India's e-Visa application asks for at least two uploads before you pay: a photo of your face and a scan of your passport's bio page. The photo has its own specification, and it isn't the one people expect. It isn't the Indian passport's 4.5 x 3.5 cm rectangle, and it isn't the OCI photo either. It's a **square JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB**, with no glasses, on a plain light or white background.

<Callout type="note" title="Quick answer">
**Photo file:** JPEG, **minimum 10 KB, maximum 1 MB**, height and width **equal** (square). No pixel dimensions are published.

**The photo:** full face, front view, **eyes open, without spectacles**, head centred with the **full head from top of hair to bottom of chin** in frame, **plain light-coloured or white background**, **no shadows** on the face or background, **no borders**.

**The other upload:** the passport bio page as a **PDF, 10 KB to 300 KB**.

**If it's wrong after you submit:** you may be emailed to re-upload. The fee isn't refunded if the application is rejected.
</Callout>

Every requirement here comes from the Government of India's e-Visa page on [indianvisaonline.gov.in](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html), read on September 16, 2026. It's the only official site for the application. Nothing here comes from a visa agency's summary.

<SpecTable
  document="India e-Visa photo upload"
  verifiedOn="September 16, 2026"
  source={{ label: "Government of India - e-Visa (indianvisaonline.gov.in)", href: "https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html" }}
  rows={[
    { label: "Format", value: "JPEG" },
    { label: "File size", value: "10 KB minimum, 1 MB maximum" },
    { label: "Shape", value: "Height and width equal (square)" },
    { label: "Pixel dimensions", value: "Not published" },
    { label: "Pose", value: "Full face, front view, eyes open" },
    { label: "Glasses", value: "Without spectacles" },
    { label: "Framing", value: "Head centred; top of hair to bottom of chin" },
    { label: "Background", value: "Plain light-coloured or white" },
    { label: "Shadows", value: "None on face or background" },
    { label: "Borders", value: "None" },
    { label: "Passport bio page", value: "PDF, 10 KB to 300 KB" },
  ]}
/>

## Three Indian photos, three different specifications

An easy mistake is reusing the wrong Indian photo. There are at least three, and they don't overlap:

| | Indian passport | OCI card | Indian e-Visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Indian citizens | Overseas Citizens of India | Foreign visitors |
| Shape | 4.5 x 3.5 cm rectangle | Square | Square |
| Submitted as | Print, if at all | JPEG upload | JPEG upload |
| Glasses | Clear allowed, no coloured or dark | Not stated in the OCI FAQ | Without spectacles |
| Background | Plain white | Plain light colour, "not white" | Plain light-coloured or white |

The passport column comes from Passport Seva's instruction booklet, which our [India passport photo requirements](/blog/india-passport-photo-requirements) guide covers in full. That booklet also explains that most passport applicants at a Passport Seva Kendra don't supply a photo at all. The OCI portal has its own pixel and file-size limits, and its FAQ asks for a light background that is "not white", so a plain white e-Visa photo won't carry over; the [OCI photo requirements](/blog/oci-photo-requirements) guide has the details.

For the e-Visa, what matters is that you can't crop a passport-format rectangle down to a square without cutting into the head or leaving it too small, and a passport photo with glasses on is refused outright.

## The file: what "10 KB to 1 MB, square, JPEG" means in practice

### Square means exactly square

The page says "The height and width of the Photo must be equal." Not roughly equal. A photo straight off a phone camera is a rectangle, usually 4:3 or 16:9, so it breaks this rule before anything else is looked at. Crop it so both sides have the same pixel count.

No pixel dimensions are published for the e-Visa, so there's no official minimum like the 600 x 600 of a US visa. Our [passport photo size in pixels](/blog/passport-photo-size-in-pixels) guide lists the countries that do publish one. In practice, a square image a few hundred pixels across, saved as a good-quality JPEG, usually lands between 10 KB and 1 MB. The file-size window is what you have to hit.

### Between 10 KB and 1 MB

Both ends cause failures:

- **Over 1 MB.** A full-resolution phone photo is usually several megabytes. Cropping it square helps, but often not enough. Resize it down and export as JPEG.
- **Under 10 KB.** This happens to photos that have been through a messaging app, a social media download or a screenshot of a thumbnail. A file that small is also likely to be too blurry to use, which gives the portal a second reason to refuse it. Go back to the original photo.

Our guide to [passport photo file size in KB](/blog/passport-photo-file-size-kb) walks through getting under a limit without visible compression damage.

### JPEG, not PNG or HEIC

The only format listed for the photo is JPEG. Many phones save photos as HEIC, and screenshots are usually PNG. Renaming a file's extension doesn't convert it. Export or save it as JPEG.

### Don't mix up the two uploads

The passport bio page is a separate upload with separate rules: **PDF**, **10 KB to 300 KB**. People upload their passport scan into the photo slot, or a JPEG photo of the passport into the PDF slot, and both fail. The face photo is a JPEG of you. The passport page is a PDF of the document.

## The photo itself: what the specification asks for

The photo rules on the e-Visa page are short:

- "Photo should present full face, front view, eyes open and without spectacles"
- "Center head within frame and present full head from top of hair to bottom of chin"
- "Background should be plain light colored or white background."
- "No shadows on the face or on the background."
- "Without borders."

The general instructions on the same page describe the upload as a "Recent front facing photograph with white background." No maximum age is given in days. Use a photo that looks like you do now.

### No glasses

This is the rule that catches Indian-origin travellers who already have a photo from a passport application, where clear glasses are allowed. On the e-Visa, the wording is "without spectacles," with no exception listed. Take them off. Our guide to [glasses in passport photos](/blog/glasses-in-passport-photo) compares this with other countries.

### Full head, centred

"Top of hair to bottom of chin" means the crop must not cut through your hair. Leave a margin above your head and keep your face in the middle of the square. The e-Visa page gives no head-size percentage. India's regular visa instructions page, which is a different application, does give a head size of 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm) for its photo, but that figure isn't stated for the e-Visa.

### Plain background, no shadows, no border

A plain white wall with you standing a little way in front of it, facing a window, handles both the background and the shadow rule. "Without borders" rules out a photo that has been placed on a white canvas to make it square, or a scan of a print with its white edge showing. Crop the actual photo instead.

<GoodBad
  good={{ src: "/images/passport/portrait-white.webp", alt: "Visa photo on a plain white background, no glasses, even light", caption: "Full head centred, plain white background, no glasses, no shadows. Crop this square and export as JPEG." }}
  bad={{ src: "/images/passport/reject-glasses.webp", alt: "Photo rejected for an Indian e-Visa because the subject wears glasses", caption: "Glasses on. The e-Visa page asks for a photo without spectacles, even though the Indian passport booklet allows clear glasses." }}
/>

## Upload errors and their fixes

The portal's messages don't always say which rule failed. Work through the file first, then the photo.

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Rejected immediately on upload | File over 1 MB, not square, or not JPEG | Crop square, resize, export as JPEG |
| Rejected as too small | File under 10 KB, often a chat-app or screenshot copy | Use the original camera photo |
| Photo slot refuses your passport scan | Wrong upload: the bio page belongs in the PDF slot | Upload a face photo as JPEG; bio page as PDF, 10-300 KB |
| Passport slot refuses the file | Scan saved as JPEG, or over 300 KB | Save the scan as PDF and reduce it under 300 KB |
| Email asking you to re-upload after submitting | Image judged not clear or not per specification | Retake with glasses off, plain background, even light; re-upload via the re-upload tab |

The re-upload route is on the e-Visa page itself: "if any Document/Image is not appropriate, you may be advised on your given e-mail to re-upload the same. To re-upload use the tab at the bottom of the page." Watch the email address you gave on the application.

<Callout type="warning" title="The fee is not refunded if the application is rejected">
The e-Visa FAQ is explicit that the processing fee "is non-refundable as the fee is for processing of the application and is not dependent on either Grant or Rejection." A photo that isn't as per specification can get the application rejected, so getting the photo right before paying is the cheap way round.
</Callout>

## Take and upload the photo, step by step

<Steps items={[
  { title: "Set up against a plain white wall", text: "Stand a little way in front of the wall so your shadow falls behind you, out of frame. Face a window for even daylight. Glasses off, hat off, hair away from the face." },
  { title: "Shoot head and shoulders at eye level", text: "Have someone hold the phone at your eye level, a few feet away. Face the camera straight on, eyes open, neutral expression. Take several shots and pick the sharpest." },
  { title: "Crop square around the full head", text: "Keep the whole head from the top of the hair to the chin, centred, with a margin above. Height and width must be exactly equal. Don't add a border." },
  { title: "Export as JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB", text: "Resize if the file is over 1 MB. If it's under 10 KB, start again from the original photo, not a copy sent through a messaging app." },
  { title: "Prepare the passport page separately", text: "Scan the bio page to PDF and keep it between 10 KB and 300 KB. It goes in its own upload slot." },
  { title: "Check before you pay", text: "The FAQ says to check every detail, photograph included, before final submission. Only apply on indianvisaonline.gov.in, and make sure each child has a separate application and photo." }
]} />

<ToolCTA document="india-visa" title="A square e-Visa JPEG under 1 MB" text="Upload a phone photo taken against a plain white wall. We crop it square, export a JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB, and check head tilt, background, sharpness and exposure before you pay. We don't retouch faces or detect glasses, so take them off. Checking is free; the file is $4.99." />

## Where our tool fits, honestly

We aren't the Government of India or a visa agent, and we can't submit or speed up your e-Visa. You apply yourself on indianvisaonline.gov.in, and the Indian authorities decide. The FAQ also warns applicants to "beware of unscrupulous elements/ travel agents/ intermediaries demanding extra payment" at the airport.

What we do is the file. [Start with a phone photo](/photo?document=india-visa) and we crop it square, resize it and export a JPEG inside the 10 KB to 1 MB window. We check head position and tilt, whether the background is plain and even, and sharpness and exposure. Two limits to know. The e-Visa page publishes no head-size rule, so our framing check uses a general visa window rather than an Indian figure. And we can't reliably detect glasses, so take them off before you shoot. We don't repaint backgrounds or smooth faces.

## Checklist before you upload

<RuleList items={[
  { text: "JPEG, square, between 10 KB and 1 MB", ok: true },
  { text: "Full face, front view, eyes open, head centred", ok: true },
  { text: "Whole head in frame, from top of hair to chin", ok: true },
  { text: "Plain white or light background, no shadows", ok: true },
  { text: "Passport bio page as a separate PDF, 10 KB to 300 KB", ok: true },
  { text: "Glasses of any kind", ok: false },
  { text: "A rectangular phone photo or your Indian passport-format photo", ok: false },
  { text: "PNG, HEIC or a screenshot", ok: false },
  { text: "A white border added to make the image square", ok: false },
  { text: "A photo shared through a messaging app and now under 10 KB", ok: false }
]} />

<LeadMagnet id="photo-checklist" />

Planning more of the trip online? Other e-Visa portals in the region have their own rules; see the [Vietnam e-Visa photo](/blog/vietnam-e-visa-photo) guide, and for the general approach to any upload form, [how to upload a digital passport photo](/blog/digital-passport-photo-upload).

## Frequently asked questions

### What size photo do I need for the India e-Visa?

A square JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB. The e-Visa page says the height and width of the photo must be equal. It publishes no pixel dimensions, so any square image inside the file-size range fits the rule, as long as your full head is centred and clearly visible.

### Can I wear glasses in my India e-Visa photo?

No. The e-Visa page asks for a photo that presents full face, front view, eyes open and without spectacles. That is stricter than the Indian passport booklet, which only rules out coloured or dark glasses, so an Indian passport photo with glasses on is not a safe reuse.

### What background does the India e-Visa photo need?

The upload specification says a plain light coloured or white background, with no shadows on the face or the background. The e-Visa page's general instructions describe the photograph as having a white background, so plain white is the choice that satisfies both wordings.

### Why does the e-Visa site keep rejecting my photo upload?

Usually because of the file, not your face. Phone photos are rectangular and often several megabytes, so they break the square and 1 MB rules. A screenshot or a chat-app copy can drop below 10 KB. PNG and HEIC files are not JPEG. Crop square, export as JPEG, then check the size.

### What if my e-Visa photo is not accepted after I submit?

The e-Visa page says submitted applications are scrutinised, and if a document or image is not appropriate you may be advised by email to re-upload it, using the re-upload tab on the site. It also warns that applications can be rejected if the photograph is not as per specification, and the fee is non-refundable.

### Does each child need a separate e-Visa photo?

Yes. The e-Visa FAQ says a minor travelling with a parent needs a separate e-Visa application, and every application asks for its own photograph and passport page. Take a separate, recent photo of each child that meets the same rules: square, full face, eyes open, plain light background.

<Sources items={[
  { label: "Government of India - e-Visa page: instructions, document and photo specifications, FAQ (indianvisaonline.gov.in)", href: "https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html" },
  { label: "Government of India - Indian Visa Online: instructions for regular visa applications (photo requirements)", href: "https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/instruction.html" },
  { label: "Ministry of Home Affairs - OCI FAQ (question 9, photo specifications)", href: "https://ociservices.gov.in/onlineOCI/faq" },
  { label: "Passport Seva - Instructions for filling the passport application form (V3.0)", href: "https://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/pdf/ApplicationformInstructionBooklet-V3.0.pdf" }
]} />