RRB photo and signature rules for NTPC, Group D and ALP
Railway recruitment forms reject black-and-white photos, PNG files and signatures in capital letters, and the size range can change between cycles. How to read your CEN and prepare both files correctly on a phone.
Railway recruitment draws more applications than any other exam in India. RRB NTPC alone has crossed a crore of applications in a cycle. With that many forms, the checks on the photo and signature are strict and automatic: a file that is slightly off is simply refused.
The good news is that the rules are few and clear. The catch is that one of them, the size range, can change from one recruitment cycle to the next.
Start with your CEN
Every RRB recruitment is announced in a CEN (Centralised Employment Notice). The upload rules for your cycle are in it, usually in the section on filling the online application. Read that section before you prepare any file, and note down three things:
- The photo size range in KB.
- The signature size range in KB.
- Whether the photo must be colour (it almost always is).
These are the values used in recent cycles and the ones our RRB preset starts from:
| File | Size on paper | Pixels | File size | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 413 × 531 | 20–50 KB | JPEG, colour |
| Signature | 3.5 × 1.5 cm | 413 × 177 | 10–20 KB | JPEG |
Some cycles have asked for the photo at 30–70 KB instead. If your CEN gives a different range, use the CEN's numbers. You can type them into the tool, and the preset is only a starting point.
EPRRB photo and signatureMake the photo & signature files for the RRB NTPC / Group D / ALP form: Photo 3.5 × 4.5 cm 413×531 px, 20–50 KB; Signature 3.5 × 1.5 cm 413×177 px, 10–20 KBThe photo: five things railway forms check
- Colour only. A black-and-white photo, including an old studio print, is rejected. Take a new one in colour.
- Recent. RRB asks for a photo not older than three months.
- Plain, light background, with your face in the centre.
- Ears visible. Tie back hair that covers them. Spectacles are flagged, so remove them if you can.
- JPEG, never PNG. A PNG is refused outright, and so is a screenshot, which is a PNG. Renaming the file does not help.
Railways also use this photo after the form: it appears on your e-call letter and is matched against your face at the exam centre. So choose a photo that looks like you do today.
The signature: running hand, black ink
- Sign on plain white paper with a black pen.
- Use your normal running-hand signature. A signature in CAPITAL letters is not accepted.
- JPEG, 10–20 KB. A clean scan can come out under 10 KB, which is also rejected. The preset keeps it inside the range.
Making both files on a phone
- Photo. Stand facing a window against a plain light wall and ask someone to take the photo at eye level. Use the phone's normal camera, not a beauty or portrait mode.
- Signature. Sign on white paper and photograph it flat, in daylight, with no shadow.
- Open the RRB preset and pick Photo, then Signature. Each file is cropped to the right shape and brought into its KB range. If your CEN says 30–70 KB, change the numbers first.
- Download both files and run each through the checker.
If you are on an iPhone
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default, and railway forms want JPEG. Convert the photo properly before you do anything else. On the iPhone itself, Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes future photos JPEG.
SFHEIC, WebP, AVIF or PNG → a real JPEG the portal acceptsTurn an iPhone HEIC, WhatsApp WebP, AVIF or PNG into a genuine JPEG — re-encoded, not renamed — with an optional KB limitCommon questions
My photo is 45 KB but the CEN says 30–70 KB. Is that fine?
Yes. What matters is the range in your CEN, not the preset's default. A 45 KB file is inside 30–70 KB.
Can I use the same photo I used for SSC?
Only if it is in colour, less than three months old and has your ears visible. SSC's photo is now captured live, so you may not have a file from it anyway.
The form accepted my photo. Can it still be rejected later?
Yes. Forms are scrutinised after the closing date, and a photo that does not match your face at the exam centre causes trouble on the day. Upload a clear, recent, true likeness.
Checklist before you submit
- Upload rules noted from your CEN, especially the KB ranges.
- Photo: colour, recent, plain light background, ears visible, JPEG, inside the CEN's KB range.
- Signature: black ink, white paper, running hand, JPEG, 10–20 KB (or the CEN's range).
- Both files opened once more: upright, sharp, clearly you.
- A copy of both saved safely. You will see this photo again on your e-call letter.