PAN card photo maker

The current PAN application form for Indian citizens, Form 93, asks for two recent colour photographs of 4.5 cm × 3.5 cm on a white background. If you upload a scanned photo to Protean's online application instead, it must be a colour JPEG at 200 DPI, 3.5 × 2.5 cm and no larger than 20 KB.

Free, no watermark
Photo stays on your device
No retouching
Rules checked 12 November 2026

3.5 × 2.5 cm or 4.5 × 3.5 cm? Some older Protean guideline pages, written for Form 49A, still ask for printed photos of 3.5 cm × 2.5 cm. Form 93, as published by the Income Tax Department, Protean and UTIITSL, has spaces for 4.5 cm × 3.5 cm photos. The 3.5 × 2.5 cm size is still listed for Protean's scanned upload. We could not find UTIITSL's file specifications for scanned uploads on an official page, so they are not included here.

PAN card photo requirements

Printed photo (Form 93)	4.5 cm × 3.5 cm, in colour, white background
How many	2 recent colour photographs, the same photo twice
Who needs one	All applicants, including minors
Attaching	Paste in the spaces on the form; do not staple or clip
Signature	Across the left-hand photo, partly on the photo and partly on the form
Right-hand photo	Clear and without any mark
Scanned photo (Protean)	Colour JPEG, 200 DPI, 3.5 × 2.5 cm, max 20 KB
Scanned signature (Protean)	Colour JPEG, 200 DPI, 2 × 4.5 cm, max 10 KB

Checked against the official source on 12 November 2026. Source: Protean: Form 93 and instructions (PAN application for Indian citizens) · Income Tax Department: Form No. 93 · Protean: Guidelines for online PAN applications with scanned images (DSC) · UTIITSL: Guidelines for submitting a PAN application · Protean: Guidelines for filling a PAN application (Form 49A). Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.

What the photo must show

A recent colour photograph of the applicant.
A white background.
Your face clearly visible, with no signature, stamp or other mark over it.
A sharp, clear print: the image on the PAN card depends on the quality and clarity of the photo on the form.
For a scanned upload, a colour scan, not black and white.

Recommended framing: the official rules give no exact head size for this photo, so the examples use our recommendation of about 60 to 78% of the photo height, from chin to the top of the hair. The tool marks it as a recommendation, not a rule.

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.

Which photo you need

The Income Tax Department has appointed two agencies to receive PAN applications: Protean (formerly NSDL e-Gov) and UTIITSL. If you apply on a paper form, or fill in the form online and then print it, you paste two identical printed photos of 4.5 × 3.5 cm on it before posting it with your documents. Choose Paper form above the tool to make them.

If you apply online with Protean and upload scanned images instead, you need a digital photo: a colour JPEG of 3.5 × 2.5 cm at 200 DPI, no larger than 20 KB. That works out at about 197 × 276 pixels. Choose Scanned upload above the tool. The signature is uploaded separately: a colour JPEG of 2 × 4.5 cm at 200 DPI, no larger than 10 KB.

Signing across the photo

Form 93 has two photo spaces. Sign, or put your left thumb impression, across the photo on the left side, so part of it is on the photo and part on the form. Leave the photo on the right side clear. Protean's guidelines say an application is not accepted if a mark on the photo hinders a clear view of the applicant's face. A thumb impression must be attested by a Magistrate, a Notary Public or a Gazetted Officer under official seal and stamp.

Why PAN photos cause problems

A signature or mark on the right-hand photo, or anything that hides the face.
Photos stapled or clipped to the form instead of pasted.
Old 3.5 × 2.5 cm prints used on Form 93, which has spaces for 4.5 × 3.5 cm photos.
A scanned photo larger than 20 KB, or saved in a format other than JPEG.
A background that is not white.
A blurred or faded print, which gives an unclear image on the PAN card.

A fictional woman photographed correctly for an ID photo: facing the camera, neutral expression, plain off-white wall, even light. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

The same woman lit from one side, with a dark shadow on the wall behind her and one side of her face darker. — 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, which suits most documents; check the official page if you are unsure about the colour.

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 PAN card photo

What is the PAN card photo size?

On Form 93, the current PAN application for Indian citizens, the photo is 4.5 cm × 3.5 cm, in colour, on a white background. You paste two of them on the form.

What size should the PAN card photo be for online upload?

For Protean's online application with scanned images, the photo must be a colour JPEG scanned at 200 DPI, 3.5 × 2.5 cm, and no larger than 20 KB. The scanned signature is 2 × 4.5 cm and no larger than 10 KB.

Is the PAN card photo 3.5 × 2.5 cm or 4.5 × 3.5 cm?

Both appear in official instructions. Form 93 has spaces for printed photos of 4.5 × 3.5 cm. The 3.5 × 2.5 cm size comes from older Form 49A instructions and from Protean's specification for scanned uploads.

Where do I sign on PAN card photos?

Sign or put your left thumb impression across the photo on the left side of Form 93, partly on the photo and partly on the form. The photo on the right side must stay clear and without any mark.