India Post GDS photo and signature specifications
The GDS Online Engagement Schedule-II notice sets out the rules for both uploads in para 5. Here they are side by side:
| Requirement | Photograph | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| File format | JPG or JPEG only | JPG or JPEG only |
| File size | 30–100 KB | 20–100 KB |
| Recommended dimensions | 320 × 400 px (4:5) | 300 × 120 px (5:2) |
| Recommended resolution | 72–150 DPI | 72–150 DPI |
| Background | Plain white or light | Plain white paper |
| Filling the frame | Face fills 70–80% of the frame | Signature fills 70–80% of the frame, no borders |
| Other rules | No scanned photos and no selfies | Black or blue pen |
Source: India Post Notification No. 17-12/2026-GDS dated 20 August 2026, GDS Online Engagement Schedule-II, July-2026, para 5. Applications for this schedule go through indiapost.gov.in/gdsonlineengagement.
Make the signature with the India Post GDS signature resizer, which is set to 300 × 120 px and 20–100 KB.
Follow the notice for the schedule you apply to. We checked the Schedule-II (July 2026) notice, not the January 2026 Schedule-I notice, and the limits have changed since January 2025. UploadWell is an independent tool and is not affiliated with India Post.
The old GDS site still shows the 2025 limits
The older site, indiapostgdsonline.gov.in, still shows the January 2025 rules: a photo of up to 50 KB and a signature of up to 20 KB. Those limits are out of date for Schedule-II. The August 2026 notice asks for a photo of 30–100 KB and a signature of 20–100 KB, and applications now go through indiapost.gov.in/gdsonlineengagement.
The change that catches people out is the new minimum. A photo compressed to 20 KB for the old 50 KB limit is now below the 30 KB floor, so make a fresh file from your original photo rather than reuse an old upload.
How to make your GDS photo here
- Take a fresh photo in good light. Stand in front of a plain white or light wall, face a window or stand in open shade, and ask someone to take the picture with the phone at eye level. The notice rules out selfies and scanned photos.
- Crop it in your gallery. Crop so your face is centred and fills about 70–80% of the picture. The resizer then trims the edges evenly from the centre to reach the 4:5 shape, so a centred face stays centred.
- Add the photo on this page. The settings are already 320 × 400 px, Crop to fill, JPG and 30–100 KB. Leave them as they are unless your notice gives different numbers.
- Download the JPG. The result card shows the final pixel size and KB, so you can confirm both before you leave the page.
- Upload it in the photo field of the GDS form and check the preview before you continue.
No plain wall at home? Stand in front of a white door, a sheet or a light curtain in daylight. The notice asks for a plain white or light background, and a fresh photo against one is the simplest way to meet it.
Pixels, DPI and kilobytes
The notice recommends 320 × 400 pixels, an upright 4:5 shape, and a resolution of 72–150 DPI. This page works in pixels: it makes the photo exactly 320 × 400 px but doesn’t write a DPI value into the JPG. If you need the file tagged, DPI Converter can set it to 150 DPI without changing the pixels. Check the KB again afterwards with the Image Size Checker.
If the photo comes out under 30 KB, the tool first saves it at a higher quality, and if it is still short it adds invisible padding inside the file. The picture and the pixel size stay the same.
Some systems count 1 KB as 1,000 bytes and others as 1,024 bytes. The tool allows for both: the minimum is reached in 1,024-byte kilobytes (at least 30,720 bytes) and the maximum is kept in 1,000-byte kilobytes (no more than 100,000 bytes), so the file sits between 30 and 100 KB either way.
Before you upload: check it against the notice
Run through these points from the notice before you submit:
- JPG or JPEG only. The notice accepts no other format, so use the JPG this page saves rather than a PNG, WebP or HEIC file.
- Between 30 and 100 KB. A photo straight from a phone camera is usually far larger than 100 KB, and one compressed for the old 50 KB limit may be under 30 KB.
- A plain white or light background, with no pattern or strong shadows behind you.
- Your face filling 70–80% of the frame. A half-length or full-length photo leaves the face too small.
- Not a selfie and not a scan. Ask someone else to take the photo, and use the digital original rather than a scan of a printed one.