PAN Card Photo and Signature Size
The photo and signature specification for the Permanent Account Number application application form, with a tool preset to match it.
Finding the best quality that fits…
- Original
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- Result
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- Reduction
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- Dimensions
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This tool is preset to bring your photograph under 50 KB, the PAN Card limit.
How to use this tool
- Select your file, drag it onto the box above, or paste it from your clipboard.
- Processing starts automatically — there is nothing to configure.
- Check the result panel, which shows the original size, the final size and the output dimensions.
- Click Download to save it.
PAN applications through NSDL and UTIITSL differ slightly in their upload rules. Check the portal you are using.
The specification
| Photograph | 3.5 × 2.5 cm colour photograph |
|---|---|
| Signature | Signature in black ink within the box |
| Format | JPG / JPEG |
| Official source | incometax.gov.in |
Why uploads get rejected
Meeting the size is only part of it. These are the failures that actually come up:
- The file is a PNG. Almost every Indian recruitment portal accepts JPG only, and a PNG is refused before size is even checked. Renaming the extension does not work — portals read the file header.
- The photo is under the minimum, not just over the maximum. Ranges have a floor as well as a ceiling, and a file compressed too far is rejected exactly like one that is too large.
- The signature was photographed rather than scanned, so the paper appears grey. Sign in black or dark blue ink on plain white paper and crop tightly.
- The signature is in capital letters. Several portals, IBPS and SBI in particular, reject block-capital signatures explicitly.
How it works
Most compressors pick a fixed quality level and hope for the best, which is why they either overshoot the limit or land far below it and throw away detail you did not need to lose.
This tool runs a binary search instead. It encodes your image at a mid-range quality, measures the resulting file, then narrows the range — higher if there is room, lower if it is over — repeating seven times. It keeps the largest result that still fits. If the lowest quality is still too big, it reduces the pixel dimensions and searches again.
All of it runs on your own device using the browser's canvas API. Nothing is transmitted.
Who uses this
Application windows are short and portals slow down badly near the deadline. Preparing the photograph and signature in advance — right format, right dimensions, inside the size range — removes the most common reason a submission fails at the last step.
Frequently asked questions
What photo size does PAN Card require?
The photograph must be 3.5 × 2.5 cm colour photograph. The tool on this page is preset to that specification.
What signature size does PAN Card require?
The signature must be Signature in black ink within the box. Sign on white paper in dark ink, scan or photograph it in good light, then crop tightly before resizing.
My file is under the maximum but still rejected. Why?
Check the minimum. Where a size range is published, a file below the floor is rejected just like one above the ceiling. Also confirm the file is genuinely JPG — renaming a .png to .jpg does not change the format, and portals check the real header.
Can I use the same photo for other exams?
Usually yes, provided the photograph is recent and the other exam’s dimension and size rules are met. Requirements differ between commissions, so check each specification rather than assuming.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs inside your browser on your own device. Your file is never transmitted and never stored by us. You can confirm this by opening your browser’s Network tab while you use the tool — you will see no upload request.
Are these specifications current?
We could not verify every figure here against a current official notification, which is why the warning appears at the top of this page. Confirm before you upload. Commissions do revise requirements between cycles, so always confirm against the official notification for the exam you are applying to.
How do I resize my photo for the PAN Card form online?
Upload it to the tool at the top of this page. It is already set to the PAN Card specification, so there is nothing to configure — select your photo and download the result. Everything happens on your device, so it works even on a slow connection near the application deadline.
Can I do this on a phone?
Yes. The tool runs in a mobile browser exactly as it does on a desktop, and you can select a photo straight from your camera roll. Most candidates complete their application on a phone, so it is built to work that way.
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Your files stay on your device. This tool runs entirely in your browser. No file is uploaded, transmitted, or stored. You can verify this by opening your browser's Network tab while using the tool.
Disclaimer. Specifications published by exam boards, governments and platforms change without notice. We verify and date every specification on this site, but you should always confirm against the official source before submitting an application. See our full disclaimer.