Indian passport (Passport Seva) photo requirements

Indian passport photos for Passport Seva are 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) in colour on a plain white background, with the face centred and occupying roughly half to three quarters of the frame. Most applicants in India have a photo captured again at the Passport Seva Kendra, but the online form asks for an uploaded photo and applicants at Indian missions abroad must supply printed photos. Light-coloured backgrounds other than white are a routine reason for rejection.

Make and check a Indian passport photo Free checker; files from A$6.99.

Can I take it myself? Yes

Yes. Passport Seva accepts an uploaded photo you have taken, and because a biometric photo is usually recaptured at the Kendra the uploaded one mainly needs to be clear, square and on a white background. Indian authorities permit a plain white background to be produced by any means, so this tool offers an opt-in white background replacement for this document; it is still better to shoot against a white wall and leave the option off.

How to take the photo

1. Stand in front of a white wall or hang a white sheet without creases. Keep half a metre between you and the wall so there is no shadow behind your head.
2. Face a window for even light and switch off the flash. Overhead tube lights cause dark eye sockets in white-background photos.
3. Have someone take the photo from about 1.2 metres at eye level, head and shoulders in frame with space above the hair; the tool crops to the square.
4. Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open, both ears visible if your hairstyle allows. No head covering except for religious reasons, and then the full face must show.
5. Wear a dark or coloured top. White or very light clothing merges with the white background and the portal's checker rejects it.
6. Glasses are tolerated if the eyes are clearly visible with no glare, but removing them is safer; the OCI and e-Visa forms for the same family ask for no spectacles at all.

Why Indian passport photos get rejected

1. Background not white. Use a white wall or sheet. For this document the tool can replace the background with pure white if the authority's rule allows; it is labelled when it does.
2. White or light clothing. Change into a darker top so the shoulders separate from the background.
3. Face too small in the frame. The face should fill 50–70 per cent of the height. Use the head-size control until the readout is inside 25–35 mm.
4. Shadow behind the head. Step away from the wall and light from the front.
5. File too large or wrong format. JPEG under the portal's limit. Our export lands under 1 MB automatically.
6. Photo with a border or from a scanned print. Upload a clean digital image without borders; scanned prints show texture and are refused.

Infants and children

For babies, lay the child on a plain white sheet and shoot from directly above with the face filling the square and nothing else in frame. Minor applicants attend the Kendra in person where another photo is captured, so the uploaded photo is mainly for the form. Eyes open and mouth closed are expected where possible, but the rules are applied leniently for infants.

Step by step: Passport Seva online application

1. Register on Passport Seva, fill in the application form and reach the document and photo upload step.
2. Upload the square JPEG from this tool. The portal checks the format and size and displays the photo for your confirmation.
3. Book an appointment at a Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office PSK, where your photo and biometrics are captured live for the passport itself.
4. If applying at an Indian mission abroad, print two 2×2 inch photos from our sheet on photo paper and bring them to the appointment.

Open Passport Seva online application

What it costs

A studio in India charges ₹50–150 for a set of passport photos; in Australia or the UK a shop charges A$17–25 or £10–16. Our Single licence is ₹249 (A$6.99) and covers the upload file and print sheets for 30 days, which also serve OCI and e-Visa applications for the same person if you choose the Pass.