PAN card photo and signature size
For an online PAN application through Protean, the photo is 3.5 cm high by 2.5 cm wide and the signature 2 cm high by 4.5 cm wide, both JPEG at 200 DPI and at most 50 KB. At 200 DPI that is 197 x 276 and 354 x 157 pixels, which this tool makes.
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What does the PAN form ask you to upload?
Protean runs the PAN service for the Income Tax Department, and it publishes the sizes in two places that disagree about the file size. Both are below, as each states them.
Protean, applying for a PAN card online
- Photo
- 3.5 cm high by 2.5 cm wide, .jpg only, "DPI lesser than 200 dpi", up to 50 kB
- Signature
- 2 cm high by 4.5 cm wide, .jpg only, "DPI lesser than 200 dpi", up to 50 kB
- Supporting documents
- PDF, up to 300 kB
- Where
- Step-by-step guide, the Upload Photo/Signature section
- Source
- www.proteantech.in
- Read at the source on
Protean, additional guidelines for DSC based applications
- Photo
- 3.5 x 2.5 cm, 200 DPI, colour, JPEG, up to 20 KB
- Signature
- 2 x 4.5 cm, 200 DPI, colour, JPEG, up to 10 KB
- Supporting documents
- 200 DPI, black and white, PDF/A or JPEG, up to 300 KB a page
- Where
- The scanning specifications table
- Source
- tin.tin.proteantech.in
- Read at the source on
UTIITSL, guidelines for submitting PAN applications
- Photo
- Two identical photographs of 3.5 x 2.5 cm, affixed to the printed form
- Where
- Paper route, point 11
- Source
- www.pan.utiitsl.com
- Read at the source on
Is the PAN photo limit 50 KB or 20 KB?
Protean's guide to the online form says 50 kB for each file. Its older table for applications signed with a digital signature certificate says 20 KB for the photo and 10 KB for the signature.
At these small sizes it rarely matters. We measured what the tool makes, through this page's own editor:
| Upload and size | Test file | 82 / 95 / 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Photo, 197 x 276 | Portrait photograph | 8.7 / 17.1 / 47.2 |
| Photo, 197 x 276 | Detailed street scene | 18.4 / 34.0 / 46.1 |
| Signature, 354 x 157 | Clean scan | 4.6 / 6.8 / 12.2 |
| Signature, 354 x 157 | Phone photo of paper | 4.8 / 9.1 / 23.6 |
At the usual quality of 82, every file came in under even the older 20 KB and 10 KB limits. At full quality the street scene would have passed 50 KB, so the tool lowered it to 98, and the meter said so.
The meter shows the size of your own file before you download it, so check it against the limit your form shows.
Why 197 x 276 pixels?
Protean gives centimetres and a resolution, not pixels. 2.5 by 3.5 cm at 200 DPI is 197 x 276 pixels, and 4.5 by 2 cm is 354 x 157.
The tool also writes 200 DPI into each file, so a program that reads it prints the photo at 3.5 by 2.5 cm.
Some guides give 213 x 213 pixels for UTIITSL's form. We found no such figure on UTIITSL's own pages, only the 3.5 by 2.5 cm prints for the paper route.
How do I make the signature file?
Sign on plain white paper, then scan the page or photograph it straight on in even light. Choose Signature above and crop close around the ink.
The tool makes 354 x 157 pixels, the 4.5 by 2 cm box, and keeps the file under 50 KB.
What happens to your photo?
Your selected photo is processed in your browser, without an image upload to a server. The page may download code and codecs needed for editing.
Save your result before closing the tab; unsaved edits are kept in memory rather than in an online account.
Common questions
What is the PAN card photo size in KB?
Protean's online form takes up to 50 kB for the photo and 50 kB for the signature. An older Protean table says 20 KB and 10 KB. The files this tool makes are usually under both.
What is the PAN card photo size in pixels?
Protean states 3.5 cm high by 2.5 cm wide at 200 DPI, which is 197 x 276 pixels. The signature, 2 cm high by 4.5 cm wide, is 354 x 157 pixels.
Can I take the PAN photo on my phone?
Protean's FAQ allows a phone photo of your documents if it is clear, well lit and within the size limit. It sets no rule on who takes your own photo, so a phone picture against a plain light wall is fine.
Is the photo size the same for UTIITSL?
UTIITSL's guidelines ask for the same 3.5 by 2.5 cm on the paper form. We found no upload size on its own pages, so check the limit its form shows before you upload.
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