On this page
Specifications
Every measurable requirement, in the same order on every country page. Bracketed numbers point to the official source below.
| Printed photo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Photo size | 51 × 51 mm (San Francisco) | [4] |
| Head height (chin to top of hair) | 1–1⅜ in (25–35 mm) | [1] |
| Eye position | At least 1⅛ in (29 mm) | [1] |
| Background | Plain light coloured or white background | [1] |
| Print resolution | Not specified by the authority | |
| Paper | Thin photo paper (San Francisco) | [4] |
| Copies required | At least two identical photos (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Digital upload | ||
| Pixel size | 350 × 350 px minimum, 1000 × 1000 px maximum, square | [2] |
| File format | JPEG | [1] |
| File size | 10–300 KB | [1] |
| Colour | Colour; black-and-white photos will not be accepted (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Validity | ||
| Taken within | Less than 6 months (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Also specified | ||
| Equal height and width (national) | The height and width of the photo must be equal | [1] |
| Head position (national) | Center the head within the frame | [1] |
| Border (national) | Without borders | [1] |
| Photo size (High Commission in Abuja) | 50 × 50 mm (2 × 2 in), square (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Photo size — passport photo standard | 35 × 35 mm (San Francisco) | [4] |
| Paper (High Commission in Abuja) | Standard photo paper (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Face in the frame (San Francisco) | The face should cover about 60–70 percent of the photo area; the head is shown from the crown of the head to the tip of the chin (San Francisco) | [4] |
| Background (San Francisco) | Plain white coloured, without borders (San Francisco) | [4] |
| Background (High Commission in Abuja) | White; photos with a coloured or fantasy background will be refused (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Face proportion (High Commission in Abuja) | Face taken between 70% and 80% of the height of the photo (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Glasses (San Francisco) | No tinted or dark glasses; frames must not cover the eyes; glare on eyeglasses avoided with a slight upward or downward tilt of the head (San Francisco) | [4] |
| Glasses (High Commission in Abuja) | Glasses frames should be subtle and not block the eyes; photos showing tinted glasses or red eyes will be refused (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| Eyes (San Francisco) | Eyes must be open, level and clearly visible; not covered by hair or eyeglass frames (San Francisco) | [4] |
| Head covering (High Commission in Abuja) | Head coverings will not be accepted; accessories worn for religious or ethnic beliefs or antecedents are accepted provided the face remains entirely visible (High Commission in Abuja) | [5] |
| e-Visa file limits | JPEG, minimum 10 KB and maximum 1 MB, height and width equal; full face, front view, eyes open and without spectacles | [3] |
Rules
What is allowed and what is refused. Same ten rows on every page; “Conditional” means allowed only as described.
| Expression | Required | Neutral expression, with a closed mouth (High Commission in Abuja) [5] |
| Eyes | Required | Eyes open [1] |
| Glasses | Not allowed | The e-Visa photograph must be taken without spectacles [3] |
| Head covering | Conditional | Not permitted except for religious reasons; the facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown (San Francisco) [4] |
| Hair | Conditional | Hair should not cover the face (High Commission in Abuja) [5] |
| Ears | Required | Both ears, the neck and the shoulders must be clearly visible (San Francisco) [4] |
| Clothing | Conditional | Contrast-coloured clothing, not white (San Francisco) [4] |
| Retouching / filters | Not allowed | Do not retouch or otherwise enhance or soften the photo (San Francisco) [4] |
| Shadows and objects | Not allowed | No shadows on the face or on the background [1] |
| Infants and children | Conditional | Babies under one year need not have their eyes open; for children under ten the height of the face and the position of the eyes can be relaxed, but the child must appear alone — no chair backs, toys or other people (San Francisco) [4] |
Notes and common mistakes
One portal, two routes
Indian Visa Online carries two sets of photograph requirements: the regular visa Instructions page [1] and the e-Visa page [3]. Both ask for a full face, front view with eyes open [1][3]. The regular Instructions page also asks for the head centred within the frame, a plain light-coloured or white background, no shadows on the face or the background, and no borders [1]. What differs between them is the file itself: the regular form’s upload is capped at 300 KB, while the e-Visa accepts up to 1 MB, and only the e-Visa instructions add that the photograph must be taken without spectacles [1][3].
The print size and paper come from the mission, not the portal
Indian Visa Online requires the height and width of the photo to be equal [1]. The print size comes from the mission pages: the Consulate General in San Francisco gives 51 × 51 mm for visa applications [4], while the High Commission in Abuja gives 50 mm × 50 mm (2 inch × 2 inch) [5]. Paper differs the same way: San Francisco asks for thin photo paper [4], Abuja for standard photo paper [5].
Face proportion and pose
The face proportion comes from the mission pages: San Francisco asks for the face to cover about 60–70 percent of the photo area [4]; Abuja asks for the face to be taken between 70 and 80 percent of the height of the photo [5]. San Francisco also asks for both ears, the neck and the shoulders to be clearly visible, and for the eyes to be open, level and clearly visible [4]. Abuja asks for a neutral expression with a closed mouth, and for hair not to cover the face [5].
Where applications fail
San Francisco asks for a plain white background without borders [4]; Abuja requires a white background and refuses photos with a coloured or fantasy background [5]. The regular Instructions page rules out shadows on the face or on the background [1]. San Francisco separately warns against a white shirt against its plain white background, asking for contrast-coloured clothing instead [4]. Head coverings are refused unless worn for religious reasons, and even then the face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and both edges of the face, must stay visible [4]; Abuja states the same exception more broadly, covering religious or ethnic accessories as long as the face remains entirely visible [5].
Countries with the same photo size
2 × 2 in Philippines Saudi Arabia United States
Questions
What kind of photo file should I upload for an Indian visa application?
Upload a square JPEG with the head centred in the frame and no borders [1]. Keep it within the 10–300 KB and 350–1000 px limits on the regular Indian Visa Online form [1][2]. The e-Visa upload has its own file limits — JPEG, 10 KB to 1 MB — and requires a full-face, front view with eyes open and no spectacles [3].
Can I wear glasses in my Indian visa photo?
For the e-Visa upload, spectacles are not allowed at all [3]. The conditions on glasses come from the mission pages: San Francisco allows no tinted or dark glasses and requires that the eyes are not covered by eyeglass frames [4]; Abuja asks for subtle frames that do not block the eyes and rejects photos showing tinted glasses [5].
What are the rules for a baby or small child's photo?
The San Francisco consulate's page says a baby under one year old does not need to have its eyes open, and that for a child under ten the face-height and eye-position rules can be relaxed — but the child must still appear alone in the frame, with no chair backs, toys or other people [4].
Why does the eye-height instruction stop mid-sentence?
Because the source page stops there: the regular Instructions page's Photo Requirements paragraph reads "Make sure eye height is between 1 1/8 inches to 1-3." with no readable upper figure — only the 1 1/8 inch (29 mm) lower bound is published [1]. The head-height figure a few words earlier is given in full, 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25–35 mm) [1].
Sources
Every value above is taken from the following official documents. If a source disagrees with this page, the source is right — tell us. Report an error.
- [1] Instructions for Regular Visa Application — Indian Visa Online, Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs (Photo Requirements: JPEG, 10–300 KB, height and width equal, head 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches)
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/instruction.html - [2] Online Visa Photo Upload Process (VSS_IMAGE.pdf) — Indian Visa Online (minimum 350 × 350 pixels, maximum 1000 × 1000 pixels)
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/VSS_IMAGE.pdf - [3] e-Visa — Indian Visa Online, Bureau of Immigration (“The digital photograph to be uploaded along with the Visa application should meet the following requirements”)
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html - [4] PHOTO SPECIFICATION — Consulate General of India, San Francisco (visa applications 51 x 51 mm)
https://www.cgisf.gov.in/content/1553603082PHOTO%20SPECIFICATION.pdf - [5] VISA REQUIREMENTS · PHOTO SPECIFICATIONS — High Commission of India, Abuja
https://hciabuja.gov.in/pages/MTE5