What the UPSC application asks for
The UPSC online application asks for a photograph and a signature. The photograph must be a JPG between 20 KB and 300 KB, with each side between 350 and 1000 pixels; this page uses 600 × 600 pixels, comfortably inside that range. The signature is a JPG between 20 KB and 100 KB.
| Document | Format | File size | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photograph | JPG | 20–300 KB | 350–1000 px per side (600 × 600 used here) |
| Signature | JPG | 20–100 KB | About 350–500 px |
Each exam notification sets its own rules and UPSC revises its process from time to time. Check the notification for your exam on upsconline.nic.in, which has the final word.
Preparing the photograph
- Use a recent colour photograph with your face clearly visible, taken against a plain light background.
- Drop it on this page with the photo preset selected and adjust the crop so that your face is centred and fills most of the frame.
- Download the JPG and upload it.
The application now captures a live photo and compares it with the one you upload, so use a photo that looks like you today. An old photograph, or one that has been filtered or heavily edited, is more likely to cause trouble.
Preparing the signature
UPSC asks you to sign three times, one below the other, on white paper in black ink. Scan or photograph the paper in even light, crop the scan around the three signatures, and then choose the signature preset in the same panel. The tool fits the result to the file-size range.
- Use black ink on plain white paper. Coloured ink or lines on the page can make the scan fail checks.
- Keep the three signatures similar. They should be recognisably the same as on your official documents.
- Crop close, with a small margin. Excess blank paper wastes pixels.
- Check both limits. A signature can be too small as easily as too large; the preset includes the 20 KB minimum.
For other exams, see IBPS, SSC and NEET, or the complete exam size chart. Your photo and signature are processed on your device and are never uploaded.