Crop a photo to 51 × 51 mm — India oci card
Upload a photo — the frame is already set for a India oci card. Ready to print or upload.
Upload your photo
The document is already selected — the frame is locked to 51 × 51 mm. Drag the photo inside the frame; the shape cannot be broken.
The photo is cropped in your browser. It is not uploaded to a server and we do not store it.
How to crop it, in three steps
- Upload a photo taken face-on, in even light
- Move the photo until the eyes sit on the guide line and the head fills 75–80%
- Save the 51 × 51 mm result — print it or attach it to the application
Exact numbers for this document
| Parameter | What it must be |
|---|---|
| Print size | 51 × 51 mm |
| Digital resolution | 900 × 900 px |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 602 × 602 px |
| Pixels at 600 dpi | 1205 × 1205 px |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 |
| Head, share of height | 75–80% of photo height |
| Eye line from the bottom edge | 55–70% |
| Background | Plain light background. |
| Glasses | Eyes must be fully visible; no tinting or reflections. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
What these millimetres work out to
- In a 51 × 51 mm frame a head band of 75–80% is 38.3–40.8 mm from the chin to the crown.
- Of the 51 mm of height that leaves 10.2–12.8 mm for the gap above the crown and the space below the chin together.
- At 300 dpi that is a head 452–482 pixels tall — below 452 px the file is too small to print, however good the crop is.
- Against the European 35 × 45 mm standard this frame is 1.46 times as wide, 1.13 times as tall and 1.65 times the area — a photo cut for one of the two cannot be reused for the other.
Do not confuse it with another India document
India does not use one frame for everything. This page is about oci card — 51 × 51 mm. The documents below are cut to a different size, so a file prepared here will not fit them.
- aadhaar card 35 × 45 mm
- passport 35 × 45 mm
- pan card 25 × 35 mm
What cropping will not fix
- A wrong background — cropping does not repaint the wall behind you. This document needs: plain light
- A shadow on the face or on the wall. Step 1–2 m away from the wall and shoot facing a window.
- Glare on the lenses. Take the glasses off or turn away from the light source and shoot again.
- A smile, raised brows or a half-open mouth. Cropping keeps the face it was given.
- Too few pixels. If the original is smaller than 602 × 602 px, enlarging it only blurs the face.
Why these photos get rejected — and how to fix each one
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Pure white background (LIGHT-COLORED required — not white) | Re-shoot against light grey/cream/light-blue backdrop |
| Face not 80% of frame | Re-crop to MHA spec |
| Digital file over 200KB | Re-encode at lower quality |
| Photo not square (51×51mm or square pixels) | Re-crop to 1:1 aspect ratio |
| Photo includes border or signature | Submit clean unedited photo |
India-specific things to know
- PLAIN LIGHT-COLORED background — NOT WHITE (unique among 2×2 specs)
- SQUARE 51×51mm with 80% face coverage
- Digital range 200×200 to 900×900 px, ≤200KB JPEG
- Submitted via ociservices.gov.in portal
- OCI = lifelong visa-free entry for foreigners of Indian origin
Printing on a single sheet
2 × 2 frames fit on one 10×15 cm sheet — 4 copies from a single print.
Photos per print sheet
| 10 × 15 cm · 4×6″ | 4 (2 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 20 (4 × 5) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
Where these numbers come from
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs India. Last checked against the official page on 2026-05-17.
- The OCI FAQ requires the uploaded applicant photograph to be square and not less than 51 × 51 mm.
- The face should cover about 80% of the OCI photograph.
- The OCI photo must use a plain light-colour background, specifically not white, without a border.
- The digital photo must be JPEG/JPG, 200 × 200 px minimum, 900 × 900 px maximum and no more than 200 KB.
Questions people ask before cropping
51 × 51 mm. 75–80% of photo height.
602 × 602 px (300 dpi) · 1205 × 1205 px (600 dpi).
75–80% of photo height.
Plain light background.
A wrong background — cropping does not repaint the wall behind you. This document needs: plain light A shadow on the face or on the wall. Step 1–2 m away from the wall and shoot facing a window. Glare on the lenses. Take the glasses off or turn away from the light source and shoot again. A smile, raised brows or a half-open mouth. Cropping keeps the face it was given. Too few pixels. If the original is smaller than 602 × 602 px, enlarging it only blurs the face.
2 × 2 frames fit on one 10×15 cm sheet — 4 copies from a single print.