Photo Size by Country

Each exam body sets its own photo rules, and they change between recruitment cycles. The official notification or application guide is the final word.

Look for four things: the size (in pixels or cm), the maximum file size in KB, the file format (almost always JPG), and the background colour.

Pixel and cm sizes aren't the same thing. A portal that asks for 200×230 px checks pixels. A form that asks for 3.5×4.5 cm expects a print-ready ratio, which the cm templates export at 300 DPI.

Background colour is one of the most common rejection reasons, and it isn't the same everywhere.

NEET and the Philippines CSC exam ask for white. Indonesia's CPNS photo uses red. Malaysia's Employment Pass photo uses blue.

Templates with a fixed colour fill it in for you. Still, a plain wall in your source photo gives the cleanest edge around your hair and shoulders.

Signature limits are tight. SSC, IBPS, and SBI all cap the file at 20 KB, so a clean scan matters more than a sharp one.

A dark pen on white paper compresses well. Shadows, lined paper, and blue ballpoint add noise and push the file size up.

1. Sign in black ink on plain white paper
2. Take the photo in daylight, straight above the page, with no shadow
3. Crop close to the signature, leaving a small margin
4. Open the signature template for your exam and download the JPG

If the portal says the file is too large, compress it again to 5–10 KB below the limit. Portals and browsers sometimes count bytes differently, so a file right on the limit can fail.

If the portal says the file is too small, it has a minimum size too. Increase the file size in KB instead of re-taking the photo.

If the portal says the dimensions are wrong, check whether it asked for pixels or cm, and open the template that matches that unit.