All countries · How the photograph reaches the authority
India photographs you at the centre
If you are applying at a Passport Seva Kendra, you do not need to upload a photo or carry a printed one. The centre photographs you during the appointment, free of charge.
Checked 7 August 2026 · Passport Seva
Passport Seva says it in two places. Its getting-started guidance explains that applicants attend the centre so their photograph and biometrics can be collected there, and the section on what to bring to a PSK or POPSK visit states that a photograph is not required.
This catches people out because every guide on the internet, including the ones selling photo services, describes an Indian passport photo as something you prepare. That was true of an older process and is still true in two cases.
The first is a child under four, who cannot be photographed reliably at a counter: bring one printed colour photograph, 45 × 35 mm, on a white background. The second is an application made at an Indian mission abroad, which runs its own process and its own specification — a consulate in another country is not a PSK.
There is a third case that is not an exception so much as a different document: an Indian visa, applied for by a foreign national, is filed online and does want an uploaded file.
Applying in India, at a centre: bring nothing. Under four, or applying abroad: bring a photograph, and the size is on the document page.
The documents this concerns
- Indian passport photo Pure white background, 35×45 mm. The portal takes exactly 630×810 px under 250 KB, with the face filling 80–85 % of the height.
- India e-Visa photo White background, square 2×2 inches, head 50–69 % of the height. Rejected automatically if the dimensions are even slightly off.
- Check an existing photo Already have a file? Drop it here and see which requirements it meets. Nothing is uploaded — the checks run in your browser.
This is an independent site, not a government body. Requirements change, so check them against the official source before you apply. We promise a photo that matches the published specification. We never promise that an application will be approved.