Passport Size Photo Aspect Ratio: 7:9 or 1:1, and How to Crop Without Stretching
A 35 × 45 mm passport size photo has a 7:9 aspect ratio; a 2 × 2 inch photo is square, 1:1. The ratio for each document, pixel sizes that are exactly 7:9, and how to crop to it without distorting your face.
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Aspect ratio is the shape of a photo: its width compared with its height. It is not the size. A 630 × 810 pixel file and a 35 × 45 mm print are different sizes with the same 7:9 shape. The shape matters because a photo in the wrong shape can only reach the required size by being cropped or stretched, and stretching changes the proportions of your face.
Aspect ratio by passport and document
Each ratio below is reduced from the official dimensions. Where a government publishes only a print size, the ratio describes the print, not a required shape for a digital upload.
| Document | Official size | Aspect ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| India passport, Passport Seva upload | 630 × 810 px | 7:9 | Exact pixel size, portrait. Printed photos for a mission packet vary by mission, so check its checklist. |
| India OCI card | At least 51 × 51 mm; 200 × 200 to 900 × 900 px | 1:1 | The OCI portal says the height and width must be equal. |
| India visa and e-Visa | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) | 1:1 | Square. Portal pixel and file limits vary by visa type. |
| Indian forms that ask for 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 7:9 | Exam and recruitment portals set their own pixel and KB limits. |
| US passport | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) print | 1:1 | For online renewal the State Department publishes no exact pixel size. You crop inside the official application. |
| UK passport | 35 × 45 mm print; digital at least 600 × 750 px | 7:9 (print) | For a digital photo you take yourself, GOV.UK says not to crop it. The application handles the crop. |
| Canada passport, printed | 50 × 70 mm | 5:7 | Taken by a commercial photographer. |
| Canada passport, online renewal | 1,200 × 1,800 to 3,000 × 4,500 px | 2:3 | IRCC describes this as a 3:2 ratio with the camera in portrait mode. |
| Australia passport | 35 to 40 mm wide, 45 to 50 mm high | No single ratio | Accepted prints range from about 0.70 to 0.89. A 35 × 45 mm print (7:9) is inside that range. |
For print sizes, head size, and background rules side by side, see the passport photo size chart by country.
Why 35 × 45 mm is 7:9
Divide both sides by their largest common factor. 35 and 45 are both divisible by 5, which leaves 7 and 9. Every form of the size reduces the same way:
- 35 × 45 mm: divide by 5 to get 7:9
- 3.5 × 4.5 cm: the same measurement in centimeters, 7:9
- 630 × 810 pixels: divide by 90 to get 7:9
- 413 × 531 pixels (35 × 45 mm at 300 dpi): divide by 59 to get 7:9
As a decimal, 7 ÷ 9 is 0.778. That is the quickest way to check a file: divide its width by its height. A result of 0.778 is 7:9, and 1.0 is square.
7:9 is not 3:4 or 4:5
Many crop menus offer 3:4 and 4:5 presets. Both are close to 7:9, and neither is the same shape. If you crop to one of them and then force the file to 630 × 810, the editor has to stretch it to make up the difference:
| Shape you cropped to | Width ÷ height | What forcing it into 630 × 810 does |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 (a 2 × 2 inch square) | 1.000 | Face becomes about 29% taller relative to its width |
| 4:5 (also shown as 8:10) | 0.800 | Face becomes about 3% taller relative to its width |
| 7:9 | 0.778 | No distortion, only a change in size |
| 3:4 | 0.750 | Face becomes about 4% wider relative to its height |
| 2:3 (Canada online renewal) | 0.667 | Face becomes about 17% wider relative to its height |
Passport Seva does not publish how much stretching its automatic checks tolerate, so treat any stretch as a risk, including one too small to notice by eye. ICAO's portrait-quality guidance says aspect-ratio changes must be made by cropping, not by stretching. If a stretched file has already been rejected, the distortionCheck failed guide explains how to tell a stretched file from a close-camera photo.
Pixel sizes that are exactly 7:9
A pixel size is exactly 7:9 when the width divided by 7 and the height divided by 9 give the same whole number. For 630 × 810, both give 90.
| Width × height | Note |
|---|---|
| 350 × 450 px | Small working copy |
| 413 × 531 px | 35 × 45 mm at 300 dpi |
| 630 × 810 px | The exact Passport Seva upload size |
| 700 × 900 px | Larger working copy |
| 1,400 × 1,800 px | High-resolution crop to resize from |
At 200 dpi, 3.5 × 4.5 cm works out to 276 × 354 pixels, which is 7:9 after rounding to whole pixels. Forms that ask for 3.5 × 4.5 cm at 200 dpi need at least that many; the image size too small guide covers those portals.
The right shape is not the same as the right size. Passport Seva needs exactly 630 × 810, so a 700 × 900 file has the correct 7:9 shape and still the wrong dimensions. Resize it to 630 × 810 before uploading. The 630 × 810 guide covers the rest of the Passport Seva file rules.
How to crop a photo to 7:9 without stretching
Crop to the shape first, then resize to the pixel size. Cropping is the only step that should change the shape; resizing should only change the size.
- Start from the original photo, not a WhatsApp copy or a screenshot. Leave space around your head and shoulders so there is room to crop. For Passport Seva, the official guideline asks for the photo to be taken from 1.5 meters.
- Lock the crop to 7:9. If your editor accepts a custom ratio, enter 7 and 9. If it only accepts pixel values, choose a crop height that frames your head and shoulders, then set the width to height × 7 ÷ 9. A crop 2,700 pixels tall should be 2,100 pixels wide.
- Move and size the crop box, not the photo. Center your face and scale the box with the ratio locked until the face fills the frame correctly. For Passport Seva, the face should take up 80 to 85 percent of the photo's height.
- Resize with proportions locked. Turn on "maintain aspect ratio" or "keep proportions" and set the width to 630. The height becomes 810 on its own. If it comes out as 809 or 811, the crop was not quite 7:9: recrop rather than typing 810 with proportions unlocked.
- Check the result. 630 ÷ 810 = 0.778. The free photo checker reads your file's pixel dimensions and aspect ratio and compares them with the published rules for the document you choose.
In common editors
- Photoshop: select the Crop tool, choose Ratio in the options bar, and enter 7 and 9. Or choose W x H x Resolution and enter 3.5 cm and 4.5 cm.
- GIMP: select the Crop tool, tick Fixed in the tool options, choose Aspect ratio, and type 7:9.
- Microsoft Paint: the Resize dialog changes size, not shape. With Maintain aspect ratio unticked, typing 630 × 810 for a square photo stretches it. Crop to 7:9 first, then resize with the box ticked.
- Phone gallery editors: crop presets differ by phone and software version. If 7:9 is not on the list, do not substitute 3:4 or 4:5. Crop loosely on the phone and make the exact 7:9 crop in a tool that accepts a custom ratio or pixel values.
If you would rather not crop by hand, the Indian passport photo tool crops your original to 7:9 with the face sized for Passport Seva and outputs the 630 × 810 file. You see a preview before paying $2.99.
Square photos: US passport, OCI, and Indian visa
For a 1:1 photo, the width and height must be equal. The OCI photo requirements state this directly, with a range of 200 × 200 to 900 × 900 pixels. A US 2 × 2 inch print and an Indian visa photo are square as well.
A square photo and a 7:9 photo cannot be turned into each other by resizing. Converting always means cropping away part of the image, and a crop taken from a finished photo can leave too little space above the head or too few pixels. Make each document's photo from the original.
For US online renewal, upload the original photo and use the crop inside the official application. See the US passport photo requirements for the current rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the aspect ratio of a passport size photo?
For the common 35 × 45 mm (3.5 × 4.5 cm) size used in India, the UK, and many other countries, it is 7:9. A US 2 × 2 inch passport photo is 1:1.
What is the aspect ratio of an Indian passport photo?
7:9. The Passport Seva upload is 630 × 810 pixels, which reduces to 7:9, and the 35 × 45 mm print size has the same shape. OCI and Indian visa photos are different: they are square, 1:1.
Is 3.5 × 4.5 cm the same ratio as 630 × 810 pixels?
Yes. Both reduce to 7:9. One is a print size and the other is a pixel size; a 630 × 810 file printed at about 457 dpi measures 35 × 45 mm.
Is 3:4 or 4:5 the same as the passport photo ratio?
No. 3:4 is 0.75 and 4:5 is 0.80, while 7:9 is 0.778. A 3:4 or 4:5 crop forced into 630 × 810 is stretched by about 3 to 4 percent.
Can I convert a 2 × 2 inch photo to 630 × 810?
Not by resizing it, which makes the face about 29 percent taller. Cropping the sides of the square to 7:9 keeps the head at the same share of the height, and a US-style head of 50 to 69 percent is below Passport Seva's 80 to 85 percent. Start from the original photo instead.
How do I check my photo's aspect ratio?
Divide the width in pixels by the height. 0.778 is 7:9 and 1.0 is square. The free PhotoPass checker shows the ratio and compares it with the selected document's published dimensions.
Choose the right document workflow
U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia use unchanged-file checkers; supported Indian routes offer paid preparation.
Check Your Photo Ratio →