This guide is independent and is not affiliated with the Income Tax Department, Protean eGov Technologies (formerly NSDL e-Gov) or UTIITSL. It collects what those organisations publish about photos, signatures and supporting documents for a new PAN application. Upload rules are changed from time to time. At the time of writing (October 2026) the figures below are the ones found on the official pages listed under Sources, so check the notice or the upload screen on the day you apply.
The forms have new numbers since April 2026
Older articles still talk about Form 49A for Indian citizens and Form 49AA for foreign citizens. The Income Tax Department now lists Form 93 for individuals who are Indian citizens, Form 94 for Indian entities, Form 95 for individuals who are not Indian citizens and Form 96 for entities formed outside India, and labels them as the earlier Form 49A and 49AA. UTIITSL states that the new forms apply from 1 April 2026 and that the old forms are not accepted after 31 March 2026. Portal screens and some pages still use the old names, so expect to see both.
Four ways to apply, and which ones need files
- e-KYC and e-Sign (paperless). The e-Sign step uses an Aadhaar OTP sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Protean's own article says that Aadhaar-based e-KYC applications no longer accept Aadhaar as proof of date of birth, so a separate birth proof is needed. No official page found for this guide lists upload sizes for this route, so follow the screen.
- Scanned images with e-Sign, or DSC (paperless). The photo, signature and proofs are uploaded as files. This is where the size limits below apply. A DSC route needs a valid class II or III digital signature certificate.
- Physical mode. The application is made online, then a signed acknowledgement with printed photos and proofs is posted to Protean. Protean's steps page says the documents must reach Protean within 15 days of the online application.
- Instant e-PAN. The e-Filing portal issues a free e-PAN to an individual with no PAN who has an Aadhaar number with an active linked mobile number. The page describes no photo or signature upload. Date of birth proof is chosen from DigiLocker, and a minor cannot use it.
The scan and upload specifications
The most complete table is on Protean's page for the digital-signature route. The page lists the same 200 DPI resolution for all three items:
- Photograph: colour, JPEG, maximum 20 KB, 3.5 x 2.5 cm.
- Signature: colour, JPEG, maximum 10 KB, 2 x 4.5 cm.
- Supporting documents: black and white, PDF/A or JPEG, maximum 300 KB per page.
A second Protean page, for the scanned-images application, gives the photo and signature as a .jpg file with a maximum of 50 kB each, a photo of 3.5 (H) x 2.5 (W) cm and a signature of 2 (H) x 4.5 (W) cm. For documents it says the file should be in PDF format and should not exceed 300 kB. A Protean article on scanning documents gives the same 50 KB, 200 DPI and 300 KB per page.
No official page found for this guide gives pixel dimensions. The centimetre sizes can be converted, but the result is arithmetic and not a portal figure: at 200 DPI, 3.5 cm high by 2.5 cm wide is about 276 x 197 pixels, and 2 cm high by 4.5 cm wide is about 157 x 354 pixels. If the upload screen states pixels, use those.
Where the official pages disagree
- Photo and signature caps. 20 KB and 10 KB on one page, 50 KB on another. A photo under 20 KB and a signature under 10 KB meets both. Do not go far below, since a screen may also enforce a minimum.
- Resolution wording. One page says 200 DPI. The other says "DPI lesser than 200 dpi", which reads like a typing error. Scanning at 200 DPI follows the first page.
- "Per page" or per file. The digital-signature page says 300 KB per page. The other page says the file should not exceed 300 kB. If the portal gives one slot per proof, a safe plan is one PDF per proof, each under 300 KB.
- Printed photo size. The Income Tax Department's PAN FAQs and Protean's guidance give 3.5 x 2.5 cm. UTIITSL's instructions for Form 93 say 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm. Protean's article on the 2026 changes says the size moved from 5 x 2.5 cm to 5 x 3.5 cm. Treat the printed text on the form you download as the rule.
- Proof of birth. Do not rely on Aadhaar alone for date of birth in e-KYC and scan-based applications, per Protean's article.
Physical forms and printed photos
For physical submission the pages agree on the handling. Two recent colour photographs with a white background go on the form. They must not be stapled or clipped. The signature or left thumb impression goes across the photo on the left, partly on the photo and partly on the form, and must not be on the right-hand photo. A thumb impression must be attested by a Magistrate, a Notary Public or a Gazetted Officer. The envelope is marked with the 15-digit acknowledgement number.
Common mistakes
- Signing on a patterned or coloured background. Protean says to sign on plain white paper with a black pen.
- Uploading a phone photo straight from the camera. It is several megabytes and fails at once.
- Proofs that are blurred or cropped so that a name or date is cut off.
- Bills or statements older than three months. Protean's checklist asks for recent ones under three months old.
- Names that differ between the form and the proof.
How to do it with DocPro
DocPro runs in the browser and does not upload the file, which suits identity papers. Prepare the files first and keep the originals.
- Photograph or scan each proof flat, in even light, with all four edges visible. If you have phone photos, open Images to PDF, drop the images, choose A4 as Page size and press "Create PDF". HEIC photos from an iPhone are accepted.
- If the portal takes one file for several proofs, open Merge PDF, drop the PDFs, order them and press "Merge PDFs". If it has a slot for each proof, skip this step.
- If the portal wants black and white proofs, open Grayscale PDF, set Mode to "Black & white", Resolution to "200 dpi" and press "Convert to grayscale". Check that stamps and faint print are still readable.
- Open Compress PDF, or the 300 KB task page with the number filled in. Tick "Aim for a target size", enter the limit in "Target size (KB)", a little below the figure on the screen, and press "Compress PDF". Compare the Before and After sizes.
- For the photo, open Edit image, crop the head and shoulders, set "Width (px)" and "Height (px)" (clear "Keep proportions" if the shape must change), choose JPG and press "Save image". Do the same for the signature, cropped tight on the ink.
- Open Compress image and set "Target size (KB)" to 20 for the photo and 10 for the signature, with the output format JPG, then press "Compress". The preset pages Compress JPG to 20KB, Compress JPG to 10KB and Compress JPG to 50KB fill the number in.
- Open every result at full zoom. Names, numbers and dates must read clearly before the upload.
The general method is in the guides on resizing a photo and signature for an online form and compressing a PDF for email and upload limits.
What DocPro cannot do
- Compress PDF redraws each page as a picture at 72 to 144 dpi depending on the quality chosen, then lowers it if needed. It cannot raise a poor scan to 200 DPI, so scan at 200 DPI first.
- Compressed PDFs lose selectable text and links.
- The web tools do not create PDF/A files, which one Protean table names, and the image tools have no DPI setting. If a screen insists on PDF/A, a JPEG proof is the other format that table allows.
- DocPro cannot sign the application, run the Aadhaar OTP or check the file against the portal. Only the portal can accept or reject it.
- For a government form this is not legal advice. When in doubt, ask Protean or UTIITSL.
Frequently asked questions
What is the PAN card photo size in cm?
Protean's scan specification lists 3.5 x 2.5 cm for the photograph and 2 x 4.5 cm for the signature. UTIITSL's Form 93 instructions give 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm for the printed photos on a paper form, so follow the text on the form you use.
What is the maximum size for a PAN signature file?
One Protean page says 10 KB and another says 50 KB, both as JPEG. Keeping the signature under 10 KB meets both.
Is 300 KB the limit for PAN documents?
Protean's pages give 300 KB, and the digital-signature page says per page. Check the limit shown beside the upload button, and see the 300 KB task page for the compressing steps.
Do I need to upload anything for Instant e-PAN?
The e-Filing portal page does not mention a photo or signature upload. It uses an Aadhaar OTP and a date of birth proof chosen from DigiLocker, and only individuals without a PAN can use it.
Are Form 49A and 49AA still used?
Not since 1 April 2026, according to UTIITSL. Forms 93, 94, 95 and 96 replace them, although some pages still use the old names.