A PAN card application needs three files at three different sizes: the photograph under 50 KB, the signature under 20 KB, both as JPEG, and supporting documents under 300 KB as PDF. Those limits are identical on Protean (formerly NSDL e-Governance) and UTIITSL.
Resize all three free with the PAN card photo resizer, the signature resizer and the document resizer. Everything runs inside your browser, so no file is uploaded to any server.
PAN Card Resize Limits at a Glance
| File | Format | Max size | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photograph | JPEG | 50 KB | White background, passport proportions |
| Signature | JPEG | 20 KB | Dark ink on plain white unruled paper |
| Supporting document | 300 KB | Not needed with Aadhaar e-KYC |
Why “File Too Large” Is Often the Wrong Diagnosis
The portals validate an upload in a fixed order: format first, then pixel dimensions, then file size. Because the rejection message is generic, a file that fails the first check often produces an error people read as a size problem.
In practice that means you can compress a photograph to 30 KB and still be refused, because the image is landscape rather than portrait, or because it is a PNG that was renamed to .jpg. Portals read the file header, not the extension. Compressing harder cannot fix either fault.
The reliable order of operations is: convert to JPEG, crop to portrait passport proportions, then compress. Doing it in that order removes all three failure modes at once.
Why the Signature Is the Hardest File
The signature limit is 20 KB — tighter than the 50 KB allowed for a photograph, which surprises people, since a signature looks like the simpler image.
The reason is how JPEG compression works. It is efficient on smooth gradients such as skin tones and soft shadows, and inefficient on hard, high-contrast edges. A signature is nothing but hard edges: black ink meeting white paper, thousands of times over. A signature scanned at 300 DPI routinely lands between 150 KB and 400 KB despite holding far less visual information than a portrait.
This also explains why background matters so much. Pure white compresses almost for free, because large uniform areas cost JPEG very little. Cream-tinted paper, a hand shadow, or the faint rules of a notebook page add variation across the entire image — often enough to hold a borderline signature above 20 KB no matter how hard you compress.
How to Resize Each File
- Photograph. Open the photo resizer, upload your image, crop to the passport frame, download. Output is JPEG under 50 KB.
- Signature. Sign in dark ink on blank white A4, photograph it flat in even light, then use the signature resizer. Crop tightly — excess paper is what keeps the file large.
- Documents. Scan at 200–300 DPI in greyscale rather than colour, crop to the page edges, then use the document resizer and combine pages into a single PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PAN card photo size in KB?
Under 50 KB in JPEG format, with a white background and passport proportions. The signature must be under 20 KB in JPEG. Both Protean and UTIITSL apply the same limits.
Can I use the same files for NSDL and UTI?
Yes. The two agencies operate under identical Income Tax Department specifications, so a correctly sized set of files works on either portal without changes.
My file is under the limit but still rejected. What now?
Check format and orientation before compressing further. A PNG renamed to .jpg, or a landscape photograph, fails validation before the size check ever runs — which is why the error rarely names the real cause.
Does compressing to 50 KB reduce the printed quality?
Not visibly. The photograph is printed at roughly 3.5 × 4.5 cm, and a JPEG at 45 KB carries more than enough data for that area. The difference between a 50 KB and a 500 KB file is not detectable at that print size.
Are my files uploaded to your server?
No. All processing happens in your browser using the HTML5 Canvas API. Your files never leave your device and cannot be seen, stored or recovered by us.
For the full specification per portal, see the NSDL photo and signature size requirements.
