UPSC and SSC photo, signature size: official rules and live photo

Searches for “upsc photo size” and “ssc photo size” return a mix of old and new rules, because both commissions changed their systems: UPSC dropped the name-and-date stamp and the pixel range, and SSC stopped taking a photo file at all. This page gives the rules as they stand in the two official documents, the UPSC instructions for uploading the photo and signature on the candidate portal and the SSC CHSL 2026 examination notice, both read on 2 November 2026, with the exact quotes and the dates of the next application windows.

UPSC photo size and signature size

Three rules that coaching sites still print are not in the current instructions: a name and date printed on the photograph, a photograph “not older than 10 days”, and a pixel range of 350 × 350 to 1,000 × 1,000. The 80% face figure is also old; the instructions say 75%. Adding a name and date does no harm, but it is not a requirement, and a photo rejected today is rejected for the live mismatch, a dark background, glasses or a face that is too small, not for a missing date.

SSC: the photo is captured live, only the signature is uploaded

Since the move to ssc.gov.in, SSC forms do not take a photo file. The CHSL 2026 notice says: “the candidate is not required to have a pre-existing photograph of himself/herself. The application module has been designed to capture a photograph of the candidate filling up the application form.” The instructions for the capture are a place with good light and a plain background, the camera at eye level, looking straight ahead, the face fully inside the marked area, and no cap, mask or glasses. Candidates without a webcam use the QR code in the form to capture through the mySSC Android app. Photographing an existing printed photo is a stated ground for rejection.

Figures such as “SSC photo 20 to 50 KB, 3.5 × 4.5 cm” belong to the old ssc.nic.in forms and no longer apply. The CHSL 2026 window itself ran from 7 September to 7 October 2026 and is closed; the same signature rule and live-photo process apply to the next SSC notices on ssc.gov.in, and SSC asks for a fresh One-Time Registration on the new site.

Dates that matter next

Making the two UPSC files

1. Photograph: a recent colour picture against a plain white wall, head and shoulders, ears visible, no glasses glare. Crop so the face fills about three quarters of the frame. Save as jpg between 20 and 200 KB; the UPSC page on this site makes a passport-shaped jpg at about 150 KB.
2. Signature: sign three times, one below the other, in black ink on plain white paper; photograph or scan from directly above; crop to the three signatures with a small margin; save as jpg between 20 and 100 KB at 350 to 500 pixels. The tool outputs 400 × 500 pixels.
3. Live photo: allow camera access, or scan the QR code with a phone; sit in front of the same kind of white background and light as the uploaded photo.
4. Check both files at full size before uploading. UPSC says applications with non-compliant signature files “will be rejected”.

For SSC applicants

• Prepare only the signature file: JPEG/JPG, 10 to 20 KB, about 6 × 2 cm. The signature tool on this site accepts a 20 KB limit; keep the file above 10 KB.
• For the live photo, use a laptop with a webcam in daylight, or the mySSC app through the form’s QR code; remove cap, mask and spectacles.
• Register once on ssc.gov.in (old ssc.nic.in registrations are not valid), and consider Aadhaar authentication, which removes the photo and signature rejection grounds.