India visa photo
square JPG for e-Visa

What the e-Visa form asks for

The e-Visa page on indianvisaonline.gov.in listed these photo rules when we checked in October 2026:

• Format: JPEG, at least 10 KB and no more than 1 MB.
• Shape: height and width must be equal.
• Background: plain, light-colored or white, with no shadows on the face or background.
• Face: full face, front view, eyes open and without spectacles.
• Framing: head centered, showing the full head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin.
• No borders.

And the regular online visa form

The photo upload guide for the regular online visa application, also on indianvisaonline.gov.in, asks for a JPEG between 10 KB and 300 KB, square, at least 350 × 350 pixels and at most 1000 × 1000 pixels.

Our 600 × 600 pixel file under 200 KB sits inside both sets of limits, so the same photo works for either form. Rules can change, so check the page for your visa type before you apply.

How to make it

1. Take the photo against a plain white or very light wall, in even light, with your glasses off.
2. Add it above. The size is already set to India visa (2 × 2 in) and the limit to under 200 KB.
3. Drag and zoom so your whole head, from hair to chin, sits centered in the guide.
4. Download the JPG. It is exactly 600 × 600 pixels, the square shape the form checks for.
5. Upload it in the photo step of your application and look closely at the preview before you continue.

Common reasons photos get rejected

• Glasses left on. The e-Visa page asks for a photo without spectacles.
• A rectangular photo. The width and height must match; our output is always square.
• A busy or dark background, or shadows behind the head.
• Part of the head cut off at the top. Leave a little space above your hair.
• A scanned print with a white border around it.

Why 600 pixels and 200 KB

A 2 × 2 inch photo at 300 DPI is 600 × 600 pixels. That sits comfortably between the 350 and 1000 pixel limits of the regular form and keeps plenty of detail for an identity check.

A 600 × 600 portrait is usually well under 200 KB anyway. Setting the cap guarantees it, and 200 KB stays below the 300 KB maximum of the regular form as well as the 1 MB maximum of the e-Visa. If you only need the e-Visa, you can set the limit to No limit; the file will still be far under 1 MB.

You may also need the passport page

The e-Visa also asks for a scanned bio page of your passport as a PDF between 10 KB and 300 KB. If your scan is too big, our India e-Visa passport PDF page shrinks it under 200 KB.