Digital Photo File Requirements: Pixels, KB Caps & JPEG Rules for Online Applications
Applying online? The upload portal does not care how good your print looks — it checks pixels, file format, file size and sometimes DPI. Here are the hard numbers per country, and how to hit them without Photoshop.
Why digital files get rejected
Online submission systems run automated checks before a human ever sees your photo. The most common technical failures — all covered in the top rejection reasons — are: wrong pixel dimensions (below the minimum or outside a fixed size), the wrong file format (HEIC, PNG or PDF where JPEG is required), a file over the size cap, and — for fixed-size portals — a slightly off aspect ratio. None of these are visible to the eye; a perfect portrait can fail on bytes alone.
The exact numbers, per portal
| Country / portal | Pixel size | Format & notes |
|---|---|---|
| US passport & US visa | 600 × 600 px minimum (1200 × 1200 max) | JPEG, square |
| DV Lottery | 600 × 600 px minimum, square | JPEG — rejected over 240 kB |
| China (online application) | exactly 354 × 472 px | Fixed size — near misses get bounced |
| India (Passport Seva) | 630 × 810 px (4.5 × 3.5 cm) | JPEG — same format, two notations |
| UK (digital submission) | 827 × 1063 px (min 600 × 750) | JPEG |
| Singapore (ICA) | 400 × 514 px minimum | JPEG — the digital file is what gets checked |
| Canada (digital) | 420 × 540 px minimum, 5:7 ratio | JPEG |
| Schengen, Japan, France, Germany, Brazil eVisa | 413 × 531 px @ 300 DPI | JPEG — 35 × 45 mm expressed in pixels |
| New Zealand | 827 × 1063 px @ 600 DPI | High resolution above any portal minimum |
Full millimetre data for every country lives on the all sizes chart.
HEIC is the silent killer
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default, and almost no government portal accepts it. Two ways out: switch the iPhone camera to JPEG (Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible) for future shots, or export an existing photo as JPEG from the Photos app before uploading. The image compressor cannot decode HEIC either — but it tells you clearly when a file is HEIC instead of failing silently.
Hitting a KB cap (DV lottery: 240 kB)
Only the DV lottery publishes a hard cap, but compressing under it is easy: export at 600 × 600 px, quality ~85, and you land around 60–120 kB with no visible loss. If you are still over, drop quality to 75 — the limit is on file weight, not perceived quality. The compressor shows the output size as you go.
Fixed-size portals: crop, don't squish
Portals like China's (exactly 354 × 472 px) reject stretched images. Crop to the target aspect ratio first — the image cropper has a custom ratio lock — then resize to the exact pixel dimensions with the resizer. Squishing changes face proportions, which is a rejection reason on its own.
DPI metadata: when it matters
DPI is print metadata, not pixels — a 413 × 531 px file printed at 300 DPI is exactly 35 × 45 mm. Online portals check pixels, so DPI rarely matters for uploads. It matters when printing: see the printing guide for 300 DPI layout sheets, and the print sheet tool to lay out 6×4 or A4 sheets directly.
60-second pre-upload checklist
- ✅ Pixel dimensions match the portal's requirement (see table above)
- ✅ File is JPEG — not HEIC, PNG or PDF
- ✅ File size under the cap (240 kB for DV lottery; generally keep under 1 MB)
- ✅ No editing artefacts: check the rejection reasons before submitting
- ✅ Photo taken within the last 6 months — see visa vs passport recency rules
Start from a compliant source image: shoot at home, check the dress code, then make the photo in your browser: idpixo →