India visa photo guide
Check the Indian visa photo requirements that apply to your route. Regular visa and e-Visa uploads both use a square JPEG, but their verified file-size and pixel guidance are not identical.
Start with a visual check
Select a rule and compare illustrative accepted and rejected examples. This checker does not upload, scan or score your own photo.
Background
Use a plain light-coloured or white background with no objects, texture, border or shadow behind the head.
The maker requests a square JPG crop and white background output. It does not analyse eligibility or guarantee visa-photo acceptance.
What to aim for
Avoid thisHead & framing
Face the camera directly, keep the head centred and show the complete head from the top of the hair to the chin.
The maker requests a square JPG crop and white background output. It does not analyse eligibility or guarantee visa-photo acceptance.
What to aim for
Avoid thisImage clarity
Start from a sharp recent photograph. Resizing cannot repair motion blur, pixelation or heavy compression.
The maker requests a square JPG crop and white background output. It does not analyse eligibility or guarantee visa-photo acceptance.
What to aim for
Avoid thisEyes & glasses
Keep both eyes open and visible. The e-Visa instructions specifically require the applicant to be without spectacles.
The maker requests a square JPG crop and white background output. It does not analyse eligibility or guarantee visa-photo acceptance.
What to aim for
Avoid thisOfficial guidance checked 13 September 2026. Route limits differ, so confirm the current instructions shown in your own application before submitting.
Official-first check
The 600×600 maker preset fits the verified regular-visa pixel range and the e-Visa sample minimum, while targeting the stricter 300 KB ceiling. It remains a technical output, not an official validation.
Route first
Start from the official portal named by your application. Similar-looking upload boxes can enforce different limits.
Step 01
Prepare a square JPEG from 10 to 300 KB. The official upload guide gives a square range from 350×350 through 1000×1000 px. Review the saved image before printing or submitting the application.
Step 02
Prepare a square JPEG from 10 KB to 1 MB. The sample form shows a minimum of 350×350 px. Use a recent front-facing photo without spectacles and confirm the live portal instructions.
Step 03
Some local checklists request printed photographs or extra copies. Their size and quantity are route-specific. Do not convert a digital-upload rule into a universal 2×2 inch print rule.
Size and format
Use the row for your route. The values below separate official regular-visa guidance from official e-Visa guidance instead of blending them into one limit.
Regular visa digital upload
Verified valueSquare JPEG; 350×350 to 1000×1000 px; 10–300 KB
CompositionFull face, front view, eyes open, complete head centred in the frame
Submission noteA 600×600 JPG below 300 KB fits these verified technical limits. Check the exact final file before upload.
Indian e-Visa digital upload
Verified valueSquare JPEG; at least 350×350 px in the sample; 10 KB–1 MB
CompositionFront view, eyes open, complete head centred, without spectacles
Submission noteThe official page does not state the same maximum pixel value beside this rule. Follow the live portal if it shows an additional limit.
Government of India — e-Visa photo and document requirements
Background
Verified valuePlain light-coloured or white
CompositionNo distracting objects or shadows behind the applicant
Submission noteKeep the edge of the photo border-free and avoid patterned or uneven backgrounds.
Head and framing
Verified valueSquare crop
CompositionComplete head from top of hair to bottom of chin, centred horizontally
Submission noteDo not crop through the hair or chin, rotate the face, or submit a side view.
Image clarity
Verified valueClear JPEG within the route's byte range
CompositionFacial details should remain recognisable after compression
Submission noteRetake a blurred source. Enlarging a tiny image to 350 px does not restore missing detail.
Government of India — e-Visa photo and document requirements
Eyes and glasses
Verified valueBoth eyes open and visible
CompositionDirect gaze; e-Visa applicant without spectacles
Submission noteRemove glasses for e-Visa. Avoid hair, glare or deep shadow over either eye on every route.
Government of India — e-Visa photo and document requirements
A paper-photo size shown by a specific embassy or visa centre applies only to that route. Check its current checklist before ordering prints.
Appearance rules
Correct pixels are only one part of the Indian visa photo specs. The source portrait still needs a clear, natural and unobstructed view of the applicant.
Take a recent colour photo with the camera at eye level. Face the lens directly and keep the head upright. Use soft, even light from the front so the face is visible without a hard shadow on the wall.
The official instructions call for a plain light-coloured or white background, a complete head, open eyes, no shadow and no border. The e-Visa page additionally says the applicant should be without spectacles.
Before you crop
The face should point straight toward the camera. A turned or tilted pose can make the head placement unsuitable even when the file is square.
Keep a natural neutral expression and show the full head. Do not use a social-media crop that removes hair, chin or part of the face.
A clean white wall can work when it is evenly lit and free from texture. The instructions also permit a plain light-coloured background.
Separate the applicant from the wall and move lights toward the front to reduce a hard outline or shadow behind the head.
Cropping, resizing and careful file compression address technical delivery. They should not change facial structure, remove identifying features or create an artificial portrait.
If the original is blurred, shadowed or obstructed, take a new photo. A technically correct 600×600 export cannot make an unsuitable capture acceptable.
This guide prepares a technical image. The Indian authority or its authorised receiving centre decides whether a submitted photograph is accepted.
Prepare the file
Work from a high-quality source and check the result after every conversion. Do not repeatedly resave an already compressed JPEG.
01 / 04
Open the regular visa or e-Visa portal named by your application. Record its current file-size, pixel and photo rules before editing. If you are applying through a mission or centre, also open that location's checklist.
02 / 04
Choose the sharpest recent frame. Confirm that the applicant faces the camera and the complete head, eyes and facial outline are visible before cropping.
03 / 04
Use the India visa maker to request a 600×600 JPG with a white background and a 300,000-byte maximum target. This conservative format fits both verified digital routes, but it does not replace a route check.
Automatic background output can look unnatural when the source has hair flyaways, shadows or poor edge contrast. Inspect the result and retake against a real plain background when necessary.
04 / 04
Open the downloaded file properties and confirm that width equals height, the format is JPEG and the byte size fits your route. Upload that exact file to the official application and inspect the saved preview for rotation, unexpected crop or compression damage.
Troubleshooting
Match the symptom to the correction. Repeated compression is not a universal fix and can make facial detail worse.
Problem: 01. Width and height differ
Why it fails: Both official digital routes require a square image.
What to do: Crop from the original to a true square; do not stretch the face.
Problem: 02. File exceeds the route limit
Why it fails: Regular visa stops at 300 KB, while e-Visa states a 1 MB ceiling.
What to do: Use the limit for your route and compress once from a clean source.
Problem: 03. Too few pixels or heavy pixelation
Why it fails: The image may be below the verified 350×350 minimum or lack usable facial detail.
What to do: Return to a larger original; do not upscale a thumbnail.
Problem: 04. Head cropped or off-centre
Why it fails: The complete head and centred face are part of the stated composition rules.
What to do: Re-crop with the hairline, chin and space around the head visible.
Problem: 05. Shadow, pattern or border
Why it fails: The instructions call for a plain light or white background without shadows or borders.
What to do: Retake against an evenly lit plain background and remove any added frame.
Problem: 06. Glasses in an e-Visa photo
Why it fails: The official e-Visa photo instructions state that the applicant should be without spectacles.
What to do: Retake without glasses and keep both eyes open and visible.
Problem: 07. Wrong image uploaded
Why it fails: The portrait and passport bio-page upload fields serve different purposes.
What to do: Check the field label and upload the applicant portrait where the photograph is requested.
Problem: 08. A 2×2 print rule was used for every route
Why it fails: A local paper checklist does not override the digital portal's square pixel and byte limits.
What to do: Return to the current portal or local checklist and prepare each required deliverable separately.
Final review
Tick each item against the exact file you will submit. This browser checklist does not analyse the image or send it to an authority.
Completed
Primary sources
Use the official portal for your route as the final source. A mission or visa centre may publish an additional local checklist for paper submissions.
india-regular-visa
Government of India — regular visa photo instructions
Checked: 2026-09-13
india-regular-upload-guide
Government of India — regular visa image upload guide
Checked: 2026-09-13
india-evisa
Government of India — e-Visa photo and document requirements
Checked: 2026-09-13
india-evisa-sample
Government of India — sample e-Visa application form
Checked: 2026-09-13
Applicant questions
These answers separate regular visa, e-Visa and location-specific paper instructions.
Prepare the right deliverable
Request a 600×600 JPG technical output, inspect its crop and file size, and compare that exact file with the official regular visa or e-Visa instructions before upload.
This service prepares technical photo output. It is not affiliated with the Government of India and cannot guarantee acceptance.
