Indian passport photo rules: size, background and why photos get rejected

Do you need a photo at all?

Not at a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or Post Office PSK: Passport Seva's application booklet says the photo is not required there, because the staff take it at the counter.

You do need one for forms handed in at a District Passport Cell, a Speed Post centre or a Citizen Service Centre (such as Bangalore One or e-Seva): one colour photo, pasted in the box on the form.

Size and background

• 35 × 45 mm (4.5 cm high × 3.5 cm wide), in colour, not smaller than the box on the form.
• A plain white background. Wear dark-coloured clothes, not a uniform.
• The face fills 80–85% of the photo, from the top of the hair to the chin, centred.
• As a digital file: 630 × 810 pixels, in colour.

Face, expression and glasses

• Look straight at the camera with your eyes open, mouth closed and a natural expression (no grinning or frowning).
• Both edges of the face and both ears should be visible; hair must not cover the eyes.
• Even light with no shadows, flash glare or red eye. Take glasses off to avoid reflections; dark glasses are never accepted.
• No head covering except for religious reasons, with the face visible from chin to forehead.

Common reasons photos are rejected

• Black and white photos, or a dark or coloured background.
• Photos printed on an ordinary computer printer: they must be on good-quality photo paper.
• A signed, torn, creased or marked photo.
• Shadows on the face or background, hair over the eyes, or glare on glasses.
• Photos changed with software: Passport Seva says photos must be unaltered.

Make one at home

Stand in front of a plain white wall facing a window, about 1.5 metres from the camera, and have someone take the photo at eye level. Then use the free passport size photo maker to crop it to 35 × 45 mm and get a 6 × 4 inch sheet of 8, and print that at a photo shop.