PassportPhotoFit

OCI card photo maker

The OCI portal rejects photos that do not match its standard, and two of its rules surprise people: the file must be under 200 KB, and the background must be light but not white. Frame your photo here and download a file that fits.

OCI photo requirements

ShapeSquare
Pixel sizeMinimum 200 × 200 pixels, maximum 900 × 900 pixels
File formatJPEG or JPG
File sizeMaximum 200 KB
Printed sizeNot less than 51 × 51 mm
Face coverage80% coverage of face
BackgroundPlain, light colour, not white
BorderNo border

Checked against the official source on 11 November 2026. Source: Ministry of Home Affairs: OCI Services portal FAQ. Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.

What the photo must show

✓ Correct✕ Head too small✕ Head too large✕ Head tilted
Framing for this document: the head, from chin to the top of the hair, should fill about 68 to 80% of the photo height. The tool measures this for you.
Why there is no background remover. Official photo rules refuse photos whose background has been changed by software, so this tool never alters your photo. If the check says the background is not plain, retake the photo against a plain, light wall: how to get a plain background at home.

Not white

Photos for the Indian visa may have a white background. The OCI portal's FAQ asks for a “plain light color background (not white)”. If you are reusing a photo taken for a passport or visa against a white wall, take a new one against a pale grey, cream or light blue wall. The tool warns you when the background measures as pure white.

The signature image

The application also needs an image of your signature. The portal gives it the same file rules as the photo: JPEG or JPG, with a maximum size of 200 KB. If your scan is too large, the resize to KB tool will reduce it.

A large face

The FAQ asks for a square photo “with 80% coverage of face”. That is a tighter crop than a United States passport photo, where the head is at most 69% of the height. The tool frames the head at about three-quarters of the picture height, leaving room for hair above and the chin below.

Common problems with OCI photos

  • A fictional woman photographed correctly for an ID photo: facing the camera, neutral expression, plain off-white wall, even light.✓ Good: plain background, even light, neutral face
  • The same woman lit from one side, with a dark shadow on the wall behind her and one side of her face darker.✕ Shadow on the wall and face
  • The same woman photographed in a living room with shelves and a doorway behind her instead of a plain wall.✕ Busy background
  • The same woman wearing glasses with bright reflections on the lenses that hide her eyes.✕ Glare on glasses
  • A close-up selfie of the same woman: the wide-angle phone camera enlarges her nose and cuts off the top of her head.✕ Selfie taken too close
  • The same woman photographed in a dim room with orange lamp light, making the photo dark and grainy.✕ Too dark, orange light
Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

More on this in why ID photos get rejected. The examples use an off-white wall to show framing and lighting only. The OCI card photo must not have a pure white background: use the colour in the background row of the table above, and avoid a bright white wall.

How to use this tool

  1. Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m, at eye level, in even daylight in front of a plain wall.
  2. Add the photo above. The tool finds your face and frames it to the size on this page.
  3. Check the green lines: one on the top of your head, one on your chin. Drag or zoom to adjust.
  4. Read the automatic checks, then download. Nothing in the photo is retouched, only cropped and resized.

Questions about the OCI card photo

What size is the OCI photo?

Square, between 200 × 200 and 900 × 900 pixels, in JPEG or JPG format, with a maximum file size of 200 KB.

What background colour does the OCI photo need?

A plain, light-coloured background that is not white, according to the OCI Services portal's FAQ.

What size is the OCI signature image?

The portal asks for a JPEG or JPG with a maximum size of 200 KB, the same limit as the photo.

Can I use my US passport photo for an OCI application?

Usually not. A US passport photo has a white or off-white background, and the OCI portal asks for a light background that is not white, with the face covering more of the picture.

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