RRB photo: captured live, no upload needed
Recent RRB notices say candidates are not required to upload a pre-existing photograph. The application module captures a live photo through your webcam or your phone’s front camera while you apply. The notices ask you to:
- wear non-white clothing, preferably in dark colours, so you stand out from the background;
- keep the camera at eye level and look straight ahead with a neutral expression;
- keep your whole face visible and centred inside the frame shown on screen, neither too close nor too far;
- not wear a cap, mask, or glasses/spectacles;
- keep your eyes fully open, or the photo will not be captured (CEN 06/2025).
You can preview the photo and retake it until you submit. Photographing a printed or digital photo instead of yourself leads to summary rejection. The ALP notice (CEN 01/2026) adds that the live photo is validated and matched; if it doesn’t match, you download Annexure-IX from the application, get it signed by a Class-I Gazetted Officer and upload it.
RRB signature specifications
| Requirement | What the RRB notice says |
|---|---|
| Who signs | The candidate only |
| Ink and paper | Black ink pen on white paper |
| Style | Running handwriting (cursive or joined letters), not block, capital or disjointed letters |
| Scan resolution | At least 100 DPI |
| File format | JPG/JPEG only |
| File size | Between 30 KB and 49 KB |
| Dimensions | Minimum 140 pixels (width) × 60 pixels (height) |
| Signature box | Positioned and centred within a 35 mm × 20 mm box |
Sources: RRB Centralised Employment Notices CEN 06/2025 (Non-Technical Popular Categories, Graduate, para 14.5.1), CEN 09/2025 (Level 1 posts, updated 30.01.2026, para 16.5.1) and CEN 01/2026 (Assistant Loco Pilot, para 13.5.1), published on the regional RRB websites. All three give the same signature rules.
Check the CEN you are applying under. Each notice is separate, and RRB rules have changed from year to year: older notices used different photo and signature limits. KBSnap is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the Railway Recruitment Boards or the Ministry of Railways.
Why 30–49 KB is harder than it looks
Most portals worry about files being too big. RRB’s range is unusual because its minimum is high: a 140 × 60 px signature on clean white paper is typically only a few kilobytes, nowhere near 30 KB.
Adding noise or blur to fatten the file would spoil the signature. Instead, when the file comes out under 30 KB, KBSnap adds padding data inside the JPG until it passes the minimum. The pixels and the signature look exactly the same. The maximum is kept under 49 KB at the same time.
The 49 KB ceiling sits just under 50, so don’t round up. The preset’s limits keep the file inside 30–49 KB whether a site counts 1 KB as 1,000 or 1,024 bytes.
How to make your RRB signature
- Sign on plain white paper with a black ink pen, in your normal running signature. Avoid capital letters, block letters or separated letters.
- Photograph it in daylight with the phone flat above the paper, close enough that the signature fills a good part of the frame. Make sure there’s no shadow and the signature is level.
- Add the photo here. Auto-crop trims the paper and centres the signature; cleanup turns the background white. Adjust the clean-up strength if strokes fade or grey patches remain.
- Keep the preset: 3.5 × 2.0 cm at 200 DPI, 30–49 KB, JPG. That gives 276 × 157 pixels, above the 140 × 60 px minimum and in the shape of the 35 × 20 mm box.
- Check the preview. The whole signature should be visible and clear, with nothing cut off at the edges.
- Download and upload the JPG in the signature step of the RRB application, then review the uploaded documents before final submission.
If you have applied to an RRB notification before, the 2026 ALP FAQ notes that some saved data, including photo and signature documents, may be fetched from your earlier application. Check it carefully before submitting.
Grounds for rejection related to the signature
Each of the RRB notices lists these signature problems as grounds for rejecting the application, at any stage of the recruitment:
- a non-white background;
- non-black ink;
- a signature in BLOCK or CAPITAL letters instead of running handwriting;
- poor resolution or an unclear image;
- an incomplete or partially visible signature;
- an image other than the signature;
- no signature (a blank image);
- a thumb impression in place of the signature;
- a signature of a person other than the applicant.
The notices also say the signature on your application must match the signatures you give at the examination, document verification, medical examination and appointment. Sign the same way every time.
Some candidates with benchmark disabilities whose disability prevents them from signing may upload a fingerprint instead, in the order the notice gives: left thumb, right thumb, any finger of the hands, any toe.
Other RRB documents
- SC/ST certificate (only for candidates requesting the free railway travel pass): PDF, under 400 KB, legible and valid. Compress PDF to 300KB brings a large scan under the limit.
- Live photo mismatch declaration (Annexure-IX in CEN 01/2026): downloaded from the application, signed by a Class-I Gazetted Officer and uploaded, only if your live photo isn’t matched.
- Photo for exam day: at the CBT, PET, document verification and medical examination, bring a colour passport photograph not older than two months from that date. The Indian passport photo page makes a 35 × 45 mm print sheet.