An OCI card photo is a JPEG sized 900×900 pixels, square, at 8 KB – 200 KB, head at 49–69% of the photo's height, on a plain, light-colored background. That's the whole specification, transcribed from the official OCI photo specification — read it, check it at the source, then let the maker hit the numbers for you.
WHAT WE HAND YOU: 900×900 JPEG · 8 KB–200 KB · plain light background
Make my photo → Free compliance check · download for $16.99at CVS; ours is $9.99 if it passes · refunded if the government rejects it
The specification
These are the numbers your photo is measured against, transcribed from Official OCI photo specification (ociservices.gov.in) — verifiable at the source, which is linked under the table:
| Photo size | 900×900 pixels, square† (derived from official print specification) |
|---|---|
| File size | 8 KB – 200 KB† (derived from official print specification) |
| Format | JPEG† (derived from official print specification) |
| Head height | 49–69% of the photo's height |
| Eye height | 55–69% up from the bottom of the photo† (derived from official print specification) |
| Background | Plain, light-coloured background |
† Derived from the official print specification — the source publishes no digital value for this item.
Already have a photo? Check it against the spec — free
Applying as a family? Check the whole family's photos at once — the official requirements linked below ask for a photo of each applicant.
Who does what
Everything on the left is measurement and file work, which is what the maker is for. Everything on the right happens before the photo exists.
Make my photo →When Online OCI Services says no
The Indian government’s OCI portal at ociservices.gov.in. Photo and signature are uploaded together on one screen that checks the file first.
When it appears. In red under the photo box, the moment you pick a file.
What it means. The page asked your browser what type the file is, and the browser answered from the file extension. It was not .jpg or .jpeg — usually a PNG, an iPhone HEIC, or a PDF. The page also empties the file box when it shows this.
What to do. Export the photo again as a JPEG from your photo app or editor, then pick the new file. Do not rename a file to change its type: a renamed PNG or HEIC gets past this check and fails later, which is what the San Francisco consulate means by "not renamed files".
When it appears. As a pop-up alert box when you select the file.
What it means. Same cause as the red message, shown as an alert instead. The check uses the file type your browser reports, which comes from the extension on the name. The missing space after the full stop is in the portal’s own wording.
What to do. Save the image as a JPEG from an editor, then pick the new file. If your phone stores photos as HEIC, convert them rather than changing the file name.
When it appears. As a pop-up alert box when you select the file.
What it means. Your filename has more than one dot in it. The page splits the name on dots and refuses anything with two or more parts after the split, even when the file is a valid JPEG. photo.final.jpg and oci.photo.jpg both trigger it.
What to do. Rename the file so it has one dot and one extension, for example ociphoto.jpg. Take every other dot out of the name, then pick the file again.
When it appears. In the message area under the photo box when the file is too small, too large in pixels, or too heavy.
What it means. Your file is outside what the upload page accepts. It prints your own file beside this, as Uploaded dimensions and Uploaded image size. These page limits are wider than the ones the OCI FAQ publishes, which are 200 to 900 pixels and 200 KB.
What to do. Read the Uploaded dimensions line to see which side you are on. Resize so width and height are the same number of pixels, between 200 and 900, and save at or under 200 KB. That clears both the page and the FAQ.
When it appears. In red under the photo box, right after the file is read.
What it means. Your photo is not square enough. The page divides width by height and needs the result between 0.9 and 1.1. A normal portrait shot fails this, and so does a 35x45 mm passport photo.
What to do. Crop to a true square before you upload, so width and height are the same number of pixels. If the file is already picked, press the crop button and drag the white box over your head and shoulders — the selection stays square.
When it appears. As a pop-up alert box when you save or continue from the upload screen.
What it means. You tried to continue while the photo is still not square and no crop selection has been made. The page checks a second time here and stops you.
What to do. Either upload a photo that is already square, or press the crop button and drag the white selection box before you continue. The page will not move on until one of those is done.
When it appears. In the message area when you submit the upload form.
What it means. Your file is too heavy. The message says 1 MB, but the check behind it refuses anything over 512,000 bytes, roughly 500 KB. A 700 KB photo is turned away by a message that names 1 MB.
What to do. Ignore the 1 MB figure. Save the JPEG at or under 200 KB, the limit the OCI FAQ publishes, and this check clears with room to spare.
When it appears. In green under the photo box, once the file passes the automatic checks.
What it means. This one is green and it is not a rejection. Your file passed the checks for type, pixel size and square shape. Background, head size and lighting are not checked here — a person at the Mission, FRRO or VFS looks at those later.
What to do. Nothing to fix. Continue with the upload, knowing a photo can pass this step and still come back later over background, shadows or head size.
When it appears. After you press upload, once the on-page checks have already accepted the file.
What it means. This comes back from the server rather than from the checks in your browser. One applicant reported it with a 300x300 pixel, 28.5 KB JPEG that met every published rule, so it points at how the JPEG was written rather than at its size.
What to do. Open the photo in a basic image editor and save it again as a plain JPEG, then upload the new file. If it keeps happening, contact the OCI help desk instead of repeating the upload.
Nearly every other document wants white, and photo shops default to it. OCI names white as wrong, while the San Francisco consulate PDF asks for plain white. Two government pages, opposite instructions.
What to do. Use a plain, evenly lit, very light background such as off-white or light grey, with no shadow behind you. If the Mission, FRRO or VFS office you submit to gives its own checklist, follow their wording.
Booths and print shops routinely add a thin white edge, or print several photos on one sheet with margins. That edge passes for many documents and is named as a defect here.
What to do. Crop right to the edge of the image so no frame, white strip or rounded corner is left. Check all four sides at full zoom before you upload.
The San Francisco consulate lists them side by side: OCI 51 x 51 mm, passport services 35 x 35 mm, PIO 35 x 35 mm. Families hold several Indian documents and reuse the wrong square.
What to do. Take or crop the photo at 51 x 51 mm. For the upload, make it a square JPEG with equal width and height, between 200 and 900 pixels.
Three official sources set three targets: 80% coverage of face in the FAQ, a head of 25 mm to 35 mm inside a 51 mm photo in the spec PDF, and 60 to 70 percent of the area in the consulate PDF.
What to do. Show the full head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, plus the shoulders, centred in the square. Cut off no hair, and let the head dominate the frame without touching the edges.
The San Francisco consulate names it outright: "Many Applications are rejected due to poor quality of Photo and Signature upload. Please ensure only JPG format is uploaded and not renamed files."
What to do. Start from the original full-size photo, not a screenshot or a messaging-app copy, and export it as a JPEG from an editor. Never change a file extension by hand — the upload page does not catch it.
The official OCI spec PDF shows rejected samples captioned "Shadows behind head" and "Shadow across the face". A light background shows a wall shadow more plainly than a white one does.
What to do. Stand about half a metre from the wall so your shadow falls behind you and out of frame. Light your face evenly from the front, such as a window facing you, and turn the flash off.
The OCI spec does not ban glasses. It bans the defects: no tinted or dark glasses, flash reflection on lenses, and eyes covered by hair or eye-glass frames. Advice for other documents says remove them outright.
What to do. You can keep clear glasses on. Tilt your head very slightly up or down to kill the reflection, or take them off if the glare will not clear. Move hair clear of both eyes.
Rejected by the portal? We refund you.
Email us with your order id and the full amount goes back to your card. No screenshots, no proof — just tell us it was rejected.
30 DAYS FROM PURCHASE · NO PROOF UPLOADS · EVERY MEASUREMENT CHECKED AGAINST THE PUBLISHED GOVERNMENT SPEC BEFORE YOU PAY
Questions
No. We're an independent service that makes and checks visa photos — not affiliated with the Government of India or the OCI portal. The official photo specification PDF is linked below if you'd rather do it yourself.
A square JPEG of up to 900 x 900 pixels for the portal upload. The underlying official print spec is a 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) square photo.
Between 10 KB and 200 KB. Files outside that window are refused at upload regardless of how well the photo is composed.
49 to 69% of the photo height, with the eyes 55 to 69% of the way up from the bottom edge.
A plain, light-coloured background with nothing visible behind you.
No. The official OCI spec is a square 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) colour photo, uploaded as a square JPEG up to 900 x 900 pixels. 35 x 45 mm is the UK and Schengen frame.
Most often the file sits outside the 900 x 900 pixel or 10 to 200 KB window, or is not square. The upload checks type, dimensions and shape only — head size and background are judged later by a person.
No. The OCI flow is digital-upload-only, because the portal accepts a file rather than paper.
Not necessarily. This spec covers the OCI card. For a regular Indian passport, follow what Passport Seva displays for your specific application rather than a general size chart.
You won't be charged. We show you exactly which check failed and how to fix it — move closer, find better light, use a plainer background — so you can retake and try again for free.
We refund you. Email info@readyvisaphoto.com with your order id (it is in your receipt, and on the page your refund link opens) and tell us it was rejected — the full amount goes back to your original card. No screenshots, no forms, no proof. Covers 30 days from purchase.
It’s used only to run the checks, downloadable by you for 30 days, then deleted automatically. No account, no photo library, no reuse.
Your download link stays active for 30 days after purchase.