Indian Passport and OCI Photo Requirements

An Indian passport photo is no longer just a print. Every applicant must now upload a digital photo with the online form, and that upload is mandatory.

The digital photo measures 630 x 810 pixels. It is taller than it is wide, in colour, on a white background, and your face fills 80 to 85% of the picture. It must not be altered by software: no filter, no retouching, no swapped background.

The printed photos are square: 2 x 2 inches, or 51 x 51 mm, a little wider than a matchbox. You hand in two of them with your application. Your head, measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, must be 35 to 40 mm high.

The two do not have the same shape, so one cannot simply be resized into the other. Ask for both at the same visit, taken from the same sitting.

Shape. An Indian passport print is a 51 x 51 mm square. A Canadian passport photo is a 50 x 70 mm rectangle. They are almost the same width, which is exactly why people try to trim one into the other. It does not work: the head would sit too low and measure too small.

How much of the frame you fill. On the Indian print the head measures 35 to 40 mm in a 51 mm frame. On a Canadian photo it measures 31 to 36 mm in a 70 mm frame. On the Indian photo you look much closer to the camera.

The digital copy. A Canadian passport application made on paper needs no file. An Indian passport application needs one, at a fixed 630 x 810 pixels, uploaded before your papers are accepted.

Tell us the photo is for an Indian passport before we shoot, so we frame it for both formats.

An OCI card photo follows the same square format as the Indian passport print: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), in colour, on a plain white background with no border. You submit one photo, not two.

The head measures 35 to 40 mm from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin. Wear a dark top. The official rules single out one trap by name: a white shirt against a white background is not acceptable, because the two must be easy to tell apart.

Good news for parents: the rules bend for little ones. A baby under one year does not have to have their eyes open, and for children under ten the height of the face and the position of the eyes are judged less strictly. The child must still be alone in the picture, facing the camera, with no toy, no chair back and no helping hand in view.

The OCI application is filled in online and asks for the photo as an image file too. Ask for the digital copy with your print, so both come from the same shot.

An Indian e-visa photo is uploaded, not printed. The file must be a JPEG whose height and width are equal, between 10 KB and 1 MB.

The picture shows your full face from the front, eyes open, with the head centred and visible from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin. Glasses come off for this one: the rule says without spectacles. The background is plain white or light-coloured, with no shadow on the face or behind it, and the image has no border.

A phone selfie rarely passes, because the lens is too close and the wall behind is seldom even. A studio file sized for the visa form takes a few minutes.

For an Indian passport or OCI photo, the colour of your top matters more than its style. The background is white, so wear something dark: navy, black, burgundy, deep green. A white or cream shirt disappears into the background, and the photo comes back.

Take your glasses off. The current rules for the passport photo say so plainly, to avoid reflections, and tinted lenses are never accepted.

A turban, hijab or other head covering worn for religious reasons stays on. Your face must show from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and both edges of the face must be clear. A hat, cap or fashion scarf comes off.

Keep your hair off your eyes, hold your head straight, and keep your mouth closed with a natural expression. If you have started or stopped wearing a turban since your last passport, mention it when you apply: a change of appearance needs its own paperwork.

An Indian passport or OCI photo is usually turned away for one of a handful of reasons:

• A Canadian-format 50 x 70 mm photo, or one trimmed down from it

• A digital photo that is not 630 x 810 pixels

• A background that is not plain white, or that shows a shadow

• A white or pale top that blends into the background

• Glare on the glasses, or tinted lenses

• A head that is too small in the frame, or not centred

• An open mouth, closed eyes or hair across the eyes

• A photo edited or retouched by software

• A blurred, creased or ink-marked print

A photo that does not meet the specifications delays the whole file, and an application found not to be in order can be rejected without the fee being returned. The photo is the cheapest part of the application to get right.

Indian passport photos, OCI card photos and Indian visa photos are part of our international passport photo service at 683 Rue Jean-Talon O in Montreal. We shoot on a plain white background, print at 51 x 51 mm, measure the head before you leave, and prepare the digital file at the size your form asks for. No appointment is needed, and photos are usually ready in about 15 minutes.

You can get two identical prints, a digital file or both; an Indian passport application calls for both. Current prices are on our international passport photo service page. If your photo is turned down, we reshoot it free.

The studio is open seven days a week: 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.