OCI card photo: size and requirements

✓ Checked Oct 2026 against the official pages. See sources

The OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) application needs a square digital photo. The official portal's pages don't all agree on the limits, so here is what each says, checked Oct 19, 2026.

See the documents PhotoFit supports

Official OCI photo rules

Square: height and width must be equal. Minimum 200 x 200 pixels.
Maximum size: the portal's current prerequisites list up to 3500 x 3500 px and 1 MB. The portal's FAQ still says 900 x 900 px and 200 KB. A square JPEG between 200 and 900 px and under 200 KB meets both.
JPEG/JPG format.
Plain light-colored background, not white, with no border.
Front view of the head and shoulders, full face in the middle, with the face covering about 80% of the photo.
Applying through VFS Global in the US? VFS lists 200 x 200 to 1500 x 1500 px and up to 500 KB. Follow the page you actually upload to.

Can PhotoFit make an OCI photo?

Not yet. OCI wants a light, non-white background and a much tighter crop (face about 80% of the frame) than the presets PhotoFit has today, so we don't offer an OCI option rather than guess. PhotoFit does make India e-Visa and Indian passport photos, plus 7 other documents.

Questions

What size is an OCI photo?

Square, at least 200 x 200 pixels, JPEG. The OCI portal currently lists a maximum of 3500 x 3500 px and 1 MB, while its FAQ says 900 x 900 px and 200 KB, so staying at or under 900 px and 200 KB is the safe choice.

Can an OCI photo have a white background?

The OCI Services FAQ says a plain light-colored background, not white.

Sources

From the official pages below, last checked Oct 2026. Rules change, so check them before you apply.