In a recent announcement, the Indian Embassy in Qatar has issued an advisory on updated passport photo guidelines. This update comes as part of the Global Passport Seva initiative, launched by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The advisory mandates that all applicants must now upload photographs that comply with ICAO standards when renewing or applying for a new passport.

Following are the photograph guidelines as per ICAO standards to be adhered to photograph capturing or uploading for passport services:

• Close up of the head and top of the shoulders such that the face takes up 80-85% of the photograph.
• The photograph should be in color and dimensions should be 630*810 Pixels.
• Photos should be unaltered by computer software.
• Background of the photograph should be White.
• The photographs must -

- Show the applicant looking directly at the camera.

Show the skin tones naturally.

- Have appropriate brightness and contrast.

- Show the applicants eyes open and clearly visible.

- Should not have hair across the eyes

- Be taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows or flash reflections on the face and no red eye.

- Mouth should not be open.

- Be taken from distance of 1.5 meters from a camera (not too close).

- Should not be blurred.

• It should have full face, front view, eyes open.
• Photo should be present full head from top of hair to bottom of chin.
• Centre head within frame (head should not be tilted).
• There should not be any distracting shadows on the face or in the background (should not have reflection of the glasses; glasses to be taken off to avoid reflections).
• Illumination shall not cause any red eye effects visible in the eyes or other effects reducing the visibility of the eyes.
• Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, but the facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown.
• The expression on the face should look natural.