NEET (UG) photo specifications
| Requirement | What the NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin says |
|---|---|
| Type | Recent passport size photograph, taken after 1 January 2026 |
| Colour | Colour or black and white |
| Face | 80% of the image should be the candidate’s face, visible without a mask, including the ears |
| Background | White |
| File format | JPG/JPEG, clearly legible |
| File size | 10–200 KB |
| Spectacles | Allowed only if you use them regularly |
| Not acceptable | Polaroid and computer-generated photos |
| Pixel dimensions | Not specified |
Source: Information Bulletin NEET (UG)-2026, National Testing Agency, published on neet.nta.nic.in, the section on uploading scanned images.
Check the bulletin for your year. NTA publishes a new Information Bulletin for each NEET (UG) cycle, and photo rules, dates and KB limits can change. The bulletin for the year you are applying in is the one to follow. KBSnap is an independent tool and is not affiliated with NTA.
Why the preset uses 3.5 × 4.5 cm
The NEET bulletin sets a format and a KB range but no pixel size, so any reasonable size is allowed as long as the file is a clear JPG between 10 and 200 KB. Because the bulletin asks for a passport size photograph, this page opens at the usual Indian passport photo size: 3.5 × 4.5 cm at 300 DPI, which is 413 × 531 pixels.
That gives a sharp, upright photo that sits comfortably inside the KB range. The same photo is used again: the bulletin says the same passport size photo should be pasted on the attendance sheet at the exam centre and used at counselling and admission, so make prints of the very file you upload.
How to get the 80% face rule right
“80% area of the image should be candidate’s face” means a much tighter crop than an ordinary portrait. Here is a simple way to do it:
- Stand against a plain white wall in daylight or a bright room, without a mask, cap or sunglasses. Ask someone else to take the photo at eye level.
- Look straight at the camera with your head level and both ears showing. Tie back hair that covers your ears.
- Crop in your gallery app from just above your hair to just below your chin, with a little space at the sides so both ears stay in. Your face should take up most of the picture.
- Add the cropped photo here. Crop to fill trims the edges evenly to the 3.5 × 4.5 shape, so keep your face centred.
- Look at the preview. If there’s still a lot of wall around your face, crop tighter and try again.
KBSnap does not change backgrounds or measure face coverage, so the white background and the close crop come from how the photo is taken.
The other images NEET asks for
The photograph is one of several uploads in the NEET (UG) 2026 application:
| Upload | Format | File size in the bulletin |
|---|---|---|
| Passport size photograph | JPG/JPEG | 10–200 KB |
| Signature | JPG/JPEG | 10–100 KB |
| Left and right hand fingers and thumb impressions | JPG/JPEG | 10–200 KB in the specifications list; 50–300 KB in the notes below it |
| Class X certificate, marksheet, category and other certificates | 50–300 KB each |
Note the finger and thumb impression size: the same bulletin gives 10–200 KB in its list of specifications and 50–300 KB a page later. A file between 50 and 200 KB satisfies both. Check the limit the form shows when you upload.
For the signature, the Signature Resizer crops and cleans a photo of your signature; set the maximum to 100 KB and the minimum to 10 KB. For PDF certificates, compress PDF to 300KB keeps them under the limit and JPG to PDF turns phone photos of documents into a PDF.
Live photo and identity checks
Besides the uploaded photo, the NEET form captures a live photograph through your camera or webcam while you fill it in; if your device has no webcam, you can scan a QR code and use a phone or tablet. The bulletin asks for a light-coloured background, proper lighting and 80% face visibility, including ears and without a mask.
The live photo is matched with the photo in the Aadhaar database. If it doesn’t match, or you verify your identity by a method other than Aadhaar, the bulletin asks for a signed and attested certificate with a recent photo, as set out in its Annexure.
What gets NEET photos rejected
From the bulletin’s own instructions:
- Unclear photographs, or applications that don’t follow the photo instructions, are liable to be rejected.
- An application without a photograph is rejected.
- Polaroid and computer-generated photos are not acceptable.
- Fabricated photos, ones that look de-shaped, hand-made or computer made, lead to rejection and are treated as unfair means.
- Someone else’s photograph leads to cancellation of candidature as an unfair means case, and criminal action.
There is no second chance after submission: the bulletin notes that the facility for correcting the photograph, signature and impressions will not be given, so check every image before you submit. Keep 6 to 8 passport size and 4 to 6 postcard size (4 × 6 inch) colour prints with a white background, as the bulletin advises.