Government Exam Photo Requirements 2026 — UPSC, SSC GD, Kerala PSC, NEET, Aadhaar, PAN, Passport
Last verified: May 2026 · Specs cross-checked against official portals
The short version
Every Indian government exam portal has different photo requirements — different pixel dimensions, different file size limits, different format rules. You cannot use the same resized photo for UPSC and Kerala PSC. This guide lists the exact specs for all 8 major portals, explains the most common rejection reasons, and links to free tools that output the exact format each portal requires.
Quick reference: all exam photo specs
The table below is a snapshot. Each exam has additional constraints (face coverage, background colour, recency requirements) covered in the individual sections below.
| Portal / Exam | Dimensions | File size | Format | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPSC Civil Services | 350–1000 px (each side) | 20–300 KB | JPG | UPSC Tool |
| Kerala PSC Thulasi | Exactly 150×200 px | Under 30 KB | JPG | Kerala PSC Tool |
| SSC GD (photo) | 413×531 px | 20–50 KB | JPG | SSC GD Tool |
| SSC GD (signature) | 472×236 px | 10–20 KB | JPG | SSC GD Tool |
| NEET (postcard) | 1200×1800 px | Under 200 KB | JPG | NEET Tool |
| Indian Passport (Passport Seva) | 350–1000 px (square) | 20–100 KB | JPG | Passport Tool |
| Sarathi (Driving Licence) | Exactly 420×525 px | Under 50 KB | JPG | Sarathi Tool |
| PAN Card (photo) | 200×230 px | Under 100 KB | JPG | PAN Tool |
| PAN Card (signature) | 560×160 px | Under 30 KB | JPG | PAN Tool |
| Aadhaar (UIDAI) | Any — size is the constraint | Under 300 KB | JPG / PNG | Aadhaar Tool |
UPSC Civil Services photo requirements
The UPSC online application (OAF) accepts JPEG photos between 350 and 1000 pixels on each side, with a file size between 20 KB and 300 KB. The image must be in 24-bit colour, taken against a plain white background. The photo must include the full face, both ears, and the top of the head — no hats, sunglasses, or headgear except for religious reasons.
The 300 KB ceiling catches a lot of applicants. A 900×900 pixel photo at standard camera quality is typically 150–250 KB — within the limit. But if you shoot on a high-end phone in portrait mode with deep processing, the same 900×900 crop can exceed 300 KB. The UPSC tool compresses the output to stay under 280 KB regardless of source quality.
UPSC also accepts text-stamped photos for some application forms — the tool adds your name and date of birth below the photo area, which some regional exam authorities require.
Kerala PSC Thulasi photo requirements
The Kerala PSC Thulasi portal has the strictest and most specific requirements of any Indian exam portal: the photo must be exactly 150×200 pixels, and the file must be under 30 KB. Not 150×200 or smaller — exactly 150×200. Not under 50 KB — under 30 KB. The portal validates both dimensions and file size on upload and rejects anything outside these bounds with no explanation.
A standard JPEG at 150×200 pixels is naturally around 8–15 KB, so file size is not usually the problem here. The dimension constraint is the catch — if you resize to 150×201 or 149×200, the portal rejects it. The Kerala PSC tool outputs exactly 150×200 pixels with no rounding.
The photo must show the full face, both ears, and should be taken within the past 6 months. Background must be plain white. The signature is uploaded separately and also has strict constraints — the tool handles the photo only.
SSC GD photo and signature requirements
SSC GD (General Duty) Constable applications require two separate files: a photo and a signature, each with different dimensions and file size limits. The photo must be 3.5×4.5 cm at 100 DPI, which works out to approximately 413×531 pixels. File size: 20–50 KB. The signature must be 4×2 cm at the same DPI — approximately 472×236 pixels — at 10–20 KB.
The signature constraint trips up many applicants. A signature scanned at high resolution will produce a large file. The signature also needs to be on white paper with black ink — a blue ink signature is rejected. The SSC GD tool handles both the photo tab and the signature tab, with brightness/contrast adjustment to help dark or faded signatures meet the black-on-white requirement.
NEET postcard photo requirements
NTA requires applicants to upload a postcard-size photo for the NEET UG application. The required dimension is 4×6 inches at 300 DPI, which is 1200×1800 pixels. File size must be under 200 KB. The photo must be a recent colour photograph with a plain white or light background.
The 1200×1800 pixel requirement is larger than any other exam on this list. Most phone camera photos are large enough to crop to these dimensions without quality loss. The main challenge is file size — a 1200×1800 pixel JPEG at normal quality is 300–600 KB. The NEET tool compresses it to stay under 180 KB, leaving a 20 KB buffer below the 200 KB limit.
Note: NTA also requires a separate thumb impression upload. That is not a photo resize task — it is a separate document scan.
Indian Passport (Passport Seva) photo requirements
The Passport Seva portal accepts square photos between 350 and 1000 pixels per side, at 20–100 KB. The background must be plain white. The face must occupy at least 70–80% of the frame, with both ears clearly visible. Glasses are not permitted (as of the 2020 update to the Passports Act rules).
The 100 KB ceiling is tighter than UPSC (300 KB). A 900×900 pixel photo at high quality will exceed 100 KB. The passport tool targets 80 KB output — within the limit while maintaining enough quality for identity verification.
Physical photo requirements for appointments are separate: 35×45 mm on matte/semi-gloss paper. The digital upload (for the online application form) uses the pixel and KB constraints above.
Aadhaar document upload requirements (UIDAI)
UIDAI's Aadhaar update services accept JPEG and PNG documents under 2 MB for most uploads. However, the mAadhaar and various state government portals that verify Aadhaar have tighter limits — typically 300 KB. The constraint here is different from photo resizers: you are uploading a document scan (a photo of your Aadhaar card), not a portrait photo.
The challenge with Aadhaar document scans is that standard phone cameras produce files of 2–5 MB. Compressing aggressively reduces the size but risks making the text on the Aadhaar card unreadable. The Aadhaar tool uses a conservative compression floor (never below 0.7 JPEG quality) to preserve text legibility while hitting the 300 KB target.
Driving licence (Sarathi portal) photo requirements
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' Sarathi portal requires a passport-size photo at exactly 420×525 pixels, under 50 KB. The background must be white. The face must be clearly visible with no shadows. The photo is used for the photo ID card on the driving licence itself, so it goes through an automated face detection check at the RTO.
Sarathi also accepts the photo in a separate upload during the slot booking for driving test appointments. Both uploads use the same 420×525 specification. The Sarathi tool outputs exactly these dimensions — not cropped to approximate, but exact.
PAN card photo and signature requirements
NSDL and UTI (the two PAN card service providers) require different files for the photo and signature. The photo must be 200×230 pixels under 100 KB — note this is not square, which catches applicants who assume it matches the passport photo dimensions. The signature must be 560×160 pixels under 30 KB on a white background.
The signature dimensions are unusual — wide and short. A standard signature on plain paper, when scanned and cropped, rarely matches this ratio. The PAN card tool shows a crop guide so you can position your signature before processing.
For PAN card corrections (name change, date of birth update), the portal accepts the same photo and signature specifications. Use the same tool output.
Why government portals reject photos — and how to avoid each reason
File too large
The most common rejection. You resized the dimensions correctly, but the JPEG quality is too high and the file exceeds the portal's KB limit. The fix is binary-search compression — reduce JPEG quality in small increments until the file is just under the limit. Our tools do this automatically. Don't compress too aggressively either: a 3 KB photo at 150×200 pixels will look blurry and may be rejected for quality.
Wrong dimensions (even by 1 pixel)
Kerala PSC Thulasi and Sarathi validate exact pixel dimensions. If your resizer outputs 150×201 instead of 150×200, the upload fails. This happens when tools use lanczos or bicubic scaling with rounding errors. Our tools use integer dimension targets and verify the output canvas matches before generating the download.
Background not white enough
Studio photos sometimes use light grey or off-white backgrounds. Portals that process photos for ID cards run an automated background check. If the detected background is not white enough (RGB values below approximately 240), the check fails. Use a proper white wall or a studio with a white backdrop — not a door or curtain.
File saved as PNG instead of JPEG
Some applicants take a screenshot of their photo (which saves as PNG) and try to upload it. Government portals universally require JPEG. PNG files are larger and the extension check fails at most portals. Always download from our tools as JPEG (.jpg).
File too small (below minimum KB)
UPSC and SSC GD have minimum file size limits (20 KB). A heavily compressed 350×350 pixel JPEG can fall below 20 KB. Our tools target the midpoint of the acceptable range, not just under the maximum — so UPSC output is typically 150–200 KB, well above the 20 KB floor.
A note on using online tools with ID photos
Government exam photos are identity documents — they contain your face and, in the case of Aadhaar, your 12-digit UID. When you use an online tool that uploads your photo to a server, you are sending a copy of that document to a third party. That copy may be logged, stored, or used in ways you cannot verify.
The tools on this site process everything in your browser using the Canvas API. No photo data leaves your device. You can verify this yourself: open the Network tab in your browser's developer tools (press F12, click Network) and watch the requests while using any tool. You will see requests for the page HTML and assets, but zero requests that carry your image data.
All tools are free. No account required. No watermarks.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the same photo for UPSC and Kerala PSC applications?
No. UPSC accepts 350–1000 px square images at 20–300 KB. Kerala PSC Thulasi requires exactly 150×200 px under 30 KB. These are completely different output files. If you submit the Kerala PSC version to UPSC, it will likely fail the minimum dimension check. Use each exam's dedicated tool to generate the correct output.
Why does my photo keep getting rejected even though it looks right on screen?
The most common cause is file size. A 350×350 pixel image at high JPEG quality can exceed 300 KB, which triggers UPSC's maximum size rejection. Kerala PSC Thulasi has a strict 30 KB ceiling that many resizers miss because they don't compress aggressively enough. The tools on this site use binary-search compression to hit the exact KB target — not just resize the dimensions.
What does "24-bit colour JPEG" mean and does my phone photo qualify?
Any colour JPEG taken on a modern Android or iPhone is 24-bit by default. "24-bit" means 8 bits each for red, green, and blue channels — the standard RGB colour space. If you're uploading a black-and-white photo or a screenshot with a white background, it may fail this check. Photos from stock image sites saved as PNGs with transparency will also fail. Stick to colour JPEGs taken on a plain background.
How recent does my photo need to be for government exam applications?
Most Indian government exam portals require the photo to be taken within the past 3–6 months. UPSC specifically states "recent colour passport photograph." NTA for NEET requires a photo from the current year. There is no automated check for photo recency — portals enforce this at the document verification stage, not the upload stage. Keep a recent photo on hand for each application cycle.
What background colour is required for Indian government exam photos?
Almost all Indian government exam portals require a plain white background. UPSC, Kerala PSC, SSC GD, and NTA (NEET) all specify white. Indian Passport (Passport Seva) requires a plain white background with the face clearly visible. Avoid off-white, cream, or grey backgrounds — photo booths sometimes use light grey which gets rejected. If your background is not white, use a photo with proper studio lighting against a white wall.
Is it safe to upload my photo to an online resizer?
Tools that upload your photo to a server before processing pose a real privacy risk — especially for Aadhaar-linked photos, passport photos, and PAN card images that contain your face and biometric data. The tools on ImageTools use the browser's Canvas API: the resize and compress operations run entirely in your browser tab. Nothing is sent to any server. You can verify this by opening the Network tab in your browser's developer tools while using any tool — you'll see zero requests carrying image data.
Can I resize my photo on a mobile phone?
Yes. All tools on this site are designed for mobile use. The upload input uses accept="image/*" which opens the camera app directly on iOS and Android. Processing happens in the mobile browser using the Canvas API — no app install required. For best results, take the photo fresh, then open the relevant tool in Chrome or Safari on your phone and follow the steps.
Free tools for every exam
- UPSC Photo Resizer — 350–1000 px, 20–300 KB, name stamp
- Kerala PSC Thulasi Resizer — exactly 150×200 px, under 30 KB
- SSC GD Photo & Signature Resizer — dual upload, correct DPI output
- NEET Postcard Photo Maker — 1200×1800 px, under 200 KB
- Indian Passport Photo Resizer — 350–1000 px square, 20–100 KB
- Aadhaar Document Resizer — compress under 300 KB, preserve text
- Driving Licence Photo Resizer — exactly 420×525 px for Sarathi
- PAN Card Photo & Signature Resizer — 200×230 px photo, 560×160 px signature
- JPEG Compressor — compress any photo to a specific KB target