How to Resize a Photo to Passport Size (Indian Passport and Visa)

An Indian passport-size photo is 3.5 cm wide and 4.5 cm tall, in colour, on a plain white background. For a digital file that prints at that size, you need 413 × 531 pixels (at 300 DPI). The resize image in KB tool has a Passport photo preset that makes exactly that: add your photo, choose the preset, press Resize image and download a JPG under 100 KB. It runs in your browser, so the photo is not uploaded.

Before you start, check what your application actually needs. For most passport applications made in India you do not need a photo at all, while applications made abroad and visa forms have their own pixel sizes. This guide covers the official rules, the pixel sizes, how to take a photo at home that will not be rejected, and how to print several copies on one sheet.

Do you need a photo for an Indian passport?

Often not. The Passport Seva instruction booklet says a photograph is not required for applications submitted at a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK): your photo is taken there during the appointment. Procedures do change, so read the instructions shown when you book. You need your own photo in these cases:

• Paper applications at other collection centres (District Passport Cell, Speed Post centres, citizen service centres). The booklet asks for one recent colour photo, 4.5 cm × 3.5 cm, pasted in the box on the form.
• Applying through an Indian embassy or consulate abroad. Under Global Passport Seva, missions now require you to upload an ICAO-compliant digital photo of 630 × 810 pixels. Several missions announced that only such photos are accepted from 1 September 2025, and some made the upload mandatory from 1 December 2025.
• Visa applications and many other forms (exam registrations, bank and college forms), each with its own size.

The official photo rules

The Passport Seva booklet's list for pasted photos, and the ICAO guidelines published by Indian missions for uploads, overlap closely. A photo that meets all of these will pass almost anywhere:

• Colour photo, recent, showing your current appearance. No black and white.
• Plain white background with no shadows. The booklet adds that clothes should be dark, which makes your outline clear against the white.
• Full face, looking straight at the camera, head centred and not tilted, both ears and both edges of the face visible.
• Eyes open and clearly visible, no hair across them, mouth closed, natural expression (no grin, no frown, no raised eyebrows).
• No dark or coloured glasses. The mission guidelines ask you to take glasses off to avoid reflections.
• Head coverings only for religious reasons, with the face visible from chin to forehead and edge to edge.
• For ICAO uploads: head and top of shoulders, with the face taking up 80–85% of the photo, and the photo "unaltered by computer software".
• For pasted photos: printed on good photo paper with continuous-tone quality. The booklet says a computer print will not be accepted, and the photo must not be signed, creased or cut from a group photo.

Cropping and resizing are normal preparation. Beauty filters, skin smoothing and background-replacement apps count as altering the photo, so avoid them.

Passport and visa photo sizes in pixels

Print sizes become pixels with one formula: pixels = centimetres ÷ 2.54 × DPI. At 300 DPI, the usual print resolution, 3.5 cm is 3.5 ÷ 2.54 × 300 = 413.4, so 413 px, and 4.5 cm is 4.5 ÷ 2.54 × 300 = 531.5, so 531 px.

630 × 810 has the same 7:9 shape as 3.5 × 4.5 cm, with more pixels. The US State Department also asks for a white or off-white background, a photo taken in the last six months, and a head between 1 and 1⅜ inches from chin to top of head on the 2-inch print. Visa rules vary and change, so check the embassy or VFS checklist for yours.

Take a photo at home that will not be rejected

1. Background: stand in front of a plain white wall or a white bedsheet pulled tight, about half a metre to a metre away so your shadow does not fall on it.
2. Light: face a window in daylight. Light from the front and slightly above keeps shadows off your face; avoid overhead tube lights alone and the phone flash.
3. Distance: the mission guidelines say about 1.5 metres from the camera. Ask someone to take it with the phone held upright at your eye level; a selfie at arm's length distorts the face.
4. Pose: shoulders square, head straight, hair off your eyes and ears visible, glasses off, mouth closed, neutral expression. Wear dark, plain clothes.
5. Take several shots and pick the sharpest one. Keep the original file.

Take the photo upright (portrait). A portrait phone photo has almost the same shape as a passport photo; a sideways photo would lose most of its width when cropped.

Resize to 413 × 531 px with the KB tool

1. Frame it first. Open the photo in your phone's own gallery editor and crop it to head and top of shoulders, with your face filling most of the frame and a little space above your hair. Keep your face centred. The site's image cropper cuts only from the centre, so the phone's crop tool is more flexible for this step.
2. Convert if needed. The KB tool accepts JPG, PNG and WebP. If your iPhone saved a HEIC file, convert it with the HEIC to JPG converter.
3. Resize. Open the resize image in KB tool, add the photo and choose Passport photo · 413 × 531 px (3.5 × 4.5 cm) · under 100 KB. Keep "Crop to fill the size (best for face photos)" selected and press Resize image.
4. Read the notes. The tool crops evenly from the edges to reach the exact 7:9 shape instead of stretching your face. If a note says part of the picture was trimmed (it appears when more than 10% is cut off), check that the top of your head and your chin are still inside.
5. Download the JPG. The file name ends with its size, for example photo-48kb.jpg.

How much is trimmed depends on the shape you start with. A standard upright phone photo is 3:4, so reaching 7:9 trims only about 3.6% of its height (1 − 0.75 ÷ 0.778). A sideways 4:3 photo would lose about 42% of its width, which is why step 1 and an upright photo matter.

Other sizes: 630 × 810, US 600 × 600 and exam forms

Use the same tool with the Custom size preset:

• Passport applied for abroad: width 630, height 810, crop to fill, and the maximum KB the portal states. Crop your photo tighter first, because the face must fill 80–85% of the frame.
• US visa: width 600, height 600, maximum 240 KB. A square crop trims more from the top and bottom of an upright photo, so leave a little room above your head when you take it.
• Exam and job forms (SSC, IBPS, state commissions) use smaller sizes and KB ranges, often with a signature too. The guide to resizing a photo and signature in KB for exam forms covers those presets step by step.

Pixels are what online forms check. DPI is only a printing note, so if a form asks for 413 × 531 px you do not need to change any DPI setting. If a form gives only a pixel size and no KB limit, the plain image resizer also works, but it has no aspect lock, so crop to the right shape first. The guide to resizing an image to exact pixels explains that route.

Print several copies on one 4 × 6 sheet

Paper forms need printed photos, and the booklet rules out home computer prints, so use a photo lab. A common way to save money is to put several photos on one standard 4 × 6 inch print. At 300 DPI that sheet, turned sideways, is 1800 × 1200 pixels:

• Indian size (413 × 531 px): 4 across uses 1652 px of the 1800, and 2 down uses 1062 of the 1200, so 8 photos fit, with gaps of about 30 px (2.5 mm) across and 46 px (4 mm) down for cutting.
• US size (600 × 600 px): 3 × 2 = 6 fit only edge to edge with no gaps, and labs often trim a little from the edges. Place 4 with space around them.

On Windows you can build the sheet in Paint: start a new image, open Resize (Ctrl+W), choose Pixels, untick "Maintain aspect ratio" and set 1800 × 1200. Paste your passport JPG eight times and drag each copy into place; Paint shows the pixel position at the bottom of the window to help you line them up. Save as JPG and ask the lab for a 4 × 6 inch print without cropping. Then cut along the gaps. Many photo studios will also do this layout for you from the file.

Frequently asked questions

What is passport size photo size in pixels?

For an Indian 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo, 413 × 531 pixels at 300 DPI, or 276 × 354 at 200 DPI. Online passport applications made abroad use 630 × 810 pixels.

Do I need to carry a photo to the Passport Seva Kendra?

No. The Passport Seva booklet says photos are not required for applications at a PSK or POPSK; your photo is taken there.

Can the background be light blue or off-white?

For an Indian passport, use plain white. The US accepts white or off-white. Other countries vary, so check the checklist for your visa.

Can I wear glasses in a passport photo?

Take them off. Indian missions ask for glasses to be removed to avoid reflections, and the US no longer allows glasses in visa photos except for rare medical reasons.

Why was my photo rejected even though the size was right?

Usually because of the photo itself: shadows on the background, a tilted head, glasses, a face too small in the frame, or filters. Retake it following the rules above.

Sources: Passport Seva, "Instructions for filling of passport application form and supplementary form" (passportindia.gov.in); Embassy of India, Manila, "Guidelines for ICAO compliant photographs for passport applications" (2025); U.S. Department of State, visa "Photo Requirements" and "Digital Image Requirements"; German Missions, Schengen visa photo requirements; checked October 2026.