Why an online form rejected your photo
An online form rejects a photo for one of two reasons: the file or your face. File checks cover size in KB, pixels, shape and format, and 31 of the 52 upload limits this site tracks also set a minimum. Resizing fixes a file rejection. A face rejection needs a new photo.
Was it the file or your face?
Read the error before you change anything. Immigration New Zealand publishes all 13 messages its visa photo upload can show, and they split cleanly.
Three are about the file: its size, its shape and its resolution. The other ten are about you: light, shadows, glare, focus, a tilted or turned head, a face too large or too small in the frame.
No resize fixes the second kind. If the message mentions your face, eyes, glasses, shadows or focus, take the photo again. Everything below is about the first kind.
Is the file too big?
This is the most common one. A phone photo is several megabytes, and many forms cap uploads in kilobytes: 20 KB for an IBPS signature, 240 KB for a US visa photo.
Shrink the pixels first, then lower the quality. Our free online image compressor aims under the number you type and shows the result before you download it.
Can a file be too small?
Yes, and it catches people who compressed hard to get under a ceiling. Of the 52 uploads on this site with a stated file size limit, 31 also set a minimum.
At least 5 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi visa photo size for the e-visa | Uploadvisitsaudi.com photo | Accepted range5 to 100 KB | Sourcevisa.visitsaudi.com |
At least 10 KB
At least 20 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese passport photo size | UploadOnline abroad photo | Accepted range20 KB to 2 MB | Sourcewww.mofa.go.jp |
| UPSC photo and signature size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range20 to 200 KB | Sourceupsconline.nic.in |
| UPSC photo and signature size | UploadTriple signature | Accepted range20 to 100 KB | Sourceupsconline.nic.in |
| IBPS photo, signature, thumb and declaration size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range20 to 50 KB | Sourcewww.ibps.in |
| IBPS photo, signature, thumb and declaration size | UploadLeft thumb | Accepted range20 to 50 KB | Sourcewww.ibps.in |
| TNPSC photo and signature size, with name and date | UploadPhoto | Accepted range20 to 50 KB | Sourcetnpsc.gov.in |
At least 30 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese passport photo size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range30 to 80 KB | Sourcecs.mfa.gov.cn |
| RRB photo and signature size | UploadSignature | Accepted range30 to 49 KB | Sourcerrbajmer.gov.in |
At least 40 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| China visa photo size | UploadOnline form photo | Accepted range40 to 120 KB | Sourceus.china-embassy.gov.cn |
At least 50 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK passport photo size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range50 KB to 10 MB | Sourcewww.gov.uk |
| UK visa and ETA photo size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range50 KB to 6 MB | Sourcewww.gov.uk |
| IBPS photo, signature, thumb and declaration size | UploadDeclaration | Accepted range50 to 100 KB | Sourcewww.ibps.in |
At least 54 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US passport photo size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range54 KB to 10 MB | Sourcetravel.state.gov |
At least 70 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia visa photo size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range70 KB to 3.5 MB | Sourceimmi.homeaffairs.gov.au |
At least 80 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPNS photo size for the SSCASN form | UploadPas foto 4 x 6 cm | Accepted range80 to 500 KB | Sourcesscasn.bkn.go.id |
| CPNS photo size for the SSCASN form | UploadPas foto 3 x 4 cm | Accepted range80 to 500 KB | Sourcesscasn.bkn.go.id |
At least 100 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia passport photo size | UploadPhoto | Accepted range100 to 300 KB | Sourceimigresen-online.imi.gov.my |
At least 250 KB
| Form | Upload | Accepted range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand passport photo requirements | UploadPhoto | Accepted range250 KB to 5 MB | Sourcewww.passports.govt.nz |
The US visa photo has a floor that is not written as one. Its page says the compression ratio must be 20:1 or less. At 600 by 600 pixels, that works out to at least 54,000 bytes, and 216,000 at 1200 by 1200.
A file under a floor needs more bytes, and usually not a bigger picture. Increase image size in KB saves it at a higher quality until it clears the minimum, and says when it needs more pixels too.
Why was a file under the limit rejected?
A kilobyte is not always the same size. Windows counts 1,024 bytes to a KB. A Mac counts 1,000. Most forms do not say which one they mean.
A photo Windows lists as 235 KB is 240,640 bytes. A form that counts in thousands sees that as over 240 KB and rejects it. Aim a few KB under the limit, not at it.
Are the pixels or the shape wrong?
Some forms want an exact size in pixels, some a range, and some only a shape. New Zealand's visa photo must be between 900 by 1200 and 2250 by 3000 pixels, in portrait.
A form that asks for 600 by 600 rejects 600 by 601. Crop to the exact shape before you resize, or the tool has to squash or pad your face to fit.
A photo can also be sideways without looking sideways. A phone often stores the pixels one way and a note saying to turn them. A form that ignores the note sees your photo on its side.
New Zealand asks for the photo to be "upright (portrait), not rotated, when you upload it". A photo saved from Rotate and flip images online stores its pixels upright and carries no such note, so there is nothing for the form to ignore.
Is it the wrong format?
Most government forms take JPG only. An iPhone saves photos as HEIC by default, and a form that expects a JPG will not accept one. Convert HEIC to JPG fixes that in your browser.
Renaming a file does not convert it. A PNG renamed to .jpg is still a PNG inside, and a form that checks the contents rejects it. Use Convert PNG to JPG instead.
What should you check before trying again?
Match each number the form printed, in this order, because each step changes the next:
- The format: JPG, unless the form names another.
- The shape and the pixel size, cropped then resized.
- The file size, above any minimum and a few KB under the maximum.
The form pages under Passport and document photo sizes by country do all three at once for each form, from the numbers in its own notice.
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