How Do I Upload Documents to the Indian E-Visa Website?

Key takeaways

• Passport page: PDF only, 10 KB–300 KB, all four corners and both machine-readable lines visible.
• Photo: JPEG only, square, 10 KB–1 MB, at least 350 × 350 px, white background, no glasses.
• iPhones save photos as HEIC by default, which the form won't accept. Convert to JPEG first.
• After payment you can't swap files yourself. If an officer finds a problem, you'll be asked to re-upload.

What documents do I need to upload?

Only the bio page is needed from your passport, not every page. For the business letter, see what the invitation letter must include.

How do I scan my passport with an iPhone or Android phone?

A phone scan is fine if it's sharp, flat and saved as a PDF.

iPhone

1. Open the Notes app, create a note, tap the camera icon and choose Scan Documents.
2. Lay the passport flat on a dark, plain surface in good daylight. Turn off the flash to avoid glare on the laminate.
3. Let it capture, adjust the corners so the whole bio page is inside the frame, and tap Save.
4. Open the scan, tap Share and save it to Files. It is saved as a PDF.

Android

1. Open Google Drive, tap the + button and choose Scan.
2. Capture the bio page, crop to the page and save. Drive saves the scan as a PDF.

Before uploading, zoom in on the scan. You should be able to read every letter of the two lines at the bottom of the page. If they're blurred or cut off, rescan.

How do I get the photo right?

• Square: the same width and height. Most phone and passport photos aren't square, so crop them.
• Plain white background, face looking straight at the camera, eyes open, no glasses, no hat, no shadows.
• JPEG: on an iPhone, set Settings > Camera > Formats to Most Compatible before taking the photo, or export the photo as JPEG.
• Size: between 10 KB and 1 MB, at least 350 × 350 pixels.

Our free India e-Visa photo tool crops, resizes and converts a photo to the right format in your browser. Full rules are in the photo requirements guide.

Why is my upload failing? Error messages and fixes

How does the upload step work?

1. Have both files ready, named simply (passport.pdf, photo.jpg), before you start the form. The site can time out if you're away from the page.
2. Complete the personal, passport and travel sections. The upload page comes after them.
3. Upload the photo and check the preview shows your face square and centred.
4. Upload the passport PDF and confirm it's accepted before moving on.
5. Add the business or hospital letter if your visa type needs one.
6. Review everything, then continue to payment.

Can I change a document after I've paid?

Not by yourself. Once the application is submitted and paid, the files are locked. If the reviewing officer finds a problem, such as a blurry passport scan or an unsuitable photo, the government asks you by email to re-upload through the portal's document re-upload page. Do it promptly, with a corrected file that meets the limits above, because the application waits until you do. You can follow progress with the status check. If the application is refused instead, see how to reapply.

How do I re-upload documents when the government asks?

A re-upload request means the application is still open: the officer wants a better file, not a new application. You don't pay again.

1. Read the email carefully. It names the document that needs replacing, usually the photo or the passport page.
2. Fix that file first: a square white-background JPEG of 10 KB–1 MB for the photo, or a 10–300 KB PDF of the full passport bio page.
3. Open the link in the email, or the document re-upload option on the government e-Visa site (indianvisaonline.gov.in). You will need your application ID and passport number.
4. Upload the corrected file and submit. Keep a screenshot of the confirmation.
5. Check the status a day later. If nothing changes after a few days, contact the e-Visa helpdesk listed on the portal.

Only use the government site or the link in the email. Pages that look like the portal but sit on other domains are not part of the official process. If the photo was the problem, our free visa photo tool crops and resizes it to the required square.

Common misconception: "a photo of my passport is fine"

A quick photo of the page is the most common reason a scan is sent back. It's usually a JPG rather than a PDF, taken at an angle, with glare on the laminate or the bottom lines cut off. A flat document scan saved as PDF avoids all of these.

What to do next

Prepare the two files with the steps above, check them against the size limits, then start the form. If you'd rather not deal with formats and file sizes, we prepare and check the documents for you before anything is submitted. Start your India e-Visa application, or apply directly on the Government of India e-Visa portal.