OCI photo background: why it can't be white, and how to take one at home

The official OCI photo requirements

OCI Services' FAQ says the photo must be square with a plain light colour background — not white — and no border, and that height and width must be equal: minimum 200×200 pixels, maximum 900×900 pixels, JPEG, up to 200 KB.

The older official photo specification describes the head from top of hair to bottom of chin as 1 to 1⅜ inches (25–35 mm) on a 2×2 inch photo — roughly half to two-thirds of the photo height.

Your signature is a separate upload with the same JPEG and 200 KB limit.

Why not white?

The guidance simply asks for a plain light colour that is not white. In practice this rules out the plain white backgrounds most other passport photos use, so a photo taken for a US passport usually cannot be reused for OCI.

How to take it at home

Find a plain light grey, cream or light blue wall. Stand about half a metre in front of it so you do not cast a shadow, and have someone take the photo from 1–1.5 m away at eye level in daylight.

Keep a natural expression, eyes open, no glare on glasses and no tinted lenses. Head coverings are only allowed for religious reasons, with the face fully visible.

Upload it to pixtidy's OCI photo maker: it crops a square, checks that the background is light but not white, and exports a JPEG under 200 KB.