Checked against portal help pages and resizer documentation · August 2026
The short version: for an online PAN application on NSDL/Protean, the photo is 3.5 × 2.5 cm (height × width) at 200 DPI, JPEG, between 20 and 50 KB. On UTIITSL it is 213 × 213 pixels at 300 DPI, JPEG, under 30 KB. Most rejections are for the file size cap or the background, not the dimensions.
| Portal | Photo dimensions | DPI | Format | File size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDL / Protean | 3.5 × 2.5 cm (H × W) | 200 | JPEG | 20–50 KB |
| UTIITSL | 213 × 213 px | 300 | JPEG | < 30 KB |
| Dimensions | 2 × 4.5 cm (height × width) |
| DPI / format | 200 DPI, JPEG |
| File size | 10–50 KB |
The two portals publish slightly different numbers and revise them occasionally — confirm on the portal you are actually applying through before uploading.
Background not white, or shadows across the face? Fix Your Pic cleans up the background and lighting on your existing photo — free to try, no account. Then crop and compress to your portal's KB limit with any resizer.
Clean up a document photo →You cannot upload an Aadhaar photo: it is captured live by the operator at the enrolment centre, and UIDAI does not accept a photo you bring. Upload specs like the ones above apply to PAN, passport and exam-form portals — not Aadhaar.
The two most common reasons are the file-size window (NSDL wants 20–50 KB — both too big and too small fail) and a non-white background. Fix the background first, then compress to the window.
Yes, if it is front-facing, evenly lit and on a light background. Have someone else take it at eye level — stretched-arm selfies distort the face at the edges.
Sources: iFormat — NSDL/UTIITSL upload requirements · Pi7 — resize for PAN card · Passport-Photo.Online — PAN card photo. Always confirm current values on the portal you apply through.