Passport Photo Size in India, Visa 2x2 and PAN Photo Guide

Photo studios charge ₹100 to ₹200 for a set of passport photos, and a surprising number of applications are still sent back because the photo is the wrong size, has a coloured background, or shows the face too small. This guide covers the common Indian and visa photo sizes and shows how to prepare a sheet of eight photos at home that you can print for a few rupees.

Shortcut: the free Passport Photo Maker crops your photo to the right size, lets you set a white background, and lays out multiple copies on a 4 × 6 inch sheet ready to print. It works entirely in your browser.

Indian passport photo: the standard

Specification	Requirement
Size	35 mm wide × 45 mm high (3.5 × 4.5 cm)
Background	Plain white, no shadows or patterns
Face	Front facing, head and top of shoulders, face covering roughly 70–80% of the photo height
Expression	Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible
Colour	Colour photo, natural skin tones, recent (taken within the last few months)
Accessories	No dark or tinted glasses, no caps; head coverings only for religious reasons with the full face visible

At a Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra, your photograph is usually captured on the spot, so you may not need prints for the main application. Printed photos are still commonly needed for certain annexures, police verification in some districts, applications made through Indian missions abroad and many other government forms. Check the current instructions on passportindia.gov.in before your appointment.

Visa photo sizes

Each country sets its own rules and updates them occasionally. These are the most common sizes Indians need:

Country / purpose	Size	Notes
United States visa	2 × 2 inch (51 × 51 mm)	Head height 1 to 1 3/8 inch (25–35 mm), white or off-white background, no glasses
Schengen, UK and many others	35 × 45 mm	Light plain background; head size ranges are specified by each embassy
Canada	50 × 70 mm	Face 31–36 mm from chin to crown

Always confirm on the embassy's or VFS Global's official page for your country, especially for digital uploads, which often have pixel and KB limits.

PAN card photo

For a physical PAN application on Form 49A, the photo space is 3.5 × 2.5 cm (height × width), in colour on a white background. Many applicants now use Aadhaar-based e-KYC, in which case the photo is taken from Aadhaar records and you do not need one. For scanned uploads, the portals of Protean (formerly NSDL e-Gov) and UTIITSL specify pixel dimensions, DPI and a maximum file size; check the current specification on the portal you are using, as these have changed over time.

How to take a good photo at home

1. Stand about 50 cm in front of a plain white or very light wall, facing a window for soft, even daylight.
2. Ask someone to hold the phone at your eye level, about 1–1.5 metres away. Do not use the front camera at arm's length; it distorts the face.
3. Look straight at the lens, keep your shoulders square, tuck hair behind the ears, and keep a neutral expression.
4. Take several shots and choose the sharpest one with no shadows on the wall behind you.

If the wall is not white enough, the Background Remover can replace it with plain white. Check the edges around hair carefully; officials reject photos that look edited.

Crop to the right size

1. Open the Passport Photo Maker and choose the preset (India 35 × 45 mm, US 2 × 2 inch, or custom).
2. Position your face so the chin and the top of the head sit within the guide lines. The face should fill about 70–80% of the height.
3. Keep a small gap above the head and make sure both ears and shoulders are visible.
4. If you need a digital file for an online form instead, crop with the Image Crop tool and use the Image Resizer for exact pixels. Our guide on compressing photos for forms covers KB limits.

Print 8 copies on one 4 × 6 inch sheet

A 4 × 6 inch sheet (the standard postcard photo print, 101.6 × 152.4 mm) fits eight 35 × 45 mm photos: four across the long side (4 × 35 = 140 mm) and two down the short side (2 × 45 = 90 mm), with room for thin cutting gaps.

1. In the Passport Photo Maker, choose the 4 × 6 layout and 8 copies.
2. Download the sheet as a high-resolution JPEG or PDF (300 DPI is ideal).
3. Print it at a photo lab or a shop that prints 4 × 6 photos, usually for ₹10 to ₹30. Ask them to print at 100% / actual size with no "fit to page" scaling, otherwise the photos will come out slightly too small or large.
4. Measure one photo with a ruler: it should be exactly 35 mm × 45 mm. Cut carefully along the gaps.

For 2 × 2 inch US photos, a 4 × 6 sheet fits six copies (three by two).

Common reasons for rejection

• Face too small or too large in the frame.
• Coloured, patterned or shadowed background.
• Glasses with glare, or tinted lenses.
• Heavy retouching, filters or beauty mode.
• Printed on plain paper instead of photo paper, or scaled incorrectly.
• Old photo that no longer resembles you.

Make your photos now: the free Passport Photo Maker gives you correctly sized photos and a printable 4 × 6 sheet in a couple of minutes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the passport photo size in India?

35 mm wide by 45 mm high, with a plain white background and the face covering roughly 70 to 80 percent of the photo height.

Do I need to carry photos to the Passport Seva Kendra?

Usually not for the main application, because the photo is captured at the Kendra. Some annexures and other processes may need prints, so check passportindia.gov.in before your appointment.

How many passport photos fit on a 4 x 6 print?

Eight 35 x 45 mm photos fit on one 4 x 6 inch sheet, arranged four across and two down. Six 2 x 2 inch photos fit on the same sheet.

What size is a US visa photo?

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head, on a white or off-white background.

What is the photo size for a PAN card application?

The Form 49A photo space is 3.5 x 2.5 cm. For online uploads, check the pixel and file size limits on the Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL portal.