A photo can satisfy every biometric rule and still be refused by an upload form, because portals check two separate things: how the photograph looks, and how the file is built. These eight guides cover the file side — pixel dimensions, kilobyte ceilings, format conversion, cropping, printing, and photographing a baby. For the photograph itself, see the passport photo rules hub; for country-specific dimensions, see the requirements by country hub.
Read the error message your portal gave you. "Image too small" or "wrong dimensions" means a pixel problem — use the resize guide. "File too large" means a kilobyte problem — use a compression guide, and note that India's limit is 20 KB while most others are 240 KB. File refused before upload usually means an iPhone HEIC file — convert it to JPEG first.
If you have not taken the photo yet, start with the digital passport photo requirements guide, which covers every specification in one place, then come back for the specific task you need.
These are the two numbers that decide whether an upload is accepted. Dimensions come from the physical photo format; the kilobyte ceiling is set independently by each portal, which is why the same file passes one system and fails another.
| Portal / Document | Pixel Requirement | File Size Limit | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| US online passport renewal | 600×600 to 1200×1200 px | 54 KB – 10 MB | Resize to 600×600 |
| US visa (DS-160) | 600×600 to 1200×1200 px | 240 KB max | Compress to 240 KB |
| Diversity Visa (DV) entry | 600×600 to 1200×1200 px | 240 KB max | Compress to 240 KB |
| Schengen visa and most EU states | 413×531 px (35×45 mm) | 240 KB max | Compress to 240 KB |
| UK passport (HMPO) | 413×531 px (35×45 mm) | 50 KB – 10 MB | Digital requirements |
| Australia passport and visa | 413×531 px (35×45 mm) | 500 KB max | Reduce file size |
| New Zealand passport | 413×531 px (35×45 mm) | 250 KB max | Reduce file size |
| South Korea passport | 413×531 px (35×45 mm) | 100 KB max | Reduce file size |
| Singapore passport | 413×531 px (35×45 mm) | 60 KB max | Reduce file size |
| India Passport Seva, SSC, IBPS, PAN | 413×531 px (35×45 mm) | 10 – 20 KB | Reduce to 20 KB |
| China exit-entry documents | 354×472 to 420×560 px | Check the portal | China passport photo |
Every digital specification in one place: pixel size, file size, format, colour depth, background, head size and the 2026 rules on AI-edited images. The reference guide the others build on.
The square format required for US passport renewal, DS-160 visa and Diversity Visa uploads. Covers hitting the exact pixel count without softening the image or breaking the 1:1 ratio.
The ceiling enforced by the DS-160 visa uploader, Diversity Visa entry form and most Schengen and EU portals. Reduces weight while keeping the 600×600 pixel spec intact.
The tightest window in common use, required by India Passport Seva and by SSC, IBPS, UPSC, PAN card and Aadhaar portals. Keeps the face readable at a fraction of the usual file weight.
Newer iPhones save HEIC or HEIF by default and no government portal accepts either. Converts to JPEG for DV Lottery, DS-160, UK passport and India visa uploads while preserving colour.
Crop any photo to 2×2 in, 35×45 mm, 33×48 mm or a custom ratio, with automatic face-centring and the biometric head-height band applied for the country you choose.
Fit six 2×2 copies on one standard sheet, with printer settings, DPI, paper choice, retail cost comparison and a cutting guide for square edges.
Positioning, lighting and timing for newborns, infants and toddlers, plus which expression and eye rules each authority relaxes for young children and which it does not.
The size, background and head-height requirements are identical for children — no authority reduces the pixel count or relaxes the framing for a newborn. What changes is technique, and a narrow set of expression rules.
UK HM Passport Office waives two rules for children under one year old: the eyes do not have to be open, and a neutral expression is not required. Most other authorities, including Schengen states, Australia and Japan, expect open eyes wherever achievable at any age. Everywhere, the child must be alone in the frame with no supporting hands, arms, car seat, toy or dummy visible, and no other person may appear.
The practical difficulty is meeting an adult framing standard with a subject who cannot sit up. Shoot wide against a plain sheet in soft indirect daylight, photograph from directly above, then crop down — cropping tightly in-camera on a small face leaves too few pixels once the frame is applied.
If you are applying on paper or in person, printing is part of the specification rather than an afterthought. Two settings cause most print rejections: the wrong resolution, and printer software silently rescaling the image.
| Print resolution | 300 DPI — disable fit-to-page and auto-scaling, which change the physical size |
|---|---|
| Paper | Glossy or matte photo paper, 200–250 gsm. Plain copier paper is refused everywhere |
| 2×2 in per 4×6 sheet | Six copies in a two by three grid with cutting margins |
| 35×45 mm per 4×6 sheet | Six copies; around twenty on A4, around eighteen on US Letter |
| Colour management | sRGB. Turn off printer auto-enhance, skin smoothing and colour correction |
| Cutting | Guillotine or steel rule for square edges. Do not cut inside the printed border |
| Handling | Let ink dry fully. Do not staple, fold or glue the photo face |
Step-by-step printing is covered in the print 2×2 on 4×6 guide, and printer settings, paper choice and cutting technique in the print passport photo at home guide.
Portal error messages are terse and often misleading. This maps the message you see to the actual cause and the guide that resolves it.
| What the portal says | Actual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Image too small / wrong dimensions | Below the pixel minimum, or not a square where a square is required | Resize to 600×600 |
| File too large | Saved at maximum JPEG quality, exceeding the portal's KB ceiling | Compress to 240 KB |
| File too small | Over-compressed below a minimum floor, such as the 54 KB US renewal limit | Digital requirements |
| Unsupported file type | HEIC, HEIF, PNG or WebP where only JPEG is accepted | Convert to JPEG |
| Image is blurry or not sharp | Upscaled from a small original, or heavy compression artefacts | Resolution rules |
| Face not detected / head size incorrect | Head outside the country's chin-to-crown band, or crop off-centre | Crop guide |
| Background not acceptable | Wrong shade, a gradient, or shadow falling behind the head | Background rules |
| Photo does not meet requirements | A generic catch-all, usually expression, glasses, headwear or ear visibility | Rejection reasons |
When a portal gives no detail, the cause is almost always one of a short list of photograph rules rather than a file problem: glasses, head coverings, ear visibility, hair across the face, eye line and gaze, shadows, or expression. Each is covered in full in the rules hub.
The rules hub explains what a compliant photo must look like: background colour, head size, expression, glasses and lighting. This guides hub explains how to produce the file: pixel dimensions, kilobyte limits, format conversion, cropping and printing. Rules govern the photograph; guides govern the file. Most rejections come from the rules, most upload failures come from the file.
Read the error. If it says the image is too small or the wrong dimensions, use the resize to 600×600 guide. If it says the file is too large, use the compress to 240 KB guide, or the reduce to 20 KB guide for Indian exam and visa portals. If the file is refused before uploading at all, it is probably HEIC from an iPhone, so use the HEIC to JPEG guide.
It depends on the physical format. A 2×2 inch photo is 600×600 pixels at 300 DPI with a 1200×1200 maximum. A 35×45 mm photo is 413×531 pixels. A 50×70 mm Canadian photo is 591×827 pixels. A 33×48 mm Chinese photo is 390×567 pixels for print, but its digital upload range is 354×472 to 420×560 pixels.
The spread is wide and portal-specific. India Passport Seva accepts only 10 to 20 KB. Singapore caps at 60 KB, South Korea at 100 KB, the DS-160 visa uploader and Diversity Visa entry at 240 KB, Schengen and most EU states at 240 KB, New Zealand at 250 KB, Australia at 500 KB, and US online passport renewal requires between 54 KB and 10 MB.
No. Upscaling interpolates pixels rather than adding detail, and the result is soft or blocky around the eyes and hairline. Automated checks measure sharpness, so an upscaled file fails even when the pixel count reads correctly. Always shoot wide and crop down from a larger source.
Newer iPhones save photos as HEIC or HEIF by default, and no government portal accepts either format. Convert to JPEG first. Also switch off portrait mode and skin smoothing before shooting, because both alter facial geometry and are detected by automated validation.
A 4×6 inch sheet holds six 2×2 inch photos in a two by three grid with cutting margins, or six 35×45 mm photos. An A4 sheet holds around twenty 35×45 mm copies and a US Letter sheet around eighteen. Print at 300 DPI on photo paper and disable any fit-to-page scaling, which changes the physical size.
The size, background and head-height rules are identical for children, with no age exemption on dimensions. What changes is technique and a narrow set of expression rules: UK HMPO waives the open-eyes and neutral-expression requirements for children under one, while most other authorities expect open eyes where achievable. The child must be alone in the frame with no hands, toy or dummy visible.
Every guide on this page describes work the Passport Photo Maker already does automatically: the crop, the pixel size, the background, and the file-size target for your chosen country.
