Amit spent two hours filling out his passport application online. Address, references, emergency contacts — everything done carefully. Then he hit the photo upload step. His phone photo was 4MB. The portal accepted maximum 1MB. He resized it on his phone — now it was too small in pixels. He resized again — now it was the right KB but wrong dimensions. The portal kept rejecting it.
He gave up that night and restarted the next morning with the right information. This guide is what he wished he had found first.
Photo Requirements for Common Indian Government Documents
Aadhaar Card Update
- Dimensions: 413 x 531 pixels
- File size: maximum 50KB
- Format: JPG
- Background: white or light colored
PAN Card Application (NSDL/UTI)
- Dimensions: 413 x 531 pixels
- File size: maximum 300KB
- Format: JPG
- Background: white
Passport Application
- Dimensions: 350 x 350 pixels minimum, 1000 x 1000 maximum
- File size: maximum 1MB
- Format: JPG
- Background: plain white
- Face should cover 70-80% of frame
Driving Licence (Sarathi Portal)
- Dimensions: 413 x 531 pixels
- File size: maximum 200KB
- Format: JPG
- Background: white or light
Government Exams (UPSC, SSC, State PSC)
- Dimensions: 350 x 350 pixels (varies by exam)
- File size: 20KB to 50KB (check specific notification)
- Format: JPG
- Background: white or light colored
How to Resize Your Photo — Step by Step
- Open WorkUtilities Photo Resizer
- Upload your photo
- Select the document type from presets (Aadhaar, PAN, Passport etc.)
- Dimensions and KB limit auto-fill
- Download your resized photo
The preset system means you don't need to remember any numbers. Just select your document type and download.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using mobile screenshots — compression artifacts make portal rejection more likely
- Black and white photos — most portals require color photos
- Sunglasses or cap — not accepted for any official ID document
- Old photos — passport applications require recent photos (within 6 months)
- Wrong background — colored backgrounds rejected for most government IDs