Indian Government Website Image Size Requirements: 2026 Guide

Indian government and examination websites do not share one universal photo size. The same applicant may need a 10–20 kB signature for one recruitment, a 10–100 kB signature for an NTA examination, a live-captured photograph for SSC and a 50–300 kB PDF certificate for another field.

This guide summarises selected official 2025–2026 documents available on 14 October 2026. It is a planning reference, not a replacement for the current notice. Check the instructions inside your active application because an authority can change requirements between cycles or use different values for two examinations on the same portal.

Quick Comparison Table

Portal / examination	Item	Published size	Format / notes
JEE Main 2026	Photograph	10–200 kB	JPG/JPEG; passport style, white background
JEE Main 2026	Signature	10–100 kB	JPG/JPEG
JEE Main 2026	Class 10 certificate / applicable documents	50–300 kB	PDF, clearly legible
NEET UG 2026	Photograph	10–200 kB	JPG/JPEG
NEET UG 2026	Signature	10–100 kB	JPG/JPEG
NEET UG 2026	Applicable certificates	50–300 kB each	PDF
CUET UG 2026	Photograph	10–200 kB	JPG/JPEG
CUET UG 2026	Signature	10–50 kB	JPG/JPEG
CUET UG 2026	Applicable certificate / identity proof	50–300 kB	PDF
UPSC CAPF 2026	Photograph	20–200 kB	JPG
UPSC CAPF 2026	Signature	20–100 kB	JPG
SBI PO 2026	Photograph	20–50 kB	JPG/JPEG; suggested 200 × 230 px
SBI PO 2026	Signature	10–20 kB	JPG/JPEG; suggested 140 × 60 px
SBI PO 2026	Left-thumb impression	20–50 kB	JPG/JPEG
SBI PO 2026	Handwritten declaration	50–100 kB	JPG/JPEG; suggested 800 × 400 px
SSC CGL notice	Candidate photograph	Live capture	Webcam or mobile capture rather than prepared upload
SSC CGL notice	Signature	10–20 kB	JPEG/JPG; about 6 × 2 cm

Some bulletins host more than one revision or session document. Follow the link supplied by the active application portal and confirm the values around its upload instructions before preparing files.

NTA: JEE Main, NEET UG and CUET UG

The three 2026 bulletins share a broad photograph band of 10–200 kB. JEE Main and NEET UG allow the signature from 10–100 kB, while CUET UG uses the narrower 10–50 kB range. A single 45 kB JPG signature may therefore fit all three, but a 90 kB version does not fit CUET.

Certificates are different again. The current bulletins list applicable document PDFs in a 50–300 kB window. Here, 50 is a floor: a compressor result just below 50 kB can be rejected even though it looks impressively small. Aim around 150–200 kB for a detailed page, use PDF, and verify that the smallest text remains legible.

UPSC

The CAPF (Assistant Commandants) 2026 notice specifies 20–200 kB for the photograph and 20–100 kB for the signature. The separate UPSC online application FAQ lists a 20–300 kB PDF band for photo-ID proof and PwBD certificate uploads.

Do not transfer those figures to every UPSC examination without checking its notice. Use them as an example of how one authority can distinguish image fields from document PDFs.

SSC

Recent SSC notices use live photograph capture for examinations such as CGL: the applicant uses a webcam or the official mobile flow while completing the form. Uploading a previously compressed passport photo is therefore not the task it was in older guides.

The signature remains a prepared image. The cited notice calls for a 10–20 kB JPEG/JPG in a wide shape of about 6 × 2 cm. Capture black ink on white paper, crop closely without cutting a stroke, then use the 20 kB preset with a target around 18–19 kB.

SBI and IBPS Recruitment

Banking recruitment guides use multiple narrow image ranges within one application. In the SBI PO 2026 guide, the photograph is 20–50 kB, signature 10–20 kB, left-thumb impression 20–50 kB and handwritten declaration 50–100 kB. The declaration also has a suggested 800 × 400 px canvas.

This is where aiming exactly at a preset boundary causes trouble. A result just under 20 kB is valid for the signature but invalid for a thumb impression whose range begins at 20. Use midpoints:

• Signature, 10–20 kB: target 16–18 kB
• Photo or thumb, 20–50 kB: target 35–40 kB
• Declaration, 50–100 kB: target 75–85 kB

The current recruitment document remains authoritative; IBPS and participating banks may update individual cycles.

RRB and Other Recruitment Boards

Railway Recruitment Board requirements vary by centralised employment notice. The RRB Chennai FAQ for CEN 01/2025 (Assistant Loco Pilot) is one published example with its own photo and signature guidance. Never assume that an older RRB blog post applies to a new CEN; open the FAQ or detailed notification linked from the application page.

How to Prepare Files That Pass

Photograph

Use a recent, front-facing colour image with the required background. Crop to the named ratio, keep the face natural and avoid filters. Choose JPG and aim a few kilobytes below the maximum while remaining above the minimum. If the portal uses live capture, follow that workflow instead of trying to upload a file.

Signature and Declaration

Write in dark ink on clean white paper. Crop to the outer stroke or the full required declaration text. Preserve the correct wide ratio and set exact pixel dimensions where provided. Thin blue ink, ruled paper and shadow increase file complexity and reduce clarity.

Thumb Impression

Use the correct hand and finger, with distinct ridges and no smudging. Crop the impression to a square-like area with a small margin. Do not target 20 kB when the range starts at 20; use the middle.

Certificates

Scan straight, crop to the page and save as PDF when requested. Use grayscale for ordinary ink-on-paper documents, preserve colour where it carries information, and choose a target comfortably inside the allowed range. The PDF compressor handles those separately from image uploads.

Final Warning About Old Guides

Search results often preserve last year’s figures after an authority has moved to live capture or changed a range. Use the publication name and year, not merely a familiar logo, to identify the right notice. If the form and a third-party article disagree, the form wins.

Our government forms compression guide turns these requirements into a practical capture, crop, compress and verify workflow.