Indian Passport Photo explains the photo rules for Indian passports (in India and through missions abroad), the OCI card, the India e-Visa and regular visa, e-FRRO, PAN, Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licences, the UPSC, SSC, NEET and JEE Main exam forms, and the visa photos Indian travellers most often need, in plain English.
This is not a government website
We cannot book appointments, accept applications or payments, or check your documents. Apply only on the official websites, such as passportindia.gov.in for passports, ociservices.gov.in for OCI and indianvisaonline.gov.in for Indian visas.
How we research and update these guides
- Official sources only. Every guide is based on rules published by the issuing body, such as Passport Seva and the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian embassies and consulates, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Bureau of Immigration, UIDAI, the Income Tax Department and its PAN service providers, the Election Commission of India, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, UPSC, SSC, the National Testing Agency and foreign governments' visa pages.
- Rewritten in plain English. We rewrite the rules in our own words and keep the numbers, such as sizes, pixel and KB limits and dates, exactly as the official source publishes them.
- Sources on every page. Each guide ends with links to the official pages, notices and forms it is based on.
- "Last checked" dates. Each guide shows when we last checked its sources. Requirements change, and exam notices change every year, so always check the latest version.
- Honest about gaps. Where official sources disagree, or something could not be confirmed, we say so instead of guessing. Practical tips are labelled as tips, so you can tell them apart from official rules.
- No fees quoted unless confirmed. Fees change often (Indian passport fees were revised from 1 July 2026), so we usually point you to the official fee page instead.
- AI-generated samples. Our own sample photos are AI-generated images of people who do not exist, made for this site to show the rules. They are not real applicants or official Passport Seva samples.
- Official images, for reference. A few guides reproduce an image published by an official agency, such as a photo requirement sheet, so you can check the official version. Each one is credited to the agency and links to the original page and image. Copies are re-encoded as WebP; the content is not altered. These images may include the agency's own example photos. Passport Seva, the Ministry of Home Affairs, UPSC and the Indian embassies and consulates we checked ask for permission before their material is reproduced, so we link to their diagrams instead of copying them.
- Your feedback. You can rate each guide from 1 to 5 stars at the end of the page. Ratings help us see which guides need more work.
Independence
This site is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for the Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Seva, any Indian embassy, high commission or consulate, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Bureau of Immigration, UIDAI, the Income Tax Department, Protean eGov Technologies, UTIITSL, the Election Commission of India, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, UPSC, SSC, the National Testing Agency, VFS Global, BLS International or any foreign government. We do not use any government emblem, flag or logo.
Photo tool
Our guides link to IDPhotoDIY, an online tool for cropping and resizing passport and ID photos. Using it is optional; any method that produces a photo meeting the official rules is fine.
Keeping information current
Information on this site was last checked in October 2026. Always confirm the current rules on the official website before you apply.