Indian passport photo requirements

Check your photo against this rule

Choose a photo

An Indian passport photo is 35 × 45 mm, per VFS Global’s checklist for India’s missions in the U.S., with a white background. The face fills 80–85% of the photo’s height (36–38.3 mm). India’s Passport Seva portal (GPSP 2.0) takes a 630 × 810 px photo file. Source: India’s Ministry of External Affairs, checked October 9, 2026.

Sources: mportal.passportindia.gov.in, services.vfsglobal.com, cgisf.gov.in, indembkwt.gov.in and cgichicago.gov.in, checked October 9, 2026.

The rule

The Indian passport photo rule.
Rule	Requirement
Print size	35 × 45 mm
Face size	80–85% of the photo height (36–38.3 mm, chin to top of hair): our reading of the guideline’s “the face takes up 80–85% of the photograph”
Digital file	630 × 810 px, 250 KB or less
Background	White
Glasses	Not allowed
Expression	Natural, with the mouth closed
Photos needed	Two identical prints
Head coverings	Not permitted except for religious reasons; the face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown.
Editing	Photos must not be altered by computer software.
Other rules	Close-up of the head and the top of the shoulders, the face 80–85% of the photo, showing the full head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, centered and not tilted. Look directly at the camera with your eyes open and clearly visible, no hair across the eyes and your mouth closed; the expression should look natural. Taken from 1.5 meters from the camera, not too close (MEA guideline): a selfie at arm’s length is too close, so have someone else take it. No glasses (VFS checklist); the MEA guideline asks you to take them off to avoid reflections. Even lighting with no shadows, flash reflections or red eye; wear a colored shirt that stands out from the white background.

Sources: Passport Seva, MEA, Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications (opens in a new tab) (mportal.passportindia.gov.in); Print size, glasses and photos needed: VFS Global USA for India, Adult checklist, re-issue of passport, May 2026 (opens in a new tab) (services.vfsglobal.com); Digital file: Embassy of India, Kuwait, Advisory on ICAO compliant photograph for Indian passport applicants: 630x810 px, 250 KB maximum (opens in a new tab) (indembkwt.gov.in). Checked October 9, 2026.

Notes

Upload the photo before you mail the application

India’s consulates in the U.S. ask you to upload an ICAO-compliant photo and your signature on the Passport Seva portal (GPSP 2.0) before you mail your application to VFS Global. VFS returns applications without them unprocessed. The 630 × 810 px file is the one you upload there. The ministry’s guideline gives no file-size limit; the Embassy of India in Kuwait’s advisory for the same portal says the file must not exceed 250 KB, and the file we make stays within it.

VFS Global’s May 2026 checklist also asks for two identical 35 × 45 mm photos on a white background, taken within 6 months: one for the government form and one for the change-of-appearance form.

Sources: Migration to GPSP 2.0, Consulate General of India, San Francisco, checked October 9, 2026; Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications, Passport Seva, checked October 9, 2026; Advisory on ICAO compliant photographs, Embassy of India, Kuwait, checked October 9, 2026; Adult checklist, re-issue of passport (May 2026), VFS Global, archived copy, checked October 9, 2026.

What we check, and what we can’t

On your device, we measure the head size and where it sits, the eye line, the wall behind you, the light on your face, the pose and the sharpness against this rule, and we crop the photo to its size. We level, resize and crop it, and nothing else.

We can’t tell how recent the photo is, whether it still looks like you, or what the office’s own reviewer will see on the day. The passport office decides whether to accept it.

How we check

Why a real photo matters

“Photos should be unaltered by computer software.”

India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications, mportal.passportindia.gov.in, checked October 9, 2026.

Start with your original camera photo. Check the document’s rules, including whether your face fills 80–85% of the photo’s height.

We don’t generate your photo. We level, scale and crop your original pixels to 35 × 45 mm, then show you the head height and the margins before you pay.

Our guides cover AI and passport photos and changing a photo’s background.

The files

studioless-in-passport-digital.jpg
Passport Seva (GPSP 2.0) upload: color photo, 630 × 810 px, white background, uploaded on the government portal before you mail your application to VFS Global. The MEA guideline names no file format or file-size limit; the Embassy of India in Kuwait's advisory for the same portal says the file must not exceed 250 KB.
630 × 810 px JPEG
studioless-in-passport-print-4x6.jpg
Print it as a regular 4 × 6 in photo at any drugstore kiosk, then cut on the lines.
1800 × 1200 px at 300 dpi, 6 photos at 35 × 45 mm
studioless-in-passport-print-5x7.jpg
The same photos on a 5 × 7 in sheet, printed and cut the same way.
1500 × 2100 px at 300 dpi, 9 photos at 35 × 45 mm

The application asks for 2 identical photos. Paper: photo paper. Your check results come with the files, and everything is deleted 7 days after your order.

The 4 × 6 in sheet: 6 photos at 35 × 45 mm. Cut on the magenta lines.

Sources

Changes to this page’s rule

Oct 9, 2026Added 7 documents (Indian passport, India e-Visa, Chinese passport, Vietnam e-visa, Brazil eVisa, German passport and NZeTA), each checked against its official pages on October 9; Brazil’s photo guide and VFS Global’s Indian passport checklist were read from archived copies, because their live pages block automated access.

Every document’s rules in one table: passport and visa photo sizes Every change to the rules we check

Questions

Can I use ChatGPT or an AI app for my Indian passport photo?

For a generated or retouched photo, follow the document’s editing rule. India’s Ministry of External Affairs says, “Photos should be unaltered by computer software.” Reading or checking rules with a chatbot is a separate use; verify its answer against the authority’s source. We only level, scale and crop your photo.

Can I wear glasses in an Indian passport photo?

No. Glasses aren’t allowed in this photo, so take them off before you take it. We ask you to confirm it before you pay.

What do I get for $9.95?

You get a digital file sized for the online form (630 × 810 px JPEG), plus printable 4 × 6 in and 5 × 7 in sheets you can print at any drugstore. The application asks for 2 identical photos.

Where do I get my files?

On your order page after you pay, with no account to make.

Make your Indian passport photo