Passport vs OCI vs visa photo: the differences that get people rejected

For most people applying online, a spec-accurate digital file from PhotoFix beats a studio visit — faster, cheaper, and aligned to the current 35×45 mm notification.

Comparison table

	Option A	Option B
Cost	Lower online	Studio varies
Speed	Minutes	Same-day visit
Spec currency	Updated presets	May use old 51×51 mm
Print	Separate step	Often included

When Option A is better

Online tools (including PhotoFix) when you need a digital upload tonight.

When Option B is better

When you need wet-print expertise for a counter that inspects physical prints — see OCI card photo size and requirements.

What most people should do

Use Indian passport photo size — 35×45 mm (2026 rules) for specs, generate the file with PhotoFix, print only if the portal or PSK requires paper.

Fix it now

Processed on your device. Your photo is never uploaded.

Upload a photo

Upload a photo to see the compliance checklist.

India Passport (ICAO 2026) specs are sourced from official notifications and may change. Always confirm against your portal before submitting. PhotoFix does not guarantee acceptance — we build to published requirements.

When applicants retry without changing the underlying issue, the same rejection appears again — at the counter, in the upload validator, or during background verification. The fastest fix is to match your symptom to the spec before you retake or re-export. Indian passport and exam portals enforce pixel dimensions, background colour, face proportion, and file size together; fixing only one field often leaves the others failing.

If you are preparing for Passport Seva, start from the India passport photo spec and use the embedded tool to preview the compliance checklist before you submit. For exam forms, pick the preset that matches your notification year — specs change when a new advertisement is published, and older forum advice is frequently wrong.

Common mistakes we see in support tickets: exporting PNG when the portal accepts JPG only; shrinking file size so aggressively that the face becomes soft and fails manual review; using a square crop when the notification requires a portrait ratio; and relying on a studio print from before the 2026 ICAO migration. Each of these is fixable in one pass if you process on a desktop browser with a clear source photo.

Before you travel to the PSK or pay the application fee again, zoom to 100% on your export and check the background at the hairline and shoulders, confirm the chin-to-crown height fills the frame, and verify the KB readout sits inside the published window. Those four checks catch the majority of first-time rejections.