India Visa Photo Specs
India is the worst offender for mixed-up formats: passports switched to a 35x45 mm portrait in September 2025, but the e-Visa portal still accepts squares only.
Generate a photo that matches the spec above — processed locally, never uploaded, no sign-up, with a 6-inch print sheet if you need paper copies.
Make a photo to this specSpecification · India Visa Photo Specs
| e-Visa shape | Square — height must equal width |
|---|---|
| e-Visa pixels | Minimum 350 x 350, maximum 1000 x 1000 |
| e-Visa file size | 10 KB to 1 MB, JPEG format |
| Regular (sticker) visa | Also square, file size 10 KB to 300 KB |
| Head height | 25-35 mm chin to crown, roughly 50%-70% of the frame |
| Background | Plain white or a light colour, no shadows, borders or texture |
| Glasses | The official portal requires photos taken without spectacles, for every e-Visa category |
| Recency | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Passport & OCI photos | Indian passport photos became 35 x 45 mm (about 630 x 810 px) in September 2025; OCI applications from the US still use 2 x 2 in. Do not interchange them |
| Not accepted | Selfies, beauty filters or retouching, and any border or decorative element |
How to shoot a photo that matches
- Establish whether you need an e-Visa or a sticker visa —— Both require a square, but the size ceilings differ: 1 MB for an e-Visa, 300 KB for a regular visa.
- Have someone else shoot it with the rear camera —— Stand about 1.5 m from a white wall and hold the phone at eye level. Do not use a selfie.
- Select the 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) preset in our tool —— That outputs a 600 x 600 px square — inside the 350-1000 px range and in the right shape.
- Keep face coverage at 50%-70%, do not zoom in —— This is the rule most people get backwards — the European 70%-80% figure does not apply to Indian e-Visas.
- Remove glasses and keep the file under 1 MB —— The e-Visa ceiling is 1 MB and the regular visa is 300 KB. Use a white or light background with no border.
India's real trap is a format split. In September 2025 India moved passport photos to the ICAO 35 x 45 mm portrait — but the e-Visa portal did not follow and still demands a square between 350 x 350 and 1000 x 1000 px. Upload a freshly issued passport photo to the e-Visa system and it will be refused for not being square.
The second counter-intuitive point is face coverage. The "80%" figure circulating online is from other countries' standards. Per the official Indian visa portal, the head on an e-Visa upload should measure 25-35 mm, about 50%-70% of the frame. Follow the 80% advice and you will overshoot.
Third, selfies are explicitly flagged as unacceptable, because the perspective distortion of a front camera skews facial proportions. Have someone else take the shot with the rear camera.
FAQ
Is the India e-Visa photo square or portrait?
Square, with height equal to width, between 350 x 350 and 1000 x 1000 px. The square requirement is absolute — a rectangle is rejected even at a valid size.
Can I reuse my new Indian passport photo?
Not for the e-Visa. Since September 2025 Indian passport photos are 35 x 45 mm portrait, while the e-Visa portal still requires a square. The shapes differ and the system refuses it.
What proportion should the head take up?
Per the official visa portal, 50%-70% of the frame, which corresponds to a head height of 25-35 mm. The widely quoted 80% comes from Schengen and UK standards and overshoots for India.
Are glasses allowed?
The official portal requires photos without spectacles, and this applies to every e-Visa category. Remove prescription glasses, reading glasses, sunglasses and tinted lenses.
Will a border or watermark cause a rejection?
Yes. Photos must be cropped to the edge with no border, frame or decorative element, and no studio watermark.