Rejections cluster around a handful of spec fields — and they split cleanly into things a file can fail (pixel dimensions, bytes, shape) and things a photo can fail (head band, background, expression). Knowing which bucket you’re in tells you whether to re-export or re-shoot.

File-level rejections — the upload never reaches a human

Rejection	Spec field	Where it bites
Wrong pixel dimensions	Digital pixels	US caps at 1200 px; DV lottery wants exactly 600×600; Indian missions’ ICAO guideline gives 630×810
File too big / too small	File limit	US visa ≤240 KB; UK 50 KB–10 MB (the floor!); ≤250 KB at the Embassy of India in Bern
Wrong shape	Aspect ratio	India e-visa wants square (height = width) — a 630×810 ICAO file isn’t
Wrong format	Format	JPEG is the safe default; PNG/HEIC/WEBP fail portals that say JPEG only
Scanned print	Digital provenance	DV lottery rejects scans of paper photos

Photo-level rejections — the image itself

Head size out of band. The #1 measured rejection. The crop that fits the US 50–69% band is too loose for Schengen’s 71–80% and far too loose for the 80–85% in India’s ICAO guideline. Re-crop per spec; don’t resize.

Background. Not a plain light tone: texture, colour, a second person, or a shadow behind the head. China enforces white strictly; the UK wants grey or cream; “light” elsewhere.

Glasses. Automatic rejection in the US and on India’s e-Visa, which asks for a photo without spectacles, and in Australian passport photos except for documented medical reasons (a ban since 1 July 2018). India’s passport rules split by channel: the ICAO guideline used at its missions abroad says to take glasses off to avoid reflections, while paper forms in India refuse only coloured or dark lenses. China-centre instructions differ: some allow clear lenses without glare or heavy frames, while others ask applicants not to wear glasses; removing them is safest. Glare also causes rejection where glasses are allowed (UK, Canada).

Expression and pose. Smiling, mouth open, head tilted, eyes away from the lens, hair across the eyes. “Neutral” is checked at the counter even when no machine measured it.

Recency. Six months for most specs, one month for UK online applications. An older photo that matches a spec on paper still fails the calendar.

Retouching. Skin smoothing, filters, reshaped features — flagged both by validators and by officers comparing the photo to your face. Shoot clean instead.

The judgement calls no spec covers

Counter staff still apply human judgement: ears partly hidden by hair (China cares, most don’t), religious headwear edge cases, newborn photos (most specs relax the rules for infants — eyes closed is accepted for babies under one in the UK, for instance), and “does this look like you today”. When a spec is ambiguous, the published page plus a phone call to the post beats any third-party summary — including ours; that’s why every card links the authority.

Sources

SourceRejection patterns compiled from the issuing authorities' photo checklists — travel.state.gov, GOV.UK, Passport Seva, COVA, IRCC — and portal validator behaviour (verified September 2026). India rows re-checked 1 October 2026 against Passport Seva's instruction booklet and ICAO photo guidelines, the Bern embassy notice and the e-Visa FAQ.

Related: reading spec sheets · spec change log · look up your document in the spec lookup.

Frequently asked questions

What's the single most common photo rejection?

Head size out of band — the crown-to-chin distance lands outside the allowed range. It's the field that differs most between countries (50–69% US, 71–80% Schengen, 80–85% in India's ICAO guideline), so a photo composed for one spec frequently fails another. Second place: background that isn't a plain light tone.

The portal rejected my photo but it looks fine — why?

Portals check file mechanics, not looks: pixel dimensions (the US visa window is 600–1200 px; the DV lottery wants exactly 600×600), byte windows (UK rejects under 50 KB, a US visa upload over 240 KB), shape (India e-visa wants height = width), and sometimes the dpi-free pixel count. A beautiful photo in the wrong file wrapper fails before a human sees it.

Can a photo be rejected for being too old?

Yes — the recency rule is checked at the counter and by validators: six months for most specs, one month for UK online applications, six months before entry for DV lottery photos. If your appearance changed (beard, glasses you now always wear, surgery), even a compliant-looking older photo should be retaken.

Are shadows on the background really a rejection reason?

Yes — 'plain light background' is enforced as 'uniform light tone, no shadow'. A visible shadow of your head on the wall behind you is among the classic counter rejections. Stand further from the wall or light the background separately to kill it.