Indian Passport Photo Requirements (2026): Size & Rules

If you're renewing an Indian passport, applying for an OCI card, or filing for the first time through VFS Global or an Indian consulate in the US, the photo rules are not the same as the US passport photo you already know. CVS and Walgreens print the American 2x2 inch format by default, and that alone is enough to get an Indian passport photo rejected. Here's what the spec actually asks for, and where it splits depending on whether you're applying from India or from abroad.

Two different specs, depending on where you apply

This is the part most guides skip. India runs two separate photo pipelines:

• Applying inside India, through Passport Seva 2.0: you upload a digital photo directly into the portal. The system expects a JPEG around 35mm x 45mm (roughly 630 x 810 pixels), under 250KB.
• Applying from abroad, through VFS Global or an Indian embassy/consulate (this is the path almost every NRI in the US uses): you submit a printed photo, typically 2 x 2 inches, following the embassy's own spec sheet.

Same passport, same underlying rules on expression and background, but a different file or print to hand over depending on which door you're walking through. Mixing them up, submitting a Passport Seva-sized digital file to a US-based VFS center, is a common and entirely avoidable rejection reason.

Indian passport photo requirements at a glance

• Size: 2 x 2 inches for embassy/VFS submissions abroad; 35mm x 45mm (about 630 x 810px digitally) for Passport Seva 2.0 inside India.
• Background: plain, light, and evenly lit. White is the safest choice. No shadows, no patterns, no gradient.
• Head size: face from forehead to chin should fill roughly 70-80% of the frame.
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera. No smiling, no head tilt.
• Eyes: open, clearly visible, no red-eye.
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months.
• Glasses: rules genuinely differ by office. Some VFS/embassy spec sheets allow thin, clear frames with no glare over the eyes; Passport Seva's own guidance leans toward no glasses at all. If you wear glasses daily, the safest move is to take the photo without them.
• Head coverings: not permitted unless worn for religious reasons, and even then nothing may shadow the face.
• No one else in frame: no hands, no arms, no other people, nothing propping you up.

The same photo spec generally covers passport, visa, and OCI applications submitted through the same VFS or embassy channel, so if you're doing an OCI card alongside a passport renewal, one compliant photo usually covers both.

Why this trips up so many US-based applicants

Three things account for most of the rejected submissions we hear about:

1. Wrong size for the wrong system. A photo cropped for the US State Department's 2x2 inch spec looks similar on screen but isn't guaranteed to match the exact head-size ratio Indian reviewers check for.
2. Backgrounds that read as "off-white" in person and gray on camera. A cream wall or a lightly patterned curtain is a frequent, invisible-until-rejected mistake.
3. Glasses. Because the rule differs by office and has shifted with the Passport Seva 2.0 rollout, plenty of applicants are working from an outdated version of the rule. When in doubt, take the photo bare-eyed and keep a second version with glasses as backup.

Where to actually get one in the US

Neither CVS nor Walgreens prints to the Indian 2x2 inch or 35x45mm spec by default, and most photo counter staff won't know the head-size ratio a consulate is checking for. That's the gap our tool closes: upload a selfie against any plain background, select India as the destination, and we prepare a file sized and cropped to the spec your application actually needs, embassy print or Passport Seva digital upload. We verify against the real requirements above rather than guessing, and if the office rejects it, you get your money back.

For the general rules that apply no matter which country you're filing for (lighting, framing, expression), our guide on how to take a good passport photo at home is a useful starting point before you shoot. And if cost is part of your decision, we've broken down what a passport photo actually costs across the usual US options.

Get your Indian passport photo ready

Start your photo and pick India as the destination. You'll get a correctly sized file back in under a minute, checked against the current spec rather than last year's.