Indian passport photo maker for applicants abroad
If you apply for an Indian passport through an Indian embassy or consulate, you upload a colour photo of 630 × 810 pixels on a white background, with your face taking up 80 to 85% of the picture. Frame your photo here and download a file at exactly that size.
- Free, no watermark
- Photo stays on your device
- No retouching
- Rules checked 11 November 2026
Indian passport photo requirements for applicants abroad
| Pixel size | 630 × 810 pixels |
|---|---|
| Colour | In colour |
| Background | White |
| Framing | Close-up of the head and top of the shoulders, face taking up 80 to 85% of the photo |
| Head | Full head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, centred and not tilted |
| Glasses | Take them off to avoid reflections |
| Editing | Unaltered by computer software |
| Upload | Mandatory, with your signature and documents, on the Passport Seva portal for missions |
Checked against the official source on 11 November 2026. Source: Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Seva (missions): Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications (PDF) · Passport Seva at Indian Embassies and Consulates: Before you apply · Embassy of India, Washington DC: GPSP 2.0 notice · High Commission of India, London: Guidelines for ICAO compliant photographs · Consulate General of India, Toronto: Mandatory uploading of ICAO-compliant photographs · High Commission of India, Canberra: ICAO photograph notice · High Commission of India, Ottawa: ICAO photograph guidelines (PDF) · High Commission of India, Ottawa: SOP for document uploading (PDF) · Embassy of India, Berne: Notice on ICAO photo requirements (250 KB). Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.
What the photo must show
- You looking directly at the camera, with your eyes open and clearly visible and no hair across them.
- Your mouth closed and a natural expression.
- Natural skin tones, with appropriate brightness and contrast.
- Uniform lighting: no shadows or flash reflections on the face, no red eye, and no distracting shadows in the background.
- A photo taken from 1.5 metres away (not too close), and not blurred.
- No head covering except for religious reasons. Even then, the face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown.
Who this page is for
Indian embassies, high commissions and consulates take passport applications through the Ministry of External Affairs' Passport Seva portal for missions, mportal.passportindia.gov.in/mission. You fill in the form there, upload your photo, signature and documents, then submit the printed form at the mission or its service centre. The Embassy of India in Washington links to the portal's ICAO photo guidelines, and the High Commissions in London, Canberra and Ottawa and the Consulate General in Toronto publish the same guidelines on their own websites. In the United States, the Washington embassy says to apply through VFS Global and to upload the photo before you mail or submit the form.
The file size
The national guidelines give the pixel size but no file size. Some missions add one: the Embassy of India in Berne and the Consulate General in Milan say the photo “must not exceed 250 KB”. The download from this page always stays under 250 KB, which also fits those missions. There is also a limit on the documents together: the High Commission in Ottawa's upload instructions say the total of all uploaded documents should be not more than 1 MB, so a small photo leaves room for the rest.
Unaltered, but cropped
The guidelines say photos should be unaltered by computer software. The tool on this page only crops and resizes your photo to 630 × 810 pixels; it does not retouch your face or replace the background. Take the photo against a plain white wall. This is a different photo from the Indian visa photo and the OCI card photo, which are square.
Common problems with Indian passport photos abroad
- A face that is too small: a standard passport-style photo with chest and space around the head, instead of a close-up.
- A background that is grey, cream or patterned instead of white.
- Glasses left on, with reflections on the lenses.
- A photo in the wrong shape, such as a square visa photo or a 2 × 2 inch print scan.
- A selfie taken at arm's length, closer than 1.5 metres.
- A file that is too large for the mission's limit or the portal's total upload size.
✓ Good: plain background, even light, neutral face
✕ Shadow on the wall and face
✕ Busy background
✕ Glare on glasses
✕ Selfie taken too close
✕ Too dark, orange light
More on this in why ID photos get rejected. The examples use an off-white wall. The background row in the table above gives the exact colour this document asks for.
How to use this tool
- Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m, at eye level, in even daylight in front of a plain wall.
- Add the photo above. The tool finds your face and frames it to the size on this page.
- Check the green lines: one on the top of your head, one on your chin. Drag or zoom to adjust.
- Read the automatic checks, then download. Nothing in the photo is retouched, only cropped and resized.
Questions about the Indian passport photo (abroad)
What size is the Indian passport photo when applying from abroad?
The ICAO photo guidelines on the Passport Seva portal for missions ask for a colour photo of 630 × 810 pixels on a white background, with the face taking up 80 to 85% of the photograph.
What is the maximum file size for the Indian passport photo abroad?
The national guidelines do not give one. The Embassy of India in Berne and the Consulate General in Milan say the photo must not exceed 250 KB. Check your own mission's notice; this tool's download is always under 250 KB.
Can I wear glasses in my Indian passport photo?
The Indian passport ICAO photo guidelines say glasses should be taken off to avoid reflections.
Is the Indian passport photo in the US different from the UK, Canada or Australia?
No. The Embassy of India in Washington, the High Commissions in London, Ottawa and Canberra and the Consulate General in Toronto all use the same ICAO photo guidelines for Indian passports: 630 × 810 pixels, colour, white background. Submission steps differ by mission, so follow your mission's checklist.
Guides for this photo
- Why passport and ID photos get rejectedThe reasons authorities list themselves, and how to avoid each
- How to take a passport photo at homeDistance, light, background and pose, step by step
- Are edited or AI passport photos allowed?What ten authorities say about retouching, filters and AI
- Can I take my own passport photo?Where a home photo is accepted, and where it is not