A typical Indian adult carries four government photo IDs — a PAN card, a voter ID (EPIC), an Aadhaar, and a driving licence. Every one of them is applied for or updated on a different government portal, and here is the practical complication is that the recorded requirements differ by workflow. The KB limit, pixel dimensions and crop shape are not uniform, so prepare the output for the portal you are using.
This guide compares the recorded photo requirements for these Indian government-ID workflows and explains how to prepare separate outputs in your browser without uploading the image.
Quick answer — start with one clear source photo
Prepare a recent colour JPEG on a plain white background, roughly 200×250 px portrait, compressed to under 30 KB as a starting export. Then match the crop, dimensions and live instructions for the voter ID, PAN or driving-licence workflow you are using. UTIITSL PAN uses a square 213×213 px crop in the recorded preset. Aadhaar is different — its photo is captured in person at a centre, not uploaded (see below).
Recorded Indian government ID photo specs (2026)
These are the requirements recorded for the listed application or update workflows. Check the named portal for the current instructions. The KB limit is listed first for comparison. Note that Aadhaar is different from the rest — its photo is taken in person at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, not uploaded online.
| Document | Portal | Max file size | Pixel size | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter ID (Form 6) | voters.eci.gov.in | Not publicly specified | 4.5×3.5 cm physical | Not publicly specified |
| PAN (NSDL / Protean) | onlineservices.proteantech.in | 50 KB | 197×276 px | JPEG |
| PAN (UTIITSL) | myutiitsl.com | 30 KB | 213×213 px (square) | JPEG |
| Driving Licence | sarathi.parivahan.gov.in | 20 KB | 420×525 px preferred | JPEG |
| Aadhaar (photo) | Aadhaar Seva Kendra — in person | No online upload | Captured at centre | — |
The listed portals generally call for the same kind of photo — a recent, front-facing colour headshot on a plain light background — but enforces it with a different KB cap and pixel rule. That gap between “looks the same” and “uses the same file” is why separate portal-specific exports are safer.
Why can't you use one photo for every ID?
Because the file-size ceilings sit far apart. The driving-licence portal (Sarathi) accepts 40 KB; the voter ID portal accepts up to 200 KB — five times larger. A photo saved for the voter ID form is usually 120–180 KB, so uploading it to Sarathi fails on size alone. The portals validate automatically: a single parameter out of range triggers an immediate rejection with no human review.
The practical fix is to keep one good source photo and make a separate export for each workflow. A single low-KB file is not automatically suitable for all portals, and public Form 6 does not establish a Voter ID digital cap or pixel minimum to include in a numeric comparison.
PAN card photo requirements
PAN is the one ID with two valid portals, and they disagree on the crop. Via NSDL / Protean the photo is a portrait 197×276 px JPEG under 50 KB. Via UTIITSL it is a square 213×213 px JPEG under a tighter 30 KB. Both want a white background and a forward-facing colour headshot. The square requirement is the one people miss — a portrait crop is rejected by UTIITSL.
The full PAN card photo size guide breaks down both portals, and the PAN photo & signature spec page includes the matching signature dimensions and a resizer.
Voter ID (EPIC) photo requirements
The Election Commission's ECI Form 6 guidance publishes a recent good-quality unsigned colour Form 6 photo measuring4.5 cm high by 3.5 cm wide, with a white background, open eyes and both face edges visible. Its public Form 6 guidance does not publish a universal digital KB cap, pixel size, format or DPI; confirm those fields on the current application screen.
See the voter ID photo requirements guide for the per-form breakdown, or the voter ID photo spec & resizer to choose a compatibility target after checking the current upload screen.
Driving licence photo requirements
The Sarathi photo and signature scan guide publishes a colour JPG photo between 10 KB and 20 KB, with 420×525 px preferred and a light-coloured, preferably white background. It also publishes a 10–20 KB, 256×64 px preferred signature written in black pen on white paper. Confirm the current state and service screen before submitting.
The Sarathi driving-licence photo guide and the driving-licence photo spec page cover the exact numbers and a one-click resizer.
Aadhaar photo requirements
Aadhaar is the exception among the four. Your Aadhaar photograph cannot be updated online and there is no file to prepare or upload for it. Because the photo is a biometric field, UIDAI requires it to be captured in person at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra (or an authorised enrolment centre), where it is taken live under controlled lighting and background. The myAadhaar portal lets you update your name, address, date of birth, gender and language online — but the photograph, fingerprints, iris and registered mobile number all need a centre visit. So no resizing or KB target applies to an Aadhaar photo; just book a slot and have it taken there.
Before you share any Aadhaar scan or copy, read how to mask your Aadhaar number first — UIDAI recommends masking the first eight digits on any shared copy. If you need to compress an Aadhaar card scan to a KB limit for a document upload, the compress-to-KB tool does it in your browser.
How to prepare one source photo for different portals
You can begin with one good capture and create a separate export for each recorded workflow. (For a focused look at just how the three online IDs differ, see PAN vs voter ID vs driving licence photo.) The steps:
- Background: Stand against a plain white or cream wall with no shadows behind you. If the wall isn't clean enough, the background removal tool swaps it for solid white on-device.
- Lighting & pose: Face a window in soft daylight, phone at eye level, neutral expression, eyes open, no sunglasses or cap. Fill the frame with your head and top of shoulders.
- Crop: Crop to a portrait rectangle around 200×250 px (and keep a square 213×213 px version if you'll use UTIITSL for PAN).
- Compress: Use the compress-to-KB tool to bring the JPEG under 30 KB — that single file then clears the 40 KB, 50 KB and 200 KB caps in one go.
- Check before you upload: Run it through the photo validator to confirm size, format and dimensions before the portal does.
Common upload issues across the listed portals
Portal checks differ, but these measurable file issues are useful to review before uploading:
| Rejection reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| File over the KB limit | Compress to the range listed by the selected portal |
| PNG, PDF, WEBP or HEIC file | Convert to JPEG before uploading |
| Black-and-white photo | Use a colour photo — even a colour scan of a B&W print is rejected |
| Dark or patterned background | Shoot against plain white or use background removal |
| Wrong crop shape (portrait vs square) | Match the portal — UTIITSL PAN needs a square 213×213 px crop |
| Blurry or low-resolution image | Take in daylight; keep at least the portal's pixel minimum |
| Face too small in frame | Crop tightly so the face fills 60–70% of the frame |
Related reading: the Indian passport photo requirements guide covers the separate MEA / Passport Seva spec, and how to compress a photo to 50 KB walks through the compression step in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is the photo size the same for all Indian government IDs?
No. The recorded limits differ between voter ID, PAN and driving-licence workflows, and their pixel dimensions can differ too. Prepare an export for the selected portal rather than assuming one file fits each workflow. Aadhaar is different: its photo is captured in person at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra rather than uploaded online.
Which Indian government portal has the strictest photo size limit?
Among the cited upload workflows, Sarathi publishes a 10–20 KB photo band and UTIITSL records a 30 KB ceiling for its PAN route. ECI's public Form 6 does not publish a universal Voter ID digital cap. File size is only one requirement, so verify the selected portal.
What file format do Indian government ID applications need?
PAN and Sarathi publish format instructions for their own workflows. ECI's public Voter ID Form 6 guidance does not publish a digital format, so confirm the current upload screen rather than assuming JPEG/JPG. Aadhaar photos are captured at a centre.
Can I use the same photo for my PAN card, voter ID and driving licence?
Use one clear source photo if convenient, but create a separate export for each workflow. The recorded crop, dimensions and file-size limits are not identical; for example, the UTIITSL PAN preset uses a square crop. Aadhaar is not an upload workflow because its photo is taken at a centre.
Why do government ID photos get rejected online?
Common measurable upload problems include a file outside the listed KB range, a different format or dimensions, and low image quality. Visual and workflow checks vary by portal, so use the current application instructions rather than treating one correction as a guarantee.