Reading
Passport and exam photo rules in India
A passport photo and an exam form want different things. One wants the picture left alone; the other wants an exact box and a KB range. Here are the published numbers, where each came from, and the date they were read.
Two kinds of rule
Document photo rules are mostly about not altering the photograph: no retouching, no red-eye removal, no background swap. Online form rules are mostly about the file: a pixel box, a physical size and a range in kilobytes. A tool that serves both should do the permitted part exactly, lock the forbidden part with its reason, and never claim a photo will be accepted.
The published numbers
| Context | Pixels | File | Other rules | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian passport | 630 × 810 | — | White background; no distracting shadows; no red-eye; unaltered by software; face 80–85 % of the photo | 18 Oct 2026 |
| US visa | 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 (square) | JPEG, ≤ 240 kB, colour sRGB | Not digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance; head 50–69 % of the height | 24 Oct 2026 |
| GATE 2026 photo (IIT Guwahati page) | 200 × 260 to 530 × 690 | JPEG, 5–600 kB | 3.5 × 4.5 cm; white background; face 60–70 % of the image | 24 Oct 2026 |
| GATE/JAM photo (IIT Kanpur page) | 240 × 320 to 480 × 640 | JPEG, 50–200 kB | 3.5 × 4.5 cm; white or very light background | 24 Oct 2026 |
| GATE 2026 signature (IIT Guwahati page) | 250 × 80 to 580 × 180 | JPEG, 3–300 kB | Black or dark blue ink; signature 70–80 % of the image | 24 Oct 2026 |
| GATE/JAM signature (IIT Kanpur page) | 280 × 80 to 560 × 160 | JPEG, 50–150 kB | Black or dark blue ink; fits a 2 × 7 cm box | 24 Oct 2026 |
The two GATE pages disagree. Both are official; both presets ship on the exam editor, each labelled with its page. Use the one your current notice points to.
Where each number came from
- Indian passport: Consulate General of India, Auckland — specifications for passport photos.
- US visa: U.S. Department of State — Digital Image Requirements.
- GATE 2026: IIT Guwahati — photograph and signature.
- GATE/JAM: IIT Kanpur — photograph and signature.
Forms without a preset here
UPSC, SSC, bank and state public service commission forms each publish their own numbers in the notice for that cycle, and secondary summaries of them disagree. No preset ships for those until a notice is read; the exam editor's Custom photo and Custom signature take the pixel box and KB range straight from your notice.
What the editors here do with these rules
- Passport photo editor: India and US presets, a face-proportion guide, and every appearance edit locked with its reason. Crop, straighten, brightness and contrast stay open.
- Exam photo and signature editor: photo and signature presets, KB-fit with the size it reached printed, and Paper white for signatures.
- Neither page says a photo is accepted, compliant or approved. The office that set the rule decides.