India driving licence photo · Sarathi upload
Checked and laid out to the official Sarathi portal’s Photo and Signature Scan & Upload Process. Checked by us on 2026-08-17.
Check your photo
Free check, free watermarked preview — you pay only to download the finished file.
Head and shoulders in frame, with clear space above the hair — the head should fill about half the photo, not all of it.
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JPG · PNG · HEICshorter side at least 600pxup to 12 MBor paste with ⌘V
Official specification
| Finished size | 420 × 525 px this authority specifies pixels, not a physical size |
| Head height (chin to crown) | not published by this authority |
| Eye height | not published by this authority |
| Background | not specified by the authority — a plain, evenly lit background photographs best |
| File formats | JPG |
| File size | 10 KB – 20 KB |
| Taken within | “recent” — no figure published |
Full rules
- Photograph dimensions: width 35 mm (minimum 420 pixels) and height 45 mm (minimum 525 pixels) — 420 x 525 pixels preferred.
- JPG format, with a file size between 10 KB and 20 KB.
- Scan or capture at a minimum of about 300 dpi (118 pixels per centimetre), in true colour, cropping the image to the edge of the photograph before resizing to the final dimensions.
- The online application is only registered once the photo and signature upload as specified; if the face in the photograph is unclear, the application may be rejected, and re-uploads are only possible until scrutiny completes.
- A signature image is uploaded alongside the photo: 256 x 64 pixels preferred, JPG, also between 10 and 20 KB — we produce the photo only.
Sources
https://sarathi.parivahan.gov.in/sarathiservice/pdf/PhotoSign.pdf
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India — Sarathi portal, Photo and Signature Scan & Upload Process · we checked it 2026-08-17
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India — Sarathi portal, Photo and Signature Scan & Upload Process · we checked it 2026-08-17
Pixcel resolution of digital camera or web camera - minimum 118 ppcm (300 ppi) … The image file should be JPG format. … Dimensions - Width 35mm/1.4 inches (minimum of 420 pixels) & Height 45mm/1.75 inches (minimum of 525 pixels) - 420 x 525 pixels (preferred). Size of file should be between 10kb – 20kb. … In case the face in the photograph or signature is unclear, the application may be rejected.Questions
What are the Sarathi photo upload requirements?
Width 35 mm at a minimum of 420 pixels and height 45 mm at a minimum of 525 pixels — 420 x 525 preferred — in JPG format with a file size between 10 and 20 KB, captured or scanned at about 300 dpi in true colour.
Why is the file size so specific?
The 10–20 KB band is the tightest we support anywhere — most camera photos are fifty times larger. We encode down to land inside the band while keeping the face as clear as the size allows, and tell you honestly if your photo cannot fit.
What happens if the photo is unclear?
The portal warns the application may be rejected, and re-uploads are only possible until the scrutiny process completes. Your online application is not even registered until the photo and signature upload as specified.
What about the signature?
The same process uploads a signature image — 256 x 64 pixels preferred, also JPG between 10 and 20 KB. We produce the photograph only.
Does this cover every state?
Sarathi is the national portal, but states customise some services — check your state RTO's instructions as well. And if you are looking for an Indian passport photo line: there is none here, because we never found an official specification to build it from.
Our own assumptions
- This covers the photo upload for online driving-licence applications (learner's licence and related services) on the national Sarathi portal; states customise some services, so check your state RTO's instructions too. India's passport remains unbuilt because we never found an official specification for it.
- ⚠️ The official sheet quotes both 35 x 45 mm and 420 x 525 pixels — but those two ratios differ by about 2.9% (0.80 vs 0.78). The portal enforces the pixel canvas, so we match 420 x 525 exactly and treat the millimetre figure as descriptive.
- The 10–20 KB band is the tightest file requirement we support anywhere. We encode to land inside it — if your photo has very little detail the file can fall under 10 KB, and we raise resolution within the official minimums to compensate, telling you honestly if it cannot.
- The authority publishes no background colour, no head height and no recency figure, so our background check only looks for a plain, even backdrop, and the 68% head proportion is our own choice.
- The signature upload (256 x 64 px) is part of the same process but out of our scope — we produce the photograph only.
- The chin is measured by 68-point facial landmarks; the crown comes from the top of the cut-out outline. Assumed accuracy ±5%, calibrated only on synthetic fixtures.
Where the authority does not specify something, we say so rather than pretending it does. The points above are our engineering choices, not official requirements.