Crop any photograph to a true passport size — 3.5cm × 4.5cm — and land it inside the KB range your form enforces, in one pass.
A studio charges you for a sheet of prints you mostly throw away. For an online application you need one correctly-proportioned digital file, and that is a crop and a compress — both of which your phone can do by itself.
Passport size photo dimensions
The Indian standard is 3.5 × 4.5 cm, which is not the same as the American 2 × 2 inch square. Getting the ratio wrong is the single most common reason a portal rejects an otherwise good photograph.
| Unit | Indian standard | US passport |
|---|---|---|
| Centimetres | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 5.08 × 5.08 cm |
| Millimetres | 35 × 45 mm | 51 × 51 mm |
| Inches | 1.38 × 1.77 in | 2 × 2 in |
| Pixels at 300 DPI | 413 × 531 px | 600 × 600 px |
| Aspect ratio | 7 : 9 | 1 : 1 |
For a deeper breakdown including print sizes, see passport size photo dimensions in cm, mm, inches and pixels.
What makes a photo acceptable
- Plain light background. White or very light grey. No doors, curtains or patterned walls behind you.
- Face fills 70–80% of the frame height, centred, looking straight at the camera.
- Neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed. No smiling in most official contexts.
- Even, front-on light. No hard shadow on one cheek and none behind your head.
- No sunglasses or hats. Clear prescription glasses are usually fine if there is no glare, though several boards now ask you to remove them.
- Recent. Most forms want a photograph taken within the last three to six months.
Take the photo against a white wall in daylight, hold the camera at eye level about arm’s length away, and crop here. That beats a poorly-lit studio shot for online submission.
File size, separately from dimensions
Once the crop is right you still have to clear the KB rule, and forms enforce a range at both ends. The tool above handles it automatically for each exam preset. If you want to set the number yourself, use reduce image size in KB or increase image size in KB.
| Form | Photo size |
|---|---|
| SSC, GDS, most state exams | 20–50 KB |
| RRB / NTPC | 20–50 KB |
| GATE | 5–200 KB |
| UPSC | 20–300 KB |
| NEET / NTA | 10–200 KB |
| PAN card (NSDL / UTI) | 20–50 KB, 3.5 × 2.5 cm |
Frequently asked questions
What is the size of a passport size photo?
In India it is 3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm tall, which is 35 by 45 millimetres, about 1.38 by 1.77 inches, or 413 by 531 pixels at 300 DPI. The US standard is different — a 2 by 2 inch square.
How do I make a passport size photo online free?
Upload any clear front-facing photograph, pick your form in the tool above, and download. It crops to the correct ratio and compresses to the KB range your portal accepts, all on your own device.
Can I take a passport photo with my phone?
Yes, and for online applications it is usually good enough. Stand about an arm’s length from a plain white wall in daylight, have someone shoot at eye level, then crop here. Avoid selfies taken at arm’s length by yourself — the close focal length distorts your face.
What background colour should a passport photo have?
Plain white or very light grey, with no pattern, texture or shadow. If your background has a shadow behind the head, move further away from the wall and re-shoot rather than trying to edit it out.
How many pixels is a passport size photo?
At 300 DPI, 3.5 by 4.5 cm works out to 413 by 531 pixels. Some portals state their own pixel figure instead, commonly 200 by 230 or 240 by 320 — follow whatever your notification says.