Quick answer: A India PAN card photo must be 25 × 35 mm with plain white background. Head occupies 70–80% of photo height. Neutral expression, see glasses rule. Last verified .
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| Format | 25 × 35 mmICAO 9303: 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 70–80% of photo height |
| Background | Plain white background. |
| Pose | Full face, head centred, no tilt or rotation. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows, overexposure, and reflections not permitted. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
| Attire | Neutral clothing without uniform or distracting accessories. |
| Digital resolution | Check the authority portal before digital upload |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| File size | Check the authority portal before upload |
| 10 × 15 cm · 4×6″ | 16 (4 × 4) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 66 (6 × 11) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
India PAN (Permanent Account Number) card photos are administered by the Income Tax Department of India; PAN applications are received by its two appointed operators, Protean eGov Technologies (formerly NSDL) and UTIITSL. The statutory Form 49A requires individual applicants to affix two recent colour photographs with a white background, sized 3.5 cm × 2.5 cm — the app prints this as 25×35mm, one of the smaller passport-style formats among major authorities.
Critical PAN-SPECIFIC: the photographs are affixed in the space provided on the form and must not be stapled or clipped, and the applicant signs across the photograph on the left so that part of the signature falls on the photo and part on the form. The official instruction warns that the clarity of the image on the PAN card depends on the quality and clarity of the photograph affixed on the form.
| Authority | Income Tax Department / Protean eGov PAN portal |
|---|---|
| Source | PAN Form 49A photo instructions |
| Verified | |
| Confidence | Official — exact |
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for India PAN card applications. The final decision always belongs to Income Tax Department / Protean eGov PAN portal, but these are the differences that most often determine whether a document photo is accepted.
Upload a portrait — the tool crops, removes the background and checks compliance against the 25 × 35 mm rule automatically.
Stand 1–2 metres from a light-coloured wall. Plain white background. The photo will be printed on a card and viewed many times — any background imperfection is amplified at the small print size of an ID card.
Face a window for diffused natural light. Even illumination prevents shadows under the chin or beside the nose that look minor in preview but become prominent at card-print scale.
Camera at eye level, head straight, looking directly at the lens. Identity cards are checked at banks, polling stations and government offices over a 5–10 year validity — submit a photo that will still match in years to come.
Square shoulders, both visible in the frame, head and shoulders centred. India ID cards typically print the photo at a small fixed size — proportions matter more than absolute pixel resolution.
Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections Identity cards have long validity periods. Removing glasses for the shoot prevents glare-related re-verification problems years from now.
Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. Identity cards must show your natural everyday appearance — neither a stylised portrait nor a candid photo. Imagine you are renewing a library card.
Dress as you would on a normal day. Avoid white or pale tops against light backgrounds. Solid dark colours work best. Religious head covering is allowed only where consistently worn in daily life and supported by your application.
The photo must reflect your current appearance. If your hair, beard or weight has changed significantly since you would naturally have a recent photo of yourself, take a new one for the application.
Plain white background is required. Identity cards print the photo at a small size — minor background colour issues become more visible at print scale than they appeared in the digital preview.
Head must be straight and centred. Even slight tilts fail the ICAO alignment check used by modern India ID card biometric systems.
ID cards must show your current everyday appearance. Significant changes to hair, beard, weight or facial features since the photo was taken cause rejection at the in-person submission stage.
Both eyes must be fully visible and clearly open. Glasses glare, hair across one eye, or shadow under the brow ridge all trigger rejection.
Identity card photos use the same biometric standard as passports — neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the lens. Any smile or expression change causes rejection.
Blur, overexposure, low resolution or JPEG compression artefacts cause rejection. The card-printing system requires a minimum resolution on the shortest side — see the spec table above.
Even a small shadow gradient on the wall behind the subject — caused by the subject standing too close to the wall — fails the automated background uniformity check.
The India PAN card photo must be 25 × 35 mm. The head must occupy 70–80% of the photo height. The photo must reflect your current everyday appearance.
Plain white background. Identity cards are used frequently in daily life — for banking, age verification and domestic travel — so the photo is scrutinised many times and minor background issues become more visible at print scale.
Yes. Stand against a flat light-coloured wall, face a window for even natural light, and use a phone with a timer. The tool handles the crop, background normalisation and ICAO alignment check automatically.
Identity card photos generally need to reflect your current appearance. Most authorities accept photos taken within the last six months, but significant changes to hair, beard or facial features since the photo was taken may require a new one.
Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. Removing glasses for the shoot is the safest option, especially given the long validity period of most identity cards. Glare that passes today may fail re-verification at a future biometric checkpoint.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the India authority rejects the photo and you supply the rejection notice.
Anfas.Pro is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any government authority. The final decision to accept or reject a document photo rests solely with the issuing authority. Requirements change — always verify on the official authority portal before submitting.