FPSC photo requirements at a glance
The Federal Public Service Commission asks for one photo in its online applications. This is what its own instructions say:
| Requirement | What FPSC asks for |
|---|---|
| File format | JPG or JPEG only |
| File size | Less than 30 KB (application guidelines); 2–30 KB (applicant portal) |
| Photo | Recent passport size picture; avoid informal pictures |
| Background | White (applicant portal) |
| Dimensions | Not stated by FPSC |
Sources: FPSC’s Guidelines for Online Application Submission, dated 9 September 2025, and the photo upload instructions in FPSC’s applicant portal, checked in October 2026.
Because FPSC gives no pixel or centimetre size, this page uses 3.5 × 4.5 cm at 300 DPI (413 × 531 px) as a suggested passport size. That part is our default, not an FPSC rule. The format and the 2–30 KB range are FPSC’s.
FPSC updates its portals and instructions from time to time. Always read the current advertisement and the text on the upload screen before you apply, and if the screen shows a different limit, follow the screen: every setting in the tool can be changed.
Which FPSC applications ask for a photo
- General recruitment (GR) jobs from FPSC’s consolidated advertisements. The photo goes in at Step 2 of the online form, after you have paid the fee against your PSID.
- The CSS MCQ based preliminary test (MPT). Applications for MPT CSS-2027 were made through FPSC’s applicant portal, which needs a passport size photo on your profile before you can apply.
- The CSS written examination. For CSS CE-2026, candidates who passed the MPT logged in with their MPT account to finish the application. FPSC’s public notice of 7 December 2025 also asked for a signed hard copy of the online application with attested documents and four photographs, to reach FPSC before 1 January 2026.
For printed copies like those four photographs, the Pakistan passport photo page lays out 35 × 45 mm photos on a 4×6 in or A4 sheet for a print shop.
How to upload your photo in the FPSC online form
For a general recruitment post, FPSC’s guidelines describe a two-step process:
- Open fpsc.gov.pk, click Apply Online, choose General Recruitment and select the post you are eligible for.
- Enter your CNIC and the Step 1 details, then click Generate PSID & Challan.
- Pay the fee against the 16-digit PSID through a banking app, an ATM or a 1Link member bank branch.
- Go back to Apply Online, select the same post, enter your CNIC again and click Proceed to Step 2.
- Click Choose File and pick the JPG you made here. The guideline says the picture must be less than 30 KB and in jpeg format only.
- Fill in the remaining details, education and experience, tick the undertaking and click Submit Your Application. Note down your Tracking ID.
For the CSS MPT the photo sits on your profile in the applicant portal instead. Its upload box accepts JPG or JPEG files from 2 KB to 30 KB and asks for a passport size photo with a white background. When you start an application, the portal offers to reuse your profile photo, with an option to upload a different one.
After final submission, FPSC lets you edit a GR application only once before the closing date, so check the photo before you press submit.
Why an FPSC upload fails, and how to fix it
- The file is over 30 KB. A photo straight from a phone camera is usually several megabytes. The preset lowers the JPG quality at a fixed 413 × 531 px until the file fits. KBSnap counts 30 KB as 30,000 bytes, a little under the 30 × 1,024 bytes the portal allows, so you keep a small safety margin.
- The file is under 2 KB. The applicant portal refuses tiny files as too small. This only happens with heavily squeezed thumbnails; the preset’s 2 KB minimum raises the quality, or adds harmless padding, so your file can’t fall below it.
- It isn’t a JPG. PNG, HEIC, WebP and PDF files are refused. The preset always saves a .jpg.
- The picture is informal. FPSC asks you to avoid informal pictures. A plain head and shoulders photo, like one for an ID card, is the safe choice.
- The page hangs or loads slowly. FPSC’s guideline suggests closing the browser, reloading the site and clearing your browsing history. It lists Edge, Firefox and Chrome with JavaScript turned on as supported browsers.
For help with online submission only, the same guideline gives FPSC’s helpline, 051-111-000-248 (office hours, Monday to Friday), and the email address fpsc@fpsc.gov.pk.
Taking a photo that stays sharp at 30 KB
30 KB is plenty for a clear face at 413 × 531 px, as long as the photo is simple. A few things help:
- Use a plain white wall. The portal asks for a white background, and this tool doesn’t change backgrounds, so the wall matters. A flat background also compresses well, leaving more of the 30 KB for your face.
- Shoot in daylight near a window. Yellow bulbs make white walls look cream and add grain.
- Leave space around your head. The crop is taken from the centre, so stand in the middle of the frame with some room above your head and below your shoulders.
- Avoid white clothes, which blend into a white background.
- Use the original file. A copy sent through WhatsApp has already lost detail before you start.
What this tool does and doesn’t do
The resizer sets the size, format and file size of a photo you already have. It doesn’t detect faces, check your head position or remove the background. If you want crown and chin guide lines, frame the photo first in the Passport Photo Maker with the Pakistan preset, then bring the downloaded JPG here to fit the 2–30 KB range.
KBSnap is an independent free tool. It isn’t connected with FPSC and doesn’t submit anything for you: you upload the finished file yourself on FPSC’s website.