The core specification (Vietnam, India, Kenya all agree)
- Background: plain white, no shadows, no patterns.
- Lighting: even, no harsh shadow on one side of the face.
- Expression: neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera.
- Glasses: off. No exceptions, even prescription.
- Headwear: off, unless worn for religious reasons (then face must still be fully visible).
- Framing: face and head fill 70–80% of the frame vertically. Top of head to chin centred.
- Format: JPG or PNG, max 2 MB, recent (within last 6 months).
The phone-camera method
Step 1 — pick a plain white wall
Any pure white wall works. Avoid off-white, cream, beige or textured walls. If you don’t have one, a plain white sheet taped flat to a wall works perfectly. Stand at least 30 cm from the wall to avoid shadow.
Step 2 — face a window during the day
Stand facing a window between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Natural diffused light is the single biggest quality factor and is free. Avoid direct sunlight (creates harsh shadows) and overhead room lights (raccoon-eye shadows under the eye sockets).
Step 3 — phone at eye level, arm’s length
Hold the phone at eye level, an arm’s length away. Use the rear camera if you can — front cameras have wider lenses that distort faces at close range. A second person helping is ideal but not required.
Step 4 — crop after, not during
Take a wider shot showing shoulders and some headroom, then crop tighter afterwards on your phone. This is more forgiving than trying to frame perfectly in-camera.
What gets photos rejected
- Background not pure white — a faint grey or shadow falls just outside the threshold.
- Wearing glasses, even prescription, even with no glare.
- Hair covering eyes or eyebrows.
- Smiling, mouth open, or expression that obscures the face shape.
- Image quality too low — pixelation around the eyes, or noticeable JPEG artefacts.
- Head tilted, looking sideways, or eyes not visible to the camera.
- Phone-camera filters or beauty modes that smooth skin unnaturally — the portal can detect these.
If your photo gets rejected anyway
Re-take it before re-submitting. Don’t crop or filter your existing photo and try again — the same automated checker that rejected it the first time will reject it again. The government fee is non-refundable on rejection, so it’s worth taking five minutes to do it properly the second time.