Merge ID card front and back on one page

What size is an ID card?

Bank cards and PVC ID cards share one size, called ID-1: 85.60 mm wide and 53.98 mm high. ICAO's Doc 9303, the passport standard, quotes it from ISO/IEC 7810, the standard that defines it.

Many sites round it to 8.56 x 5.4 cm. The difference is 0.02 mm, which no printer shows.

The A4 page draws each side at exactly this size: 1011 x 638 pixels at 300 DPI, so the printed card matches the original.

Source: ICAO Doc 9303 Part 5, section 2.1.

How do you print it at the real size?

Download the PDF and print it on A4 with the scale set to Actual size or 100%. Fit to page or Shrink to fit changes the size of the cards.

Then hold a bank card against the printed front. If the edges line up, the printer kept the size; if not, look for a Scale setting in the print dialog.

The page is 2480 x 3508 pixels, A4 at 300 DPI, with a thin grey cut line just outside each card. The JPG carries its 300 DPI too, so it prints at size as well.

The lower half of the page is left empty on purpose, for your signature: a self-attested copy is signed under the cards.

What if the form takes one file?

Choose One image. Stacked puts the front above the back, which suits a phone and most upload previews; side by side suits a wide screen.

Neither side is enlarged. Both are brought to the width of the smaller one (the height, side by side), and the image is at most 4096 pixels on its longest side.

For a form with a size limit, pick Keep under 500, 200 or 100 KB. The JPG quality comes down, never below 50, and the image gets smaller if that is not enough.

Each limit counts a KB as 1,000 bytes, so the file also passes a form that counts 1,024.

JEE Main, for one, takes an identity proof as a single JPG of 10 to 200 KB, from candidates who verify without Aadhaar or DigiLocker: JEE Main photo and signature size.

Is a printed copy of Aadhaar valid?

Yes. On 6 February 2018 UIDAI said the printout of a downloaded Aadhaar, "even in black and white form, is as valid as the original Aadhaar letter".

In the same statement it called a PVC card printed by a shop unnecessary, because that printing often stops the QR code from working.

UIDAI's own order page now lists the Aadhaar letter, the PVC card and e-Aadhaar as "equally valid and acceptable". Its PVC card costs Rs 75 and takes up to 30 days by post.

Whether a bank or an office takes a merged copy is that office's rule, not UIDAI's. If in doubt, ask them which they want.

Sources: UIDAI statement, PIB, 6 February 2018; UIDAI, Order Aadhaar PVC Card.

Common questions