Indian Passport Photo vs OCI Photo vs Visa Photo: Size Comparison Guide

India uses three different photo specifications for three different documents. They are not interchangeable. A photo made for your Indian passport will be rejected by the OCI portal. A photo made for your e-Visa will be rejected by Passport Seva. And a photo made for your OCI card will be rejected for your visa application.

This is one of the most common mistakes NRIs make — especially those applying for multiple documents at the same time. This guide puts all three specifications side by side so you know exactly which photo format to use for which document.

The Three Specifications at a Glance

Indian Passport (Passport Seva portal): 630×810 pixels. Rectangular, 7:9 ratio. 35×45mm when printed. JPEG under 250 KB. White background. 80–85% face coverage.

OCI Card: 200×200 to 900×900 pixels. Square, 1:1 ratio. 51×51mm (2×2 inches) when printed. JPEG under 200 KB. Plain light-coloured background (white recommended). Face centered and clearly visible.

Indian Visa (e-Visa online): 350×350 to 1000×1000 pixels. Square, 1:1 ratio. JPEG under 300 KB. White background. Face centered.

Indian Visa (physical/BLS/VFS submission): 2×2 inches (51×51mm) printed. Square. White background.

The critical difference is the aspect ratio. The passport photo is a tall rectangle (7:9). The OCI and e-Visa photos are perfect squares (1:1). You cannot resize one into the other without either stretching the image or cropping parts of your face out.

Why You Cannot Use the Same Photo

Many people take one photo at Walgreens or CVS and assume they can resize it for any Indian document. Here is why that does not work.

If you start with a 2×2 inch square photo (the default US format that Walgreens produces) and try to use it for the Indian passport, you would need to convert a 1:1 square into a 7:9 rectangle. This either stretches the image vertically (distorting your face proportions) or requires cropping the sides (cutting off your ears or background). Either way, the Passport Seva portal's ICAO biometric validation will likely reject it because the face proportions do not match what a genuine 35×45mm photo should look like.

If you start with a 630×810 Indian passport photo and try to use it for OCI or e-Visa, you would need to convert a 7:9 rectangle into a 1:1 square. This means either adding white bars on the sides (which is not a valid photo) or cropping the top and bottom (cutting off part of your head or chin). The OCI portal will reject this.

Each document needs its own photo, prepared to its own specifications from the start.

Indian Passport Photo — Full Specifications

This is the most strict specification of the three. The Passport Seva portal runs automated biometric checks on upload.

• Dimensions: Exactly 630×810 pixels. Not 629. Not 631. Exactly 630 wide, 810 tall.
• Format: JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) only
• File size: 10–250 KB
• Background: Plain white, uniform, no shadows
• Face coverage: 80–85% of the 810-pixel height. Your face (chin to crown) takes up roughly 648–689 pixels.
• No glasses: Banned since September 2025 under ICAO enforcement
• Expression: Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open
• Upload limit: 12 attempts per application on the GPSP 2.0 portal

The 80–85% face coverage is the requirement that catches most people. Combined with the exact pixel dimensions, this makes the Indian passport photo the hardest of the three to prepare manually.

For a detailed guide on getting this photo right, see our complete 630×810 Pixel Photo for Indian Passport guide.

OCI Card Photo — Full Specifications

The OCI portal is more flexible than Passport Seva, but the square format is non-negotiable.

• Dimensions: 200×200 to 900×900 pixels. Must be perfectly square — width and height must be equal. Some consulates require a minimum of 360×360px.
• Format: JPEG
• File size: Under 200 KB
• Background: Plain light-coloured (white is the safest choice; the official OCI spec says "plain light colored background")
• Face: Centered, clearly visible, no obstructions
• Expression: Neutral, looking directly at camera
• Glasses: Technically allowed if there is no glare and no tinted lenses, but removing them is strongly recommended to avoid rejection risk

The pixel range (200–900px) is flexible compared to the passport's exact 630×810. But the square format means you cannot use your rectangular passport photo here.

For complete OCI specifications, see our OCI Card Photo Requirements guide.

Indian Visa Photo — Full Specifications

The visa photo spec depends on how you are applying.

For e-Visa online applications: 350×350 to 1000×1000 pixels. Square format. JPEG under 300 KB. White background.

For physical visa applications through BLS or VFS: 2×2 inches (51×51mm) printed. Square format. White background. This is the same size as a US passport photo.

Both the e-Visa and OCI use a square format, but the specs differ slightly — OCI caps at 900×900px and 200 KB, while e-Visa allows up to 1000×1000px and 300 KB. A compliant OCI photo will typically also work for an e-Visa application (assuming it was taken recently and reflects your current appearance).

For complete visa specifications, see our Indian Visa Photo Requirements guide.

Common Mistakes

Using a Walgreens 2×2 inch photo for Passport Seva. The 2×2 inch format is square (1:1 ratio). Passport Seva needs 630×810 (7:9 ratio). Resizing a square to a rectangle distorts your face and fails biometric validation.

Using a Passport Seva photo for OCI. The 630×810 format is rectangular. OCI needs a square. Cropping the rectangle into a square cuts off part of your head.

Assuming all Indian document photos are the same size. They are not. Three documents, three different specs.

Using a photo older than 6 months. Even if the specs are correct, most Indian document applications require a recent photo that reflects your current appearance.

Not checking the digital requirements. Many people get the print size right but forget about the digital upload specifications, which are different and enforced by automated systems.

How to Get All Three Photos

The simplest approach is to take one high-quality photo with your phone — good lighting, white background, no glasses, neutral expression, straight-on angle — and then create three different crops from it.

For the passport crop (630×810): Crop to 7:9 ratio with 80–85% face coverage, resize to exactly 630×810, compress to under 250 KB.

For the OCI crop (square): Crop to 1:1 ratio with face centered, resize to 600×600 (within the 200–900px OCI range), compress to under 200 KB.

For the e-Visa crop (square): Crop to 1:1 ratio with face centered, resize to 600×600 or similar within the 350–1000px range, compress to under 300 KB.

For the physical visa print (2×2 inch): Use the square crop and print at 2×2 inches.

PhotoPass.ai handles all of these formats. Select the document type — Indian Passport, OCI Card, or Indian Visa — and it outputs the correct dimensions, aspect ratio, and file size automatically. $2.99 per photo.

Quick Reference Table

Document	Dimensions	Ratio	Print Size	Max File	Background	Face Coverage
Indian Passport	630×810 pixels	7:9 (rectangle)	35×45mm	250 KB	White	80–85%
OCI Card	200–900×200–900 pixels	1:1 (square)	51×51mm (2×2 inches)	200 KB	White (official spec: "plain light colored")	70–80% (centered)
Indian Visa (e-Visa)	350–1000×350–1000 pixels	1:1 (square)	N/A (digital)	300 KB	White	Centered
Indian Visa (physical BLS/VFS)	350–1000×350–1000 pixels	1:1 (square)	2×2 inches (51×51mm)	300 KB	White	Centered

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same photo for Indian passport and OCI card?

No. The Indian passport requires a 630×810 pixel rectangular photo (7:9 ratio), while OCI requires a square photo (1:1 ratio) between 200×200 and 900×900 pixels, under 200 KB. They are completely different formats and cannot be interchanged.

What is the difference between Indian passport and visa photo size?

Indian passport photos are 630×810 pixels (35×45mm rectangular). Indian visa photos for e-Visa are square (350–1000px). Physical visa photos for BLS/VFS submission are 2×2 inches (51×51mm square). The passport is rectangular, everything else is square.

Can I resize my Walgreens 2×2 photo for Passport Seva?

No. A 2×2 inch photo is square (1:1 ratio). Resizing it to 630×810 pixels (7:9 ratio) will stretch or distort the image, causing it to fail the Passport Seva biometric checks. You need a photo taken in the correct 7:9 ratio from the start.

Can I use my OCI photo for an e-Visa application?

Possibly, if the photo was taken recently. The e-Visa accepts square photos up to 1000×1000px and up to 300 KB, while OCI caps at 900×900px and 200 KB — so a valid OCI photo will fall within e-Visa limits. Check that it still reflects your current appearance.

Last updated: May 2026. Verified against Passport Seva (GPSP 2.0), OCI Services portal, and Indian e-Visa application requirements.