UPSC: the photo, the triple signature and the 10-day rule
UPSC's application is the strictest in the country. A recent photo with your name and date printed on it, three signatures stacked in one image, and file sizes checked to the kilobyte. How to prepare both files correctly.
UPSC applications (Civil Services, ESE, CDS, NDA and others) go through the One Time Registration, or OTR. It asks for only two files, a photo and a signature, but both have rules you won't find on other forms. It is also unforgiving: a file just 1 KB outside the allowed range is refused.
This guide explains each rule and how to prepare both files on a phone.
The two files
These are the values UPSC has used in recent notifications. UPSC revises its instructions, so read the notification for your exam before you start.
| File | Shape | File size | What is special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo | Between 350 × 350 and 1000 × 1000 pixels | 20–300 KB | Your name and the photo's date printed on it; taken within the recent window |
| Signature | A frame that holds all three signatures | At least 20 KB; check the maximum in your instructions | Three identical signatures, one below the other, in one image |
Both must be real JPEG files. The portal reads the file's contents, so a PNG renamed to .jpg is rejected.
The photo
How recent it must be
UPSC has asked for a photo taken no more than 10 days before the date that applies in its instructions. The current notification states that date. Get a new photo taken for the application instead of reusing an old one.
The photo has a second, longer life. Your appearance at the Prelims, the Mains and the interview is expected to match it. If you have a beard, a moustache or spectacles in the photo, keep that look through the whole process, so take the photo the way you plan to appear at every stage.
Name and date on the photo
Like NTA exams, UPSC wants your name and the date the photo was taken printed on the image itself. A photo without them is rejected. Print the date in the day-month-year form, for example 12-02-2027.
Framing
- Your face should take up about three-quarters of the frame, which UPSC describes as "3/4th space".
- Plain, light background.
- Look straight at the camera, in good daylight.
The triple signature
This is the rule that surprises most first-time applicants. UPSC wants three signatures, one below the other, in a single image. It compares your signature at different stages, and three samples make that comparison reliable.
- On one sheet of plain white paper, sign three times, one below the other, with a black pen. Use your normal signature every time.
- Keep the three signatures the same size and leave a little space between them.
- Photograph the sheet flat, in daylight, with no shadow.
- Open the signature tab on the UPSC page. It cleans the paper to white, darkens the ink, fits the three signatures into the frame and brings the file into the size range.
The tool arranges and cleans your own three signatures. It never draws, repeats or creates a signature. All three must be ones you signed.
Making the photo on a phone
- Stand against a plain light wall, facing a window. Ask someone to take the photo at eye level.
- Open the photo tab and type your name and the date the photo was taken. The tool warns you if the date looks older than the window allows.
- It crops to a 400 × 400 square, well inside UPSC's allowed 350–1000 pixels, keeps your face at about three-quarters of the space, prints the strip and brings the file into 20–300 KB.
- Download it and run it through the checker.
If your phone is an iPhone, convert the photo to a real JPEG first. Otherwise the format check can fail even though the picture looks right.
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 limitWhy "1 KB over" matters here
UPSC checks the exact size. A photo of 300.4 KB is over a 300 KB limit, and a signature of 19.8 KB is under a 20 KB floor. So check the size of the final file, not the size of the photo you started with, and aim to land comfortably inside both limits rather than right on the edge.
Checklist
- Notification read: the photo date window and both KB ranges noted.
- Photo: taken within the window, face about three-quarters of the frame, plain light background, real JPEG.
- Your name and the date the photo was taken printed on it.
- Signature: three identical signatures, stacked, black ink on white paper, at least 20 KB and under your instructions' maximum.
- Both files opened once more: upright, sharp, clearly you.
- Your look (beard, spectacles) kept consistent with the photo through the exam process.