Passport & ID Photo Compliance Checker

India: the passport preset checks the 630×810 px upload for missions abroad; in India, Passport Seva Kendras photograph applicants aged 4 and over on site, and children under 4 and paper forms need a 4.5 × 3.5 cm print.

What gets checked

Pick a country’s format, drop in your photo, and PhotoChecker runs five checks against the published rules:

• Aspect ratio & dimensions — is the crop the right proportion (square for US and India e-visa, 7:9 for UK/EU) or inside a published pixel window (China’s COVA window; India’s 630×810 px), and are there enough pixels for a clean 300-dpi print? For China, 354×472 px is the conservative pass size; larger files inside the wider window warn because some current centres cap uploads there.
• Head size — the crown-to-chin height as a percentage of the photo, measured either by your browser’s face detector or by two clicks on the preview. This is the single most common technical rejection reason.
• Background — dark, tinted, patterned or unevenly lit backgrounds get flagged: the top corners and the side edges above shoulder height are sampled for brightness and evenness, plus the wall above the head once you mark it (when there is room).
• File size & format — measured against the typical online-upload windows (e.g. ≤240 KB JPEG for a US visa application).

An honest checker, not an approval stamp

A compliance checker can only verify what it can measure. It cannot see that your eyes are in shadow, that the photo is nine months old, or that your glasses caught a reflection — and no website can approve a photo on a government’s behalf. What PhotoChecker can do is catch the mechanical problems — wrong proportions, head too small, dark background, oversized file — that quietly cause a large share of rejections, before you print or upload. Everything is measured on your device and the limits of each check are stated in its result line.

When the rules matter most

Requirements differ by document: a US visa photo, a Schengen visa photo and a Chinese visa photo are three different crops with three different head-size bands. The country requirements table collects the numbers side by side, common rejection reasons explains the failures the checker can’t see, and taking the photo at home covers lighting, distance and posture for a compliant shot without a studio. For US applications the State Department requirements checklist walks every rule with the rejection it prevents, and passport photo pixel sizes explains how each country’s print size converts to the pixels a portal measures.

Frequently asked questions

Does this checker guarantee my photo will be accepted?

No — and be suspicious of any tool that claims to. PhotoChecker measures the technical rules it can see: proportions, resolution, head height, background tone, file size and format. It cannot judge facial expression, shadows, photo recency, glasses glare or head-covering rules, and only the issuing authority can accept or reject a photo. Treat a pass here as 'no common technical problems found', then check the official guidance.

Is my photo uploaded to a server?

No. The checker is JavaScript running in this browser tab — your file is decoded, sampled and measured on your own device. Load the page, switch off Wi-Fi, and it still works. None of it is transmitted, stored or logged; see the privacy policy.

How does the head-size check work?

Where the browser exposes a FaceDetector, we use it to estimate the crown-to-chin distance (clearly labelled as an estimate). Otherwise — or if it fails — you mark the head yourself: click the crown, then the chin, on the preview. Two clicks, and the measured percentage is compared against the selected country's allowed band.

Which countries and document types are covered?

Six presets: US passport & visa (2×2 in), UK passport (35×45 mm), Schengen/EU visa (35×45 mm), China visa (33×48 mm print / COVA pixel window, with 354×472 px as the conservative online upload size), India passport (630×810 px, the ICAO photo Indian missions abroad switched to on their own dates; at a Passport Seva Kendra in India, staff photograph applicants aged 4 and over, while under-4s bring a 4.5 × 3.5 cm print) and India e-visa (square, 10 KB–1 MB; the official sample form says ≥350×350 px). The requirements table lists the numbers each preset checks — print size, head size, pixel minimums and file limits — plus more countries that share the same specs.

My photo failed a check — what now?

Read the check's detail line: it says what was measured and what the rule expects. Wrong proportions or a head that's too big/small usually means re-cropping; a dark or patterned background means re-shooting against a white wall. The rejection reasons page explains each failure, and how to take a compliant photo at home walks through the re-shoot.

Can I check a photo for a country not in the list?

Partially. Many countries reuse one of the standard sizes — most of Europe and much of Asia use 35×45 mm, and several use the US-style 2×2 in square. Pick the preset whose print size matches your requirement and the proportion, resolution and background checks still apply; just verify the head-size band against your country's own rules.