My OCI photograph was rejected by the online portal. What common mistakes should I check?

If you are applying for OCI for a newborn or minor child, pay particular attention to the photograph requirements.

I helped prepare my daughter's OCI application, and getting a suitable photograph was more difficult than expected because she was quite young.

For children, the photograph still needs to follow the prescribed OCI specifications. You should avoid using a photograph where the child is looking sideways, the face is partially covered or the background contains distracting objects.

I would also check whether you are uploading the photograph in the correct section. The photograph and signature/thumb impression are separate uploads.

For a child who cannot sign, the OCI instructions provide for a thumb impression instead of a regular signature. Check the applicable instructions for the child's age and application category.

Another important point: don't assume that a photograph accepted for a US passport, UK passport or another immigration document will automatically be accepted for an OCI application. The specifications can differ.

If the portal continues rejecting an image that meets the published requirements, I would contact the OCI helpdesk rather than keep experimenting with different editing tools.

My experience was a little different. I submitted my OCI application from the UK, and initially I thought the photograph was the problem. After checking everything again, I realised that the image dimensions were incorrect.

The original photograph was rectangular. I had cropped it into a square using an online photo editor, but the resulting image did not have the correct face positioning.

I eventually visited another photography studio and explained that I needed a photograph for an Indian OCI application.

A few additional things worth checking:

1. Face coverage: The face should occupy approximately 80% of the photograph.
2. Positioning: Your head should be facing forward, with the full face visible.
3. Background: Use a plain, light-coloured background, avoiding white.
4. Image quality: Avoid blurry, pixelated or heavily compressed images.
5. File format: Use JPEG or JPG rather than PNG or PDF.

One thing I would not recommend is repeatedly compressing the same photograph to meet the file-size requirement. It can reduce image quality.

Also, check the instructions displayed on your own OCI application page because the portal requirements should take priority over general photography studio specifications.

I faced a similar issue while preparing my OCI application from California. My first photograph was rejected even though it looked perfectly fine when viewed on my computer.

The problem was the background and cropping. The photography studio had given me a standard passport photograph with a white background. I later checked the OCI photo instructions and noticed that the specified background is plain, light-coloured and not white.

I got another photograph taken with a light grey background and asked the studio to provide a square digital image.

A few things I would check before uploading:

• Make sure the photograph is square, not a standard rectangular passport photo.
• Keep your full face visible and centred.
• Avoid shadows on the face or background.
• Make sure the head and shoulders are visible.
• Avoid filters, excessive editing and unnecessary cropping.
• Check the JPEG file size before uploading.

The official OCI FAQ specifies dimensions between 200 × 200 and 900 × 900 pixels, with a maximum file size of 200 KB for the photograph.

My suggestion is to ask the photographer specifically for an OCI-compliant digital photograph rather than a regular US passport photograph.