Passport, visa and ID photos · Upload refused
OCI photo upload size not right? The file limits, and how to meet them
The photo for the online OCI application is a digital file, and the official page publishes limits for it: file type JPEG; pixel size 200 x 200 pixels to 900 x 900 pixels (width x height); shape square: the height equals the width; file size up to 200 KB. A file outside any one of them does not meet the published limits. WinPhoto ID checks your photo against the published rules and makes a file inside these limits. The check is free.
Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.
The published file limits
For the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card application photo. The indented words are the issuing authority's own, from the official page linked under them, read on the date given. WinPhoto is photo software, not an application service. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo.
| Limit | As published |
|---|---|
| File type | JPEG
The images of the photograph and signature must be in JPEG/ JPG format with max size 200 KB.Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Pixel size | 200 x 200 pixels to 900 x 900 pixels (width x height)
The height and width of the applicant photo must be equal. The minimum dimensions are 200 pixels (width) x 200 pixels (height). The maximum dimensions are 900 pixels(width) x 900 pixels (height).Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Shape | square: the height equals the width
The height and width of the applicant photo must be equal. The minimum dimensions are 200 pixels (width) x 200 pixels (height). The maximum dimensions are 900 pixels(width) x 900 pixels (height).Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| File size | up to 200 KB
The images of the photograph and signature must be in JPEG/ JPG format with max size 200 KB.Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Background | plain light colour, NOT white, no border
Photograph to be uploaded on the application should be of square shape of size not less than 51x 51 mm (with 80% coverage of face). It should have plain light color background (not white) without the border with front view of person's head and shoulders showing the full face in middle of the photograph.Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
The OCI photo needs a plain light background that is not white, unlike most Indian documents. A replaced background here is light grey.
The usual reasons a file is refused
Each of these puts a file outside the limits above:
- The file is not a JPEG file.
- The image is smaller than 200 x 200 pixels or larger than 900 x 900 pixels.
- The image is not square: its height and width differ.
- The file is larger than 200 KB.
This list comes only from the published limits. A photo can also be turned down for what it shows, such as the background or the head size: the OCI photo page has every published rule.
What the free check does
- The page checks your photo against the published photo rules it can measure, such as the head size where the rules set one and the background.
- It then frames the photo and makes a 900 x 900 pixel JPEG file, fitted to the file size limit above.
Checking your photo is free and runs in your browser. The file comes with your document's photo: €6.99, paid once for that document, with unlimited retakes for 30 days. No subscription. A file made or checked here meets the published limits as read on 4 November 2026; it is not a promise that the authority accepts it.
Questions
- What photo file does the online OCI application take?
- As the official page states it, read on 4 November 2026: file type JPEG; pixel size 200 x 200 pixels to 900 x 900 pixels (width x height); shape square: the height equals the width; file size up to 200 KB.
- Does a file inside these limits get accepted?
- A file inside them meets the published limits as we read them on 4 November 2026. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo, and rules change: check the official page before you apply.
- Is my photo uploaded to WinPhoto?
- No. The check runs in your browser and the photo stays on your device, unless you choose the Detail check, which is opt-in. No face is recognised.
- Does WinPhoto fill in or send the application?
- No. WinPhoto is photo software: it checks a photo and makes a photo file. The application is yours to make on the official site.