Passport photo at home in India
India's system has a twist that saves many applicants money: for the passport itself, most people do not need to bring a photo at all, because Passport Seva Kendras photograph applicants at the counter. Where you do need one — young children, visa applications, OCI cards — the sizes and file rules differ from each other and from what generic apps assume. This guide sorts out who needs what.
The passport: the PSK takes the photo for most applicants
Passport Seva's own guidance states that applicants above the age of four are photographed at the PSK, POPSK or post office itself; only minors below four need to carry a photo to the appointment. That child photo follows the Indian passport photo standard: 35 x 45 mm in colour, a close-up where the face takes up 80 to 85 percent of the frame — noticeably tighter than most countries — against a plain white background, with the guidance adding that the dress should be in dark colour so the child does not blend into the white. One production warning is explicit: a photograph in computer print will not be accepted, so have the file printed at a photo lab on photographic paper rather than running it through an office printer.
Visa applications: a square upload plus a 2 x 2 print
The regular Indian visa photo is the opposite of the passport: height and width must be equal, the upload is a JPEG between 10 KB and 300 KB, and the printed copies for the mission are 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches, on a plain light or white background. The portal's instructions page carries these numbers itself, which is useful ammunition if a visa centre disputes a compliant photo. Note the kilobyte floor: a heavily compressed file under 10 KB fails just as surely as an oversized one, a trap covered in the file-size guide.
OCI: small pixels, light but not white
The OCI card photo upload caps at 900 x 900 pixels and 200 KB in JPEG, and the specification asks for a plain light-coloured background that is not white, without a border — the single rule that catches people reusing a visa photo, which is shot on white. The print equivalent is 2 x 2 inches with the same 25 to 35 mm head band. Both figures come from the Ministry of Home Affairs' own photo specification.
Shooting at home for the uploads
For the visa and OCI files the authorities judge the image, not the photographer, so a phone photo works: rear camera, someone else shooting from a couple of metres, window light, plain wall. The 80 to 85 percent face rule for children's passport prints means framing much closer than feels natural — our checker measures head height as a fraction of the photo against the published band before you pay, and the baby photo guide covers posing an infant for it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to bring photos to my passport appointment?
If the applicant is above four years old, no — the photograph is captured at the PSK, POPSK or post office during the appointment. Children below four need one printed 35 x 45 mm photo, and visa or OCI applications have their own photo requirements regardless of age.
Why was my OCI photo rejected when my visa photo was accepted?
Most likely the background: the visa standard allows plain white, while the OCI specification asks for a plain light colour that is not white, without a border. The pixel caps also differ, 900 x 900 maximum for OCI against a 600 x 600 minimum for the visa upload.
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