India · id
OCI card photo, square and to the Indian spec
The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) application takes a square photo, 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) in print or around 900×900 pixels digitally, against a plain white background, with your full face centered, eyes open, and no glasses. It is a distinct spec from India's Passport Seva format.
- Size
- 50.8×50.8 mm
- Digital file
- 900×900 px JPEG
- Background
- white
- Head height
- —
- Price
- €5.99 · once
Select country and document
Step 1/3
Popular: · ·
- Head size62.4% · 50–69%
- Eye line61.2% · 56–69%
- Backgroundwhite · σ 6
- Lightingeven
- Resolution1832px
MEETS SPEC · ESTIMATED
Checked against the official specification, with the source cited on every document.
Worth knowing: OCI photos must show the full head from hair to chin with visible margins on all sides. Tighter crops that pass for other documents commonly fail OCI processing. The checker positions your photo against those margins.
How our India OCI Card photo tool works
Add a photo you already have and we measure it against the official India OCI Card specification (50.8×50.8 mm, 900×900 px, white background), then produce the exact files you need. Checking is free; you pay €5.99 only if you want the files.
Add your photo
A selfie or any recent photo of yourself, straight from your phone.
See every measurement
Ten checks run against the official spec and show you the numbers.
Fix what's off
Drag to reposition and zoom to resize, or retake the photo if something can't be fixed.
Download your files
Exact digital file, print-ready sheet and compliance report.
What is a India OCI Card photo?
An OCI card photo is a square photograph, 2×2 inches in print or around 900×900 pixels digitally, on a plain white background, with the applicant's full head visible from hair to chin, centered, eyes open, and no glasses. It accompanies Overseas Citizen of India applications filed online and through VFS.
OCI processing is known for photo rejections: tight crops that pass elsewhere fail the OCI's full-head-with-margins framing, and the square format differs from India's own 630×810 pixel Passport Seva spec. Every applicant, including infants, needs their own compliant photo.
The OCI portal is notoriously picky about photo uploads. This page measures the framing, background and dimensions, then delivers the square digital file and a 2×2 inch print sheet for applications filed through VFS.
India OCI Card photo requirements
| Size | 50.8×50.8 mm · 900×900 px @450 DPI |
|---|---|
| Digital file | 900×900px JPEG |
| Background | white |
| Digital upload | accepted |
| Background editing | permitted (uniform backgrounds only) |
- 2×2 inch square photo, 900×900 px recommended. This is a different spec from Passport Seva.
Source: official requirements · verified 2026-07
India OCI Card photos that pass the checks
Thin frames, no glare, eyes fully visible 
Even light, plain background, neutral expression 
Infant alone in frame, eyes open, plain sheet 
Religious head covering with the full face visible 
Hair back, forehead and both ears clear
India OCI Card photos that don't pass
Head tilted, hard shadow on the background 
Taken too far away, head too small in the frame 
Someone else's hand in the frame 
Patterned wall and furniture behind
Illustrative examples created for this guide. They are not customer photos, and not decisions by any authority.
What you get for €5.99
- High-resolution file in the exact spec (900×900px)
- Printable compliance report with everything we measured
- Print-ready 10×15 cm sheet with 4 copies and cut lines
- Background cleanup to plain white
one-time payment, no subscription
Photos that pass
- Exact dimensions: 900×900px
- Plain white background, evenly lit
- Taken in the last 6 months, neutral expression
Photos that get rejected
- Edited, filtered or AI-retouched photos
- Shadows on the face or background
- Busy walls, gradients or the wrong background colour
- Head too large, too small, or off-centre
- Glasses (banned for this document)
- Old photos, or photos of printed photos
Why use PassportClerk for your India OCI Card photo
- Convenience
- Make it at home from a photo you already have, without booking a studio or queueing for a booth. You get a file sized for the official upload and a print sheet for the times you need paper.
- Built from the official specification
- Every measurement on this page comes from the official India OCI Card requirements, and the source is linked, dated and re-checked.
- Works from any phone
- Nothing to install. A recent phone camera and a plain wall are enough.
- You see the numbers
- Head height, eye line, background and resolution are all measured and shown to you before you pay.
- Private, then deleted
- We only receive your photo if you buy, and everything is deleted within 48 hours.
If the files we produce don't match the specification on this page, we'll fix them or refund you. The decision on any application always rests with the issuing authority.
Frequently asked questions
What size is an OCI card photo?
Square: 2×2 inches printed, and for online upload a square JPEG, where 900×900 pixels is the widely accepted size, comfortably above the portal minimum. White background, no borders, no shadows.
Are glasses allowed in OCI photos?
No. Like Indian passport and visa photos, glasses are not permitted. Head coverings are accepted only for religious reasons with the full face visible.
Is the OCI photo the same as the Indian passport photo?
No. Passport Seva uses a 630×810 pixel 7:9 format, while OCI uses a square 2×2 inch format. They are not interchangeable; use the page matching your application.
Do children need their own OCI photo?
Yes, every applicant including infants needs a compliant photo. For babies, lay them on a plain white sheet and photograph from above, keeping hands and objects out of frame.
How we handle compliance
- We check your photo against the official rules. We never retouch your face, and we only normalize the background where the destination country permits it.
- Every requirement is cited from official government sources, with the verification date shown on the page.
- What you get is a report of measurements, not a guarantee. Final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.
official requirements · verified 2026-07