NEET, JEE and CUET: the photo with your name and date
NTA forms want your name and the photo's date printed under your face, inside the image. What that means, which photos you need for NEET, JEE Main and CUET, and how to add the strip without a studio.
NEET UG, JEE Main, CUET UG and UGC NET all run on the National Testing Agency's application system, and they share one rule that trips up a lot of students every year: your name and the date the photo was taken must be printed below your face, inside the photo file itself.
Writing your name in the form is not enough. Holding up a slip of paper is not it either. The name and date have to be part of the image.
What "name and date on the photo" means
Picture a normal passport-size photo with a white band along the bottom. In that band are two lines: your name, and the date the photo was taken. Many photo studios print this for NTA forms, but you can make the same thing on a phone.
The portal's own error, when the strip is missing, reads: "Name and date must be written below the photograph".
Which files each exam wants
NTA's values are consistent across its exams. These are the ones in recent bulletins:
| Exam | Photo | Signature | Other files |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEET UG | Passport-size and postcard-size (4 × 6 in), both with name and date, 10–200 KB each | 4–30 KB | Left and right thumb impressions, 10–200 KB each |
| JEE Main | Passport-size with name and date, 10–200 KB | 10–100 KB (10–30 KB passes in every session) | ID proof, 10–200 KB |
| CUET UG / UGC NET | Passport-size with name and date, 10–200 KB, not older than 3 months | 4–30 KB | — |
Certificates (category, EWS, PwD, Class 10) go as PDFs of 50–300 KB.
EPNEET photos, signature and thumbsMake the photo & postcard photo & signature & thumb impression files for the NEET UG form: Passport photo with name & date 413×531 px, 10–200 KB; Postcard 4×6 in photo with name & date 1200×1800 px, 10–200 KB; Signature 413×177 px, 4–30 KBThe photo itself
- White background.
- Face fills about 80% of the frame, with both ears visible.
- Recent. NEET asks for a photo taken on or after 1 January of the exam year; CUET asks for one not older than three months.
- JPEG only. A PNG or an iPhone HEIC photo renamed to
.jpgfails the format check.
NEET's two photos are used at different stages: the passport-size one goes on the admit card, and the postcard-size one is pasted on the attendance sheet at the centre. Both must be the same photo.
Which date to print
Print the date the photo was taken, not the date you fill the form. It must fall inside the window your exam allows: on or after 1 January of the exam year for NEET, within three months for CUET. A photo taken the week you apply is the safest choice.
Making it on a phone
- Stand against a plain white wall, facing a window, and have someone take the photo at eye level. Keep your ears visible and don't use a beauty filter.
- Open your exam's page, choose the photo tab, and type your name and the date the photo was taken.
- The tool crops the photo, adds the name-and-date strip under your face, and brings the file into 10–200 KB.
- For NEET, switch to the postcard tab and make the 4 × 6 inch version from the same photo.
- Check the downloaded file before uploading.
The tool does not remove or replace your background, so start with a real white wall.
Signature and thumb impressions
- Signature: running hand, black ink on white paper, no capital letters and no initials. NEET and CUET accept 4–30 KB; JEE accepts 10–100 KB.
- Thumb impressions (NEET): left and right, each pressed once on white paper with a blue or black ink pad, photographed in daylight.
A clean signature can drop below the minimum size. The tool keeps it inside the range without changing the image.
EPJEE Main photo and signatureMake the photo & signature files for the JEE Main form: Photo with name & date 413×531 px, 10–200 KB; Signature 413×177 px, 10–100 KBCertificates
Category, EWS, PwD and Class 10 certificates are uploaded as PDFs between 50 and 300 KB. A phone scan is usually far bigger, so compress it to fit.
Compress a PDF to a KB sizeReduce a scanned PDF to an exact size in KB for government portals, GST, income tax and exam uploadsAlready uploaded a photo without the strip?
NTA opens a correction window after registration closes. Upload the corrected photo, with the name and date strip, during that window. Don't wait for the admit card: by then it is usually too late to change.
Checklist
- Photo: white background, face about 80%, ears visible, recent, JPEG.
- Name and the date the photo was taken, printed under the face, inside the image.
- NEET: passport and postcard sizes, from the same photo.
- Signature: running hand, not in capitals, inside your exam's KB range.
- Certificates: PDF, 50–300 KB.
- Keep the photo file. CUET, NEET and JEE accept the same photo if it is still recent enough.