India Driving Licence Photo: Official Size, Specs and Requirements

A driving licence in India is issued by your State's Regional Transport Office (RTO) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) through the centralised Sarathi/Parivahan portal. Whether you are applying for a Learner's Licence or a Permanent Driving Licence, your photograph must conform to the official 35×45 mm passport-size standard — the same measurement used for portal uploads and biometric enrolment across all states.

India's driving licence process has a notable feature that sets it apart from most countries: in the majority of states, your photo and signature are captured digitally on-site at the RTO or licencing test centre during mandatory biometric registration — applicants do not submit a printed photograph for the licence itself. However, several states have enabled online application flows through the Sarathi portal that require or accept a 35×45 mm digital upload at the application stage. Either way, knowing exactly what a compliant photo must look like before your appointment is a real advantage: you arrive knowing how to dress, how to sit, and what to avoid — so the live capture goes smoothly and your application moves forward without delays.

• Size: 35×45 mm (413×531 px at 300 dpi)
• Background: plain white (#FFFFFF) — no patterns, gradients, or shadows
• Face coverage: face must fill 70–85% of the frame height
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open and clearly visible
• Glasses: permitted only if both eyes are fully visible — no tinted lenses, no reflective glare
• Headwear: not permitted except for verified religious or cultural reasons (e.g. Sikh turban, hijab); full face must remain visible
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months
• Quality: sharp focus, even lighting, no heavy retouching or digital filters

Common reasons photos are rejected in India:

• Background is grey, off-white, or cream instead of pure white (#FFFFFF), or has visible shadows behind the subject
• Sunglasses, tinted lenses, or regular glasses with reflective glare that obscures the eyes
• Headwear worn for non-religious reasons, or hair falling across the face or forehead
• Uneven or harsh lighting creating shadows across the face, chin, or background — a frequent problem with phone selfies

Our tool automatically resizes and crops your uploaded photo to the exact 35×45 mm (413×531 px) specification, sets the background to pure white, and confirms that your face occupies the required 70–85% of frame height — every check that matters for both portal uploads and biometric appointments. You can preview a fully watermarked result for free before downloading the print-ready file. For states that accept digital uploads via Sarathi, your file is portal-ready; for states where the RTO captures your image on the day, your reference photo means you walk in knowing precisely how to present yourself — and you have a fully compliant image ready to reuse for any visa application, passport renewal, or other official document that accepts submitted photographs.