I have a 35 × 45 photo from a shop in Singapore. Will BLS take it?

The BLS Singapore specification is 51 × 51. A 35 × 45 print is the wrong shape and cannot be trimmed into a square without cutting the head.

Is the Indian visa photo the same size?

Yes — the online Indian visa also wants a square, uploaded as a JPEG between 10 KB and 300 KB.

What photo size does an Indian passport renewal from Singapore need?

TL;DR 51 × 51 mm — a 2 × 2 inch square, not the 35 × 45 mm most guides list for India. Renewals from Singapore go through BLS International, the High Commission's outsourced service, and BLS Singapore's specification is the square one.

Why India has two answers

India's Passport Seva rules inside India describe a 35 × 45 mm photo. The High Commission in Singapore processes renewals through BLS International, and BLS's Singapore checklist asks for 2 × 2 inches — 51 × 51 mm — on a white background. A resident applying from Singapore is bound by the Singapore checklist, not the domestic one.

This is the single most common way an Indian passport photo gets rejected here: the applicant followed a guide written for India.

The rest of the specification

White background, colour, recent, full face with the head centred and about half to two-thirds of the frame — the same composition as a US-style 2 × 2. Two prints are usually requested with the paper form; check the BLS appointment letter for the count.

India's two documents, both square

Document	Size	Head in frame (as we compose it)	Background	Max age	Source
India passport	51 × 51 mm	50–69%	plain white	3 months	www.blsinternational.com
India visa	51 × 51 mm	49–69%	plain light-coloured or white	6 months	indianvisaonline.gov.in

A real case

A renewal appointment at BLS was turned away for photos — the applicant had four 35 × 45 prints from a heartland shop, made to the guide he found. He came back the next day with 2 × 2 squares. Same face; the shop had simply followed the wrong country's rule.

Common questions

I have a 35 × 45 photo from a shop in Singapore. Will BLS take it?: The BLS Singapore specification is 51 × 51. A 35 × 45 print is the wrong shape and cannot be trimmed into a square without cutting the head.
Is the Indian visa photo the same size?: Yes — the online Indian visa also wants a square, uploaded as a JPEG between 10 KB and 300 KB.

Sources

Read on the issuing authority's own pages on the dates shown on each document page:

India passport: www.blsinternational.com (read 2026-09-02)
India visa: indianvisaonline.gov.in (read 2026-09-06)

SGfoto is independent — not affiliated with or endorsed by any government or issuing authority — and does not guarantee acceptance. Requirements change; the authority's page is the one that counts. Rebuilt 2026-09-06.