Passport Size Photo Size in India: 3.5 × 4.5 cm in Every Unit
Updated 8 October 2026 · Figures taken from 13 documents listed below
A passport size photo in India measures 3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm high: 35 × 45 mm, or about 1.38 × 1.77 inches, in a 7:9 width-to-height ratio. For the digital file, the Passport Seva photograph guideline gives 630 × 810 pixels, which is exactly the same 7:9 shape.
Other pixel sizes you will see, such as 413 × 531, are that paper size at a different DPI. Exam forms like NEET say only “passport size” and set a KB range, and outside India the phrase can mean a 2 × 2 inch square.
At a glance
- Printed size
- 3.5 cm wide × 4.5 cm high (35 × 45 mm)
- Inches
- about 1.38 × 1.77 in
- Ratio
- 7:9 (width : height)
- Pixels at 200 / 300 / 600 DPI
- 276 × 354 / 413 × 531 / 827 × 1063
- Passport Seva digital photo
- 630*810 Pixels
- Passport Seva paper form
- 4.5 cm length x 3.5 cm width
- NEET (UG) 2026
- JPG/JPEG, 10 kb to 200 kb
- US visa photo
- 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
Make the file now
The resizer below opens at 3.5 cm wide, 4.5 cm high and 300 DPI with “Crop to fill” selected, so add the photo and press Resize to get a 413 × 531 pixel file in the 7:9 shape. Open the full resize image in cm page.
Files are processed on this page and are not uploaded.
Pixels per inch when printed. 300 is standard for photos and documents.
What is the passport size photo size in cm, mm and inches?
The Passport Seva instruction booklet asks paper-form applicants for a colour photograph of “4.5 cm length x 3.5 cm width”. Length means height here, so the photo stands upright: 3.5 cm across and 4.5 cm tall.
An inch is 2.54 cm, so 3.5 × 4.5 cm is about 1.38 × 1.77 inches, or 35 × 45 mm. Divide both sides by 5 mm and 7 by 9 is left: the height is about 1.29 times the width.
| Unit | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Centimetres | 3.5 cm | 4.5 cm |
| Millimetres | 35 mm | 45 mm |
| Inches | 1.38 in | 1.77 in |
| Pixels at 200 DPI | 276 px | 354 px |
| Pixels at 300 DPI | 413 px | 531 px |
| Pixels at about 457 DPI | 630 px | 810 px |
| Pixels at 600 DPI | 827 px | 1063 px |
| Ratio | 7 | 9 |
Why do websites give different pixel sizes for a passport photo?
A file has no centimetres, only pixels plus a DPI number telling a printer how densely to place them. The pixel count for 3.5 × 4.5 cm therefore depends on the DPI the writer assumed: centimetres × DPI ÷ 2.54 gives 413 × 531 at 300 DPI and 276 × 354 at 200.
Gaps of one pixel, such as 531 against 532, are rounding. A changed shape is not: 600 × 800 is 3:4 and 600 × 600 is square. If width ÷ height is not close to 0.78, it is not the Indian passport shape. Passport Seva’s 630 × 810 passes that test; it is the same photo at about 457 DPI.
What does Passport Seva ask for in the digital photo?
The ICAO photograph guideline on the Passport Seva portal, written for photos captured or uploaded for passport services, states “630*810 Pixels” in colour on a white background, with the face filling 80 to 85% of the frame and the photo “unaltered by computer software”. It names no KB limit and no file format.
For the printed photo, the booklet says none is needed for applications submitted at a Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra. At other collection centres you paste one colour print, no smaller than the 4.5 × 3.5 cm box, on photo paper; a computer print will not be accepted.
How do NEET and other forms use “passport size”?
Many Indian forms use “passport size” to describe the picture and put the limit in kilobytes. The NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin wants a recent passport size photograph, colour or black and white, the face covering 80% of the image with ears visible, a white background, and a JPG/JPEG of 10 kb to 200 kb. It sets no pixel size.
The 2025 bulletin added a postcard size (4”X6”) photo in the same range and asked that the photo preferably show the candidate’s name and the date it was taken; the 2026 photo instructions drop that line.
If a form wants a name and date strip, it must be on the picture before resizing: have the studio print it or add it in a photo editor, since the resizer below does not write text. Other forms set their own limits:
- Sarathi Parivahan Form 2 (driving licence): passport size photograph, not more than 50 KB
- PAN through Protean: 3.5X2.5 cms, 200 DPI, Max. 20 KB, a different shape
When does “passport size” mean 2 × 2 inches instead?
The U.S. Department of State asks for 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) visa photos and, according to the department, U.S. passport photos are the same size; at 300 DPI that square is 600 × 600 pixels, its Diversity Visa figure.
An Indian passport photo can be square too: the Embassy of India in Paris asks for 2 inch x 2 inch with a 20 KB to 100 KB file, so check the sheet of the mission handling your application.
The UK and the Schengen area share the 35 × 45 mm print, and a 630 × 810 file clears the GOV.UK digital minimum of 600 × 750. Cropping a 7:9 file to a square cuts about 22% of its height, so start again from the original photo.
| Document | Printed size | Digital file |
|---|---|---|
| India, Passport Seva | 4.5 cm length x 3.5 cm width | 630*810 Pixels |
| Indian passport, Embassy of India Paris | 2 inch x 2 inch (51 mm x 51 mm) | 20 KB to 100 KB |
| United States, visa photo | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) | 600x600 pixels (Diversity Visa) |
| United Kingdom, passport | 45mm high by 35mm wide | at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall |
| Schengen visa (German Missions) | 35 x 45 mm | not stated |
| Canada, passport | 50 mm wide by 70 mm high | at least 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 pixels wide |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the ratio of a passport size photo?
- It is 7:9, width to height. An upright 3:4 phone portrait is slightly narrower, so cropping it to 7:9 trims under 4% of the height; a square photo loses over a fifth of its width.
- Should I use 413 × 531 or 630 × 810 pixels?
- Both are the 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo at a different DPI. Use 630 × 810 for a passport upload that follows the Passport Seva guideline. For a print, or a form giving only centimetres, 413 × 531 at 300 DPI is the usual choice.
- How do I get exactly 630 × 810 pixels with the resizer?
- Switch the unit to Pixels and type 630 and 810, or stay in cm with 3.5 and 4.5 and set the DPI to 457. The second way also stores 457 DPI in a JPG or PNG, so the file still prints at 3.5 × 4.5 cm.
- Can the resizer add my name and date to the photo for NEET?
- No. It resizes, crops and compresses but does not print text. Add the strip in a photo editor or at the studio, then open the finished picture in the resizer to set its size and weight.
- How many KB should a passport size photo be?
- The Passport Seva sheet gives no KB figure, so the form decides: NEET (UG) 2026 wants 10 kb to 200 kb and Sarathi Parivahan’s Form 2 not more than 50 KB. Resize first, then compress if the file is over.
- Is the Indian passport photo 2 × 2 inches or 3.5 × 4.5 cm?
- Through Passport Seva in India it is 3.5 × 4.5 cm on paper and 630 × 810 pixels digitally. The Embassy of India in Paris asks for 2 inch x 2 inch, so missions abroad can differ.
Sources
- Guidelines for ICAO Compliant Photographs for Passport Applications (Passport Seva, Ministry of External Affairs)“The photograph should be in color and dimensions should be 630*810 Pixels.”
- Instruction Booklet for Passport Application Form, V3.0 (Passport Seva)“Paste your recent passport size photograph (4.5 cm length x 3.5 cm width) in colour in the box meant for affixing the photograph”
- Information Bulletin NEET (UG) 2026 (National Testing Agency)“Photograph should be in JPG/JPEG format (clearly legible) between 10 kb to 200 kb.”
- Information Bulletin NEET (UG) 2025 (National Testing Agency)“preferably indicating clearly the name of the candidate along with the date of taking the photograph”
- Form 2, application for licence (Sarathi Parivahan, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways)“Space for passport size photograph (Upload the photo for online application of the size not more than 50 KB)”
- Guidelines for filling PAN New Application (Protean)“Resolution (in DPI): 200 DPI; Type: Color; File type: JPEG; Size: Max. 20 KB; Dimension: 3.5X2.5 cms”
- Requirement of Photograph for Indian Passport (Embassy of India, Paris)“The photograph should be in colour and of the size of 2 inch x 2 inch (51 mm x 51 mm) and The digital size of file should not exceed 100 KB each and must not be less than 20 KB.”
- Photo requirements for visas (U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs)“In JPEG (.jpg) file format; Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size; 600x600 pixels in dimension; square aspect ratio (height must equal width)”
- U.S. Passport Photos (U.S. Department of State)“attach one color photograph 2x2 inches in size”
- Passport photos: printed photos (GOV.UK)“measure 45 millimetres (mm) high by 35mm wide (the standard size used in photo booths in the UK)”
- Get a digital passport photo (GOV.UK)“at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall ... at least 50KB and no more than 10MB”
- Schengen visa checklist (German Missions in the United States)“One (1) recent biometric passport photo (35 x 45 mm; see specimen photos)”
- Passport photos (Government of Canada)“They must be 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 inches wide by 2¾ inches high) ... be at least 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 pixels wide”