Photo for the Overseas Citizenship of India

OCI photo requirements

The requirement for the OCI registration photo is based on the International Standards Organization and ICAO specifications. Since 2005 it is possible to obtain an Overseas Citizen of India card, and if you want to get it you must meet certain OCI card photo requirements. An obvious one and yet the most important is that the photo must be taken in a full-frontal position, and the applicant must be looking directly at the camera.

OCI photo specification

To obtain an OCI ID card you need to submit an application with all the important documentation. You need to include 3 photos in the designated section on the application and 2 additional photos attached in an envelope. We want to help you avoid a possible application rejection by providing all the photo requirements as well as the most common mistakes.

OCI photo size

The OCI photo size is 2 inches x 2 inches (51 mm x 51 mm) and the digital photo shouldn’t be more than 200KB. The head size should measure 1 inch to 1-/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm) with the face covering 80% of the photo.

OCI photo format

JPEG/JPG format is required. The minimum dimensions are 200 pixels x 200 pixels and the maximum dimensions are 900 pixels x 900 pixels.

Validity

Your OCI photo usually cannot be the one you used for your passport, as it must be a recent photo taken within the past 6 months, that shows your current appearance. If you have changed in any way in the past half a year, we recommend taking a new photo.

Quality of the OCI photo

The photo must be:

• in color, with a plain light-colored background,
• in high resolution,
• an original photo,
• printed on glossy photo paper,
• good-quality.

The photo cannot be:

• digitally changed,
• damaged in any way,
• blurry,
• pixelated or with dot patterns,
• overexposed / underexposed.

Lighting and shadows

The light should be well balanced and even to avoid shadows behind the head, or on the face and neck. The best light for taking your picture is natural, so choose daylight – remember that brightness and contrast should be ideally adjusted. No flash reflections can be visible on your face, so make sure there are none.

Head and facial expression

The head should be placed in the center of the frame, shown from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin. The hair cannot cover your eyes, and you must have a natural facial expression. Your eyes must be open, your mouth closed, and your teeth can’t be showing. The photo must show your full head with both edges of the face clearly visible.

Background

The OCI photo calls for a plain light colored background. There cannot be any objects or other people visible. The OCI photo background color shouldn’t be white.

Glasses and head coverings

Wearing glasses in the photo is allowed if:

• They are not sunglasses, tinted, or thick-framed.
• They don’t produce flash reflections on the lenses.

Glare on eyeglasses should be avoided by slightly tilting your head upward or downward.

How to take a passport photo at home?

Nowadays you don't have to go to a professional photographer to waste your time and money – you can take the photo at home and complete the whole process with our help in just a few minutes.

• Prepare your space and yourself.
• Use a digital camera or a smartphone.
• Stand slightly away from the white background.
• Camera should be placed 1.5 m away from the face, at the eye level.
• Ask someone for help and take a perfect shot!
• Don’t worry about the photo not being perfect on the first try – you can take as many shots as you like! The next thing you have to do is to upload the photo on our site, and the Passport Photo Online tools will take care of the rest!

How does our application work?

Passport Photo Online will prepare your photo for your OCI application. In just a few minutes our application will replace the existing background with the correct one if needed; trim your photo to the correct OCI photo size and check every other element, just to verify that the photo is acceptable.

The most common mistakes

The OCI photo must be in color, with a plain light colored background, without any shadows. Don’t submit a photo that’s too old (not taken within the last 6 months) or damaged in any way, or one that is underexposed or overexposed. The right photo size is 2 inches x 2 inches (51 x 52 mm) and you cannot upload anything else. Don't wear any items that cover your face, remember about closing your mouth, keeping your eyes open, and having a neutral facial expression.

Photo requirements are based on: ociservices.gov.in
Last update: 21/09/23