India Passport Photo Size — the 630×810 Spec
India passport photo specs since 1 Sept 2025 — 35×45 mm, exactly 630×810 px JPEG, 10–250 KB, face 80–85% — plus the separate square e-visa spec.
India changed its passport photo spec on 1 September 2025. Under the MEA’s GPSP 2.0 (Global Passport Seva Programme) rollout, applications require an ICAO-compliant photo — and the old 2×2 in square that India shared with the US for decades is gone. India also runs a separate e-visa photo spec that stayed square, so the channel you apply through decides which numbers apply.
The two current specs
| Field | Passport (since 1 Sep 2025) | e-Visa upload |
|---|---|---|
| Print size | 35×45 mm | digital only — square |
| Digital pixels | exactly 630×810 px | ≥350×350 px (height = width) |
| Head / face size | face fills 80–85% of height | no published mm band — ~50–67% guideline |
| File limit | ≈10–250 KB JPEG (both ends enforced) | 10–300 KB JPEG |
| Background | plain white | plain white |
| Photo age | ≤6 months | ≤6 months |
| Glasses | not allowed | not allowed |
| Expression | neutral, mouth closed | neutral, mouth closed |
Channel decides the spec. Applying for a passport — through Passport Seva in India or a mission abroad — means the ICAO spec: 35×45 mm, exactly 630×810 px, face 80–85%. Applying for an e-visa to visit India means the square upload. The 630×810 file fails the e-visa shape check; a square e-visa photo fails the passport pixel spec. A few consular channels still quote 51×51 mm during the GPSP transition — check the mission's own page if you're applying outside India.
What changed in September 2025
The GPSP 2.0 notice aligned India’s passport photo with ICAO Doc 9303: 35×45 mm portrait, white background, the face filling 80–85% of the frame — a tighter band than the standard ICAO 70–80%. The upload is pinned to exactly 630×810 px (35×45 mm at ~457 dpi), JPEG, inside an ≈10–250 KB window. Both ends are enforced: a 5 KB over-compressed file fails as surely as a 3 MB one.
The practical traps:
- Old photos are the wrong shape. Anything shot for the 2×2 in era fails the 630×810 pixel check — re-crop, don’t resize into place.
- “Exactly” means exactly. 629×810 or 630×811 gets rejected by the dimension check before size is even read.
- Compression both ways. Export quality ~85–92% JPEG lands safely inside 10–250 KB; maximum-compression exports can dip under the 10 KB floor.
- Missions are mid-transition. Most consular posts have switched to the ICAO format; a few still quote the legacy 51×51 mm. The mission’s own checklist wins.
Sources
Related: spec change log · ICAO 9303 explained · the square-spec cousin US passport & visa.
Frequently asked questions
Is the India passport photo 2×2 inches or 35×45 mm?
Since 1 September 2025 it's 35×45 mm — the ICAO format, exactly 630×810 px when uploaded. The old 2×2 in square is no longer accepted for passports. Guides quoting 51×51 mm are describing the pre-September-2025 rule.
Why did the portal reject my 630×810 px photo?
Check the file size both ways: the window is roughly 10–250 KB. The ICAO notice says 'less than 250 KB', but the Passport Seva portal also rejects over-compressed files under ~10 KB. Export a quality JPEG around 100–200 KB.
Is the e-visa photo the same as the passport photo?
No — and this is the most common confusion. The e-visa upload stayed square: minimum 350×350 px, height equal to width, 10–300 KB JPEG. The 630×810 px passport file fails the e-visa portal's shape check.
What does 'face fills 80–85%' mean exactly?
The face — measured with hair — should occupy 80–85% of the photo's height, tighter than the ICAO 70–80% band most countries use. Crop so the crown sits near the top edge with a small margin and the chin lands near the bottom fifth.