Indian e-Visa photo photo requirements

The Indian e-Visa is applied for entirely online and needs one square digital photo: a JPEG between 10 kilobytes and 1 megabyte with equal height and width, showing the full face from the top of the hair to the chin against a plain light-coloured or white background, with no shadows, no borders and no spectacles. No printed photo is needed, and the photo page of your passport is uploaded as a separate scan.

Make and check a India e-Visa photo Free checker; files from A$6.99.

Can I take it myself? Yes

Yes. The e-Visa instructions describe a photo you supply; there is no photographer requirement and no appointment. The portal checks the format, the square shape and the size window. The spectacles rule is the one applicants miss most often, followed by borders left on photos cropped from a scan. India permits a plain background produced by any means, so a white replacement is offered as an opt-in for this document.

How to take the photo

1. Use a white or light-coloured wall, stand half a metre from it and light from the front so there is no shadow on the face or the wall.
2. Someone else takes the photo from about 1.2 metres at eye level; the tool crops to a square with the head from hair to chin centred.
3. Remove spectacles. No hats or head coverings except religious ones that show the whole face.
4. Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and looking straight ahead.
5. Wear a top that contrasts with the light background.
6. Export with the e-Visa preset; it produces a borderless square JPEG inside the 10 KB to 1 MB window.

Why India e-Visa photos get rejected

1. Spectacles in the photo. Remove them and retake.
2. Not square. Height and width must be equal. Use the preset here.
3. Border or scanned print. Upload a clean digital photo without a white border.
4. Shadow on the face or background. Light from the front and step away from the wall.
5. File over 1 MB. The export here stays inside the window automatically.
6. Head too small or cut off. The face should fill the square from hair to chin with a small margin; the checker reports the head height.

Infants and children

Each child needs their own e-Visa and photo. Lay the baby on a plain light sheet and photograph from above so the face fills the square from hair to chin, with nothing in the mouth and no hands in frame. The portal is lenient about infant expression but still wants the full face and a plain background.

Step by step: Indian Visa Online e-Visa

1. Start the e-Visa application, enter passport and travel details and save the temporary application ID.
2. At the upload step attach the square JPEG from this tool as the photograph and a PDF scan of your passport photo page as the document.
3. Pay the fee online and wait for the e-Visa approval email, which you print and carry.

Open Indian Visa Online e-Visa

What it costs

There is no printed photo, so the only cost is making the file. Our Single licence is A$6.99 (₹249) for the e-Visa file for 30 days; the free checker confirms the face position and background first. A family travelling together is best served by the Pass, which covers up to six people.