Passport-size photo in India: which size do you actually need?

By Aman, founder of FABX Labs · Updated 17 September 2026 · 4 min read

"Passport size" means different things on different forms: 3.5 × 4.5 cm on most Indian forms, a square 2 × 2 inch on some, and a small 3.5 × 2.5 cm on PAN. How to tell which one your form wants and make it at home.

"Upload a passport-size photograph" sounds like one clear instruction. In practice, Indian forms use the phrase for several different sizes, and the one you need depends on the form, not on the words "passport size".

This guide explains the common sizes, how to tell which one your form wants, and how to make it without going to a studio.

The sizes you will meet

When a form says passport size without anything else, it almost always means 3.5 × 4.5 cm. The square 2 × 2 inch size is the printed photo size for Indian passports, and it also appears on some visa forms. Always read the size written next to the upload button: it overrides the name.

If the form gives pixels, use the pixels

Online forms usually check the pixel size and the file size in KB, not centimetres. If your form says something like "630 × 810 pixels, 20–100 KB", those are the numbers to hit, whatever it calls the photo. The centimetre sizes above are only a guide for forms that don't give pixels.

The Indian passport itself

For most people who apply at a Passport Seva Kendra, the photo for the passport is taken at the Kendra on the day of the appointment, so no photo file is needed. Where Passport Seva asks you to upload a photo, its own photo documents give 630 × 810 pixels, a white background, and your face taking up 80–85% of the photo. Published size limits have varied, so keep the file between 20 and 100 KB, which fits all of them. Follow what the Passport Seva page shows when you apply, because it can change.

PAN card

PAN applications ask for a smaller photo: 3.5 × 2.5 cm, the size on the Income Tax Department's Form 49A. It is taller than it is wide, 2.5 cm wide and 3.5 cm tall, in colour on a plain background. For an online application that is 197 × 276 pixels at 200 DPI, as a JPEG. Size caps have been given as 50 KB on some PAN forms and 100 KB on others, so 20–50 KB is safe for both. The signature is a separate JPEG, usually around 2 × 4.5 cm.

What every passport-size photo needs

Whatever the size, these rules show up on almost every Indian form:

• Recent, and looking like you do now.
• Plain white or light background, with no shadow behind you.
• Face centred, looking straight at the camera, with both ears visible for most exams.
• Colour. Many forms reject black-and-white photos.
• No cap or dark glasses. Many forms also ask you to remove spectacles.
• A real JPEG file, not a PNG, a screenshot or an iPhone HEIC photo.

Making one at home

1. Stand against a plain light wall, facing a window. Ask someone to take the photo at eye level, about an arm's length away.
2. Open the passport photo maker and choose the size your form needs: 3.5 × 4.5 cm, 2 × 2 inch or PAN.
3. Move the crop so your face is centred, with some space above your head.
4. If the form gives a KB limit, enter it. The file is compressed to fit.
5. Check the result before uploading.

The tool crops and sizes the photo. It does not remove or replace the background, so start with a real plain wall.

Printing it

The photo maker saves the file at 300 DPI, so it prints at its true size. A 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo prints as 3.5 × 4.5 cm. To print several, take the file to any photo shop and ask for the size you chose. It is cheaper than a new studio sitting.

Before you upload

Run the file through the checker. It reads the real format, the pixel size and the KB size, and compares them with your form's rules.

Quick answers

Is 35 × 45 mm the same as 3.5 × 4.5 cm?

Yes. It is the same size written in millimetres.

Can I use the same passport-size photo on every form?

The photo can be the same. The file often can't, because each form wants its own pixel size and KB range. Make one file per form from the same original photo.

My form says 4.5 × 3.5 cm. Is that different?

No. It is the same photo with width and height written the other way round. A photo is taller than it is wide.

Tools used in this guide

More guides

• UPSC: the photo, the triple signature and the 10-day rule
• Form 16, ITR-V and bank statements: finding the PDF password you already have
• SSC photo and signature rules, explained
• Split a large PDF to fit a 5 MB or 10 MB limit