PAN card photo size
PAN applications on Form 49A ask for 2.5 × 3.5 cm photographs — that is 25 mm wide and 35 mm tall. Two of them, usually, pasted in the boxes on the form.
The size in other units
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| Millimetres | 25 × 35 mm |
| Centimetres | 2.5 × 3.5 cm |
| Inches | 0.98 × 1.38 in |
| Pixels at 300 DPI | 295 × 413 px |
Note that this is not the same as a passport photo. A PAN photo is smaller and slightly squarer: 25 × 35 rather than 35 × 45. Passport photos trimmed down with scissors end up the wrong shape and often cut into the chin.
Practical points
- Two copies. The paper form has two photo boxes. Print a few extra — the same photo tends to be needed again for other forms.
- Do not staple through the face. Paste, and keep the signature off the photograph unless the form specifically asks you to sign across it.
- Light background. White is safest, and it is what scanners handle best.
- Full face, front view. Same principle as any document photo: no angle, no cap, nothing covering the face.
Getting several documents from one sitting
If you are applying for more than one thing, take a single good photograph and re-crop it to each size instead of going back to the studio. One clear, front-facing photo against a white wall will serve a PAN form, a passport application, a college form and a bank KYC — the sizes differ, but the photograph underneath can be the same.
That is the whole reason this tool lets you switch sizes and keep the same source image.