist for the size.
Can I use my passport photo for an India visa?
Often not directly. Many passport photos are rectangular (35 × 45 mm), while India wants a square image. Using a rectangular photo is a common reason for a refused upload.
Does the India visa photo need a white background?
It needs a plain light-coloured or white background, with no shadows on the face or background and no border.
Can I wear glasses in my India visa photo?
No. The e-Visa specification requires the photo to be without spectacles, with the eyes open.
What format is the passport page upload?
For the e-Visa, the scanned bio page — the page with your photograph and details — is uploaded as a PDF between 10 KB and 300 KB.
Disclaimer
India Visa Experts is an independent private consulting firm, not affiliated with the Government of India. Photo specifications are set by the authorities and can change, and differ between the e-Visa, the regular visa, OCI and passport services — always confirm the current requirement on the official portal for your exact application before submitting. This article is general guidance only and not legal advice.