India · OCI Card

OCI photo upload failed? It's almost always the file.

The OCI services portal is pickier about the photo file than almost anything else in the application — and when an upload fails, it rarely tells you why. In practice it is nearly always one of three file problems. Here they are, quickest first.

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Why this happens

The three ways an OCI photo upload goes wrong.

  • Too large, or the wrong format. The upload wants a JPEG with the file inside 20 KB – 1 MB — a phone original is usually far over.
  • Not square. The spec is 900×900 pixels, square. An uncropped phone photo is a rectangle, so it can never fit.
  • Composition. Head at 49–69% of the photo's height; eyes 55–69% up from the bottom of the photo; background: Plain, light-coloured background.
  • No message at all. When the upload just does not take, rule out the file before blaming your connection — an oversized or non-JPEG file is the usual culprit.

Where the official OCI photo specification publishes no digital value, the figures on this page are derived from its print specification — the same basis our own checks are built on.

The fix

Make the portal take your file.

  1. Save it as JPEG. HEIC photos and PNG screenshots need converting first.
  2. Crop it to the spec: 900×900 pixels, square — head at 49–69% of the photo's height.
  3. Compress it into the window: 20 KB – 1 MB. Lower the export quality until it fits.
  4. Retry fresh. If a corrected file still will not take, reload the portal in a new session or another browser before assuming the photo is wrong.

Or skip the hand work: upload any selfie and we return 900×900 JPEG · 20 KB–1 MB · plain light background, every measurement checked and shown to you free before you pay.

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Pass here, rejected there? Instant refund.

Tap the refund link in your receipt, tell us it was rejected — refunded on the spot. No screenshots, no forms, no waiting.

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Questions

Fair questions, straight answers.

What file size does the OCI photo upload accept?

The government publishes a print specification rather than a digital one, so we build to figures derived from it: a JPEG at 900×900 pixels, square, with the file inside 20 KB – 1 MB. Those are the same numbers our checks measure against.

Why does the upload fail without an error message?

A silent failure is still usually the file. Check format, shape, and size in that order — all three are visible in your photo file details — and retry in a fresh browser session once the file is right.

Can you fix the photo I already have?

If it is sharp, straight-on, and your head has room around it — yes: framing, background, shape, and file size are all fixable after the fact. Blur and hard shadows are not; those need a retake.

What if the photo is rejected after I pay?

Open the refund link in your receipt, tell us it was rejected, and the money goes back to your card on the spot — no screenshots, no forms. Covers thirty days from purchase.

Give the OCI upload the file it wants.

See your finished photo free. Pay only when it passes.

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