Indian Visa Photo (regular visa, 2 x 2 inch and upload): size and requirements
The Indian Visa Photo size is 51 x 51 mm (2.01 x 2.01 inches), or 600 x 600 pixels for online upload, file under 300 KB. Plain light colored or white background, without borders; head 49 to 69 percent of the photo height. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Bureau of Immigration / Indian Visa Online (Ministry of Home Affairs).
For a regular (non e-Visa) Indian visa applied for through indianvisaonline.gov.in and an Indian mission or its outsourcing agency: the square digital upload and the 2 x 2 inch prints. Not for the e-Visa, whose upload limits are only shown inside the e-Visa form, and not for an Indian passport.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 51 x 51 mm (2.01 x 2.01 inches), or 600 x 600 pixels for online upload, file under 300 KB
- Head height
- Head 49 to 69 percent of the photo height (head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25mm to 35mm); eye height between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3[/8] inches (the portal's text is cut off after '1-3'; the upper bound is inferred from the matching US 2 x 2 inch standard))
- Eye line
- 56 to 69 percent from the bottom of the photo
- Background
- plain light colored or white background, without borders
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Allowed without glare or tint
- Head covering
- Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
- We deliver
- 600 x 600 px (300 DPI), under 300 KB, plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckThe upload must be a square JPEG between 10 KB and 300 KB. A 35 x 45 passport crop is rejected because height and width must be equal.
- CheckThe regular visa and the e-Visa have different photo rules and different websites; the e-Visa portal shows its limits only after you start an application.
- CheckIndian missions take the same 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) size for the printed copies; the Consulate General in San Francisco's specification sheet lists 'VISA APPLICATIONS 51 x 51 mm'.
- CheckThe portal measures the head at 1 to 1 3/8 inches, the same as a US passport, so a US 2 x 2 photo is usually reusable here, but with a plain light or white background and no border.
Source and verification
Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-07 at Bureau of Immigration / Indian Visa Online (Ministry of Home Affairs).
Format JPEG
Size Minimum 10 KB Maximum 300 KB
The height and width of the Photo must be equal.
Head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25mm to 35mm).
Background should be plain light colored or white background.
VISA APPLICATIONS 51 x 51 mm
No tinted or dark glasses.
Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, but the facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown.
Digital rules quoted from the 'Photo Requirements' section of the regular visa instructions page. That page's eye-height sentence is truncated ('between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3.'), so the 1-3/8 inch upper bound is inferred from the same sentence in the US 2 x 2 inch standard. The 51 x 51 mm print size and the glasses and head-covering rules (last three quotes) are from the Consulate General of India, San Francisco 'Photo Specification' PDF (https://www.cgisf.gov.in/content/1553603082PHOTO%20SPECIFICATION.pdf, 2013), used as a secondary source; the portal says nothing about glasses or head coverings, and the CGISF sheet allows head coverings for religious reasons only (our data type has no religious-only value). The portal gives no pixel dimensions, so the 600 x 600 px target is ours. Neither source states how many prints the mission wants, so printsRequired is left undefined; check the mission's checklist.
We are an independent service, not a government website. Applying for a passport or visa is done with your government; we only prepare the photo.
Frequently asked questions
