Indian passport photo size and specifications

An Indian passport photo is 4.5 cm high by 3.5 cm wide (45 × 35 mm), in colour, on a plain white background, with your head in the centre and both ears visible. You often do not need one at all: Passport Seva says no photograph is required for applications made at a Passport Seva Kendra, where staff take your photo at the counter.

Updated 1 October 2026

Make a printable Indian passport photo

Take the photoStand facing the camera in even light, in front of a plain light wall, wearing dark clothes. Look straight ahead with a natural expression, eyes open and both ears showing; take off tinted glasses.
Size it to 35 × 45 mmOpen Passport size photo for India and choose the photo. In your browser it finds your face, crops to 35 × 45 mm with the head the right size and fills the background with plain white. Nothing is uploaded.
Print it at a photo shopDownload the 4×6 inch sheet of eight and print it on photo paper. Passport Seva does not accept a photo printed on a computer printer.

The specifications, from Passport Seva

Indian passport photo rules (Passport Seva instruction booklet, checked 2026-10-01)
Rule	What it says
Size	4.5 cm long × 3.5 cm wide (45 × 35 mm), in colour
Background	Plain white
Head	In the centre of the frame, both ears visible, face visible from chin to forehead
Expression	Natural: no grinning or frowning, eyes open
Glasses	Avoid glare; tinted or dark glasses are not accepted
Head covering	Not allowed, except for religious reasons
Clothes	Dark-coloured
Not accepted	A computer print, a signed photo, a photo cut from a group shot, a dark background, a uniform

Do you need to bring a photo at all?

For most people applying in India, no. The Passport Seva instruction booklet says a photograph is not required for applications submitted at a Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra, and its step-by-step guide says the officer at Counter A takes your photograph and fingerprints there.

You need a printed 4.5 × 3.5 cm photo when the form is submitted where no photo is taken, such as a District Passport Cell, a Speed Post centre or a Common Service Centre, which the booklet lists as the places where a photo is pasted on.

Applying from outside India

Indian missions abroad follow the international (ICAO) photo standard and give a digital size. The High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur and the Consulate General in Auckland, for example, ask for a 630 × 810 pixel colour photo on a white background with the face filling about 80 to 85 per cent of the frame, and the Auckland consulate asks applicants to take off glasses. Rules differ by mission and by the service provider it uses, so read your own mission's page before you print.

Not the same as a visa or OCI photo

An Indian visa and an OCI card have their own rules. The regular visa form takes a square JPEG of 10 to 300 KB, at least 350 × 350 pixels, on a plain light or white background. The OCI form asks for a square photo of at least 51 × 51 mm, on a plain light background that is not white, and a digital JPEG of at most 200 KB. Passport size photo for India also makes the 2 × 2 inch visa photo.

What filedone does, and what it cannot promise

The photo tool sizes and aligns your photo and makes the background white; it does not retouch your face or generate anything, and it runs in your browser for free. It cannot certify that a photo will be accepted — the officer at the counter decides — so check the current rules before you apply.

Sources

Every outside fact on this page comes from these pages. Rules change: check the official page before you rely on it.

Passport Seva, Instruction Booklet for the passport application form (V3.0), page 2, Table 1Size, background, head, expression, glasses, head covering, clothes, what is rejected; no photo needed at a Passport Seva Kendra. Checked 1 October 2026.
Passport Seva, Steps to submit an application at a Passport Seva KendraThe photograph is taken at Counter A. Checked 1 October 2026.
High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur, photo specifications notice630 × 810 pixels, colour, face 80–85% of the frame (applications abroad). Checked 1 October 2026.
Consulate General of India, Auckland, specifications for passport photosWhite background, glasses off (applications abroad). Checked 1 October 2026.
Indian Visa Online, instructions for a regular visa applicationJPEG, 10–300 KB, square, plain light or white background. Checked 1 October 2026.
Indian Visa Online, photo specification (VSS_IMAGE.pdf)At least 350 × 350 pixels, at most 1000 × 1000. Checked 1 October 2026.
OCI Services, frequently asked questionsSquare, at least 51 × 51 mm, light background that is not white, JPEG at most 200 KB. Checked 1 October 2026.

Questions

What is the Indian passport photo size in pixels?

Passport Seva's booklet gives the printed size, 4.5 × 3.5 cm, not a pixel size. Printed at 300 dots per inch that is about 413 × 531 pixels. Indian missions abroad that take digital photos ask for 630 × 810 pixels.

Is 2 × 2 inch the Indian passport photo size?

No. 2 × 2 inch (51 × 51 mm) is the Indian visa and OCI shape. The Indian passport photo is 4.5 × 3.5 cm, taller than it is wide.

Can I wear glasses in an Indian passport photo?

In India the booklet asks you to avoid glare and rejects tinted or dark glasses; some missions abroad ask you to take glasses off altogether. Taking them off is the safe choice.

Can I print the photo at home?

Passport Seva does not accept a photo printed on a computer printer. Print the sheet on photo paper at a photo shop.

Do I need a photo for a Passport Seva Kendra appointment?

No. Passport Seva says a photograph is not required for applications submitted at a Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra; your photo is taken at the counter.