India e-Visa Photo — the Official Requirement (and What It Isn't)
India runs several photo standards in parallel, and mixing them up is the single most common reason e-Visa photo uploads fail. The e-Visa (eTV) portal at indianvisaonline.gov.in has its own spec — different from the regular sticker-visa process handled by BLS/VFS agencies, and different again from Passport Seva's passport photos. This page covers the e-Visa spec only, verified from the official portal's instructions.
The e-Visa numbers
Square image — equal width and height — between 350×350 and 1000×1000 pixels. Format: JPEG. File size: minimum 10KB, maximum 300KB. Background: plain, light-coloured or white, without shadows. Face centered, full head visible from hair to chin, eyes open, no glare on glasses (ideally none).
Don't confuse it with the other two Indian specs
If you're applying for a regular (non-electronic) visa through BLS or VFS, their upload requirement differs — commonly 350×350px with its own size rule set by the agency. And India's own citizens uploading passport photos use the entirely different 35×45mm ICAO format. Applying one portal's numbers to another is how correctly-taken photos still get rejected.
Passing the eTV upload first time
Crop square before anything else — a phone portrait photo uploaded as-is fails the equal-dimensions check immediately. Then compress into the 10–300KB window; the PixKB India e-Visa preset does the square crop and the compression together. Note the e-Visa application also requires a separate passport bio-page scan with its own rules — that's a document scan, not this photo.
Frequently asked questions
Is the India e-Visa photo the same as the visa-on-arrival photo?
The e-Visa (applied online in advance) uses this spec. If you're using a different entry scheme, check that scheme's current rules — specs are set per system, not per country.
Why does my square photo still fail?
Usually file size — below 10KB (over-compressed) or above 300KB. Less often, the image isn't exactly square by a few pixels. An exact-dimension crop fixes it.
Do children need the same photo spec?
Yes, each applicant including infants needs a compliant photo — same dimensions and size window.