Driving licence photo size — 420x525 px, 10-20 KB on Sarathi
On Sarathi, both the photo and signature must come in at 10-20 KB — the tightest photo budget of any document on this site.
Driving licence photo specification
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Photograph size | 35 mm x 45 mm (1.4 x 1.75 inch) |
| Photograph dimensions | Minimum and preferred 420 x 525 px |
| Photograph file size | 10-20 KB, JPG |
| Scanner / camera setting | At least 300 ppi / 300 dpi, True Colour |
| Photograph age | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Signature dimensions | 256 px (width) x 64 px (height) preferred; stated as 1.4 x 0.44 inch |
| Signature file size | 10-20 KB, JPG |
| Signature ink | Black pen on white paper, signed only by the applicant |
| Background | Light-coloured, preferably white |
| Headwear and glasses | No caps, hats or dark glasses; religious headwear must not cover the face; no reflections on spectacles |
| Thumb impression | For illiterate applicants — right-hand thumb for female applicants, left-hand thumb for male applicants |
Source: Photo and Signature Scan & Upload Process (Sarathi, MoRTH) (undated PDF on the live Sarathi portal, read September 2026). checked on 2026-09-06. The PDF prints the signature width as '35cm' where 35 mm (1.4 inch) is meant — an internal typo in the official document.
Both files share one small budget
The Sarathi upload process document gives the photograph 10-20 KB and gives the signature the same 10-20 KB. That is the tightest photo allowance of any document on FileKB — banks allow 50 KB, NTA allows 200 KB. The saving grace is that Sarathi also tells you the pixel box, 420 x 525 px, and once you resize to it the file lands in range without visible damage.
A typo worth knowing about
The same document prints the signature width as "35cm x 1.06cm" while also giving 1.4 x 0.44 inch. Thirty-five centimetres is a third of a metre; the intended figure is 35 millimetres. We flag it here because a resizer that took the number literally would produce a wildly wrong file, and because it is a good reminder to sanity-check official tables rather than copy them blindly.
Scanner settings matter more than usual
Sarathi asks for at least 300 ppi in True Colour, a photo no more than six months old, a light or preferably white background, and no reflections on spectacles. For applicants who cannot sign, the document specifies a thumb impression with a gender-based hand: right thumb for women, left thumb for men.
How it works
- Take a passport-style photo on a light or white background within the last six months.
- Crop to the 35 x 45 mm shape and resize to 420 x 525 px at 300 dpi.
- Export as JPG between 10 and 20 KB.
- Sign with a black pen on white paper and crop tight to the ink.
- Resize the signature to 256 x 64 px and export it between 10 and 20 KB.
- Upload both files on the Sarathi service page for your application.