NADRA CNIC and NICOP Photo Requirements: Size and Background

Most people never need to supply a photo for a Pakistani CNIC. At a NADRA Registration Centre (NRC), staff take your photo, fingerprints and signature on the spot. You only prepare a photo yourself in a few cases: some online applications through Pak ID, documents for family members, and forms from other offices that ask for a “CNIC-size” photo.

This guide separates what is certain from what varies, so you don’t waste an appointment or an online fee on a rejected picture.

When NADRA takes your photo for you

If you apply at an NRC, a NADRA executive centre or a NADRA counter at a Pakistani mission abroad, the photo is captured live during your visit. You don’t bring prints. What you control is how you look on the day:

Wear plain, everyday clothes. Avoid white if the backdrop is white, and avoid uniforms.
Remove caps, sunglasses and tinted glasses. Religious head coverings are normally allowed if your full face, from chin to forehead, is visible.
Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and eyes open.
Tie back hair that covers your eyes.

NADRA has said in 2026 that it must hold an applicant’s photo, fingerprints and iris record before it issues a card, and that people whose records lack this biometric data need to visit a centre in person, even if they start the application online (ARY News, August 2026). So for a first CNIC, plan on at least one visit.

When you supply the photo: Pak ID

The Pak ID app and website let Pakistanis in the country and overseas apply for a CNIC, NICOP, POC (Pakistan Origin Card) and other documents. Depending on the application, it asks you to take or upload a photo and shows its own photo guidelines on screen.

Follow the guidelines in the app over anything else, including this page. NADRA updates its apps, and the instructions shown during your application are the ones the reviewer checks.

The numbers you will see quoted

Many websites quote these figures for NADRA photos. We could not confirm them on an official NADRA page that is publicly accessible, so treat them as a starting point:

Item	Commonly quoted value	Status
Print size	35 × 45 mm	Widely quoted; also the size Pakistan uses for many forms
Digital upload	350 × 467 pixels, JPG	Matches the size DGI&P asks for in its online passport service
Background	White or blue	Sources disagree; follow the app
Age of photo	Taken in the last 3 to 6 months	Standard practice; not confirmed for NADRA

For comparison, the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports states its online photo rule clearly: a colour photo with a white background, 350 × 467 pixels, JPEG, no more than 3 MB (DGI&P online passport). If Pak ID asks you to upload rather than capture, a photo that meets that standard is a safe base, unless the app says otherwise.

How to take a photo that passes

Most rejections come from a handful of avoidable problems. Use this checklist whether you’re taking the photo yourself or having someone take it for you.

Lighting

Stand facing a window in daylight, or under even indoor light. Light from one side throws a shadow across half the face.
Avoid ceiling spotlights directly above you; they put shadows under the eyes and nose.

Background

Use a plain wall with no pattern, furniture or doors behind you.
Stand about half a metre to a metre in front of it so your shadow falls on the floor, not the wall.

Framing

The camera should be at eye level, about 1 to 1.5 metres away. Selfies taken at arm’s length distort the nose and are often rejected.
Your head and the top of your shoulders should fill most of the frame, centred, facing straight ahead.

Face

No glasses unless the app allows them. Even clear lenses cause reflections.
No filters, beauty modes or edits that change your appearance.

Preparing the file

If the application asks for an upload, three free tools cover the usual requirements. They all run in your browser, so your photo stays on your device.

Crop and size. The passport photo maker crops to 35 × 45 mm with the right head size and can make the background white. Choose the Pakistan passport preset, then check it against the app’s instructions. If the form wants exact pixels such as 350 × 467, the NADRA photo size maker outputs that size directly, or set them in Resize Image.
Fix the background. If your wall wasn’t plain, the background remover can replace it with solid white or blue. Check the edges around your hair carefully; a halo or cut-off ears can cause a rejection.
Meet a size limit. If the form caps the file, for example at 100 KB, Compress Image to KB finds the best quality that fits under the limit.

iPhone photos are saved as HEIC by default. Many upload forms only accept JPG, so convert with HEIC to JPG first if the form refuses your file.

Photos for family members and children

For a child’s registration (B-Form or CRC) or a juvenile card, the rules depend on the document and the child’s age. Very young children are usually photographed at the centre, if at all. For older children, the same checklist applies: plain background, eyes open, no hands or toys in the frame. A parent holding a baby should stay out of the shot; crop or retake if an arm shows.

Other offices that ask for a “CNIC-size” photo

Banks, universities, boards and employers in Pakistan often ask for “CNIC size” or “passport size” prints with an application. These are not NADRA rules. They usually mean a 35 × 45 mm print, sometimes with a blue background. Read the form, and if it doesn’t say, a 35 × 45 mm colour print on a white or light blue background is the usual expectation.

For other countries’ passport and visa photos, including the US 2 × 2 inch and UK 35 × 45 mm rules, see our passport photo size guide.

If your photo is rejected

Read the reason in the app or the SMS. NADRA usually names it (for example, blurry, background or face not visible).
Retake the photo rather than editing the old one. Heavy edits are a common cause of a second rejection.
If you keep getting rejected online, book a visit to an NRC so the photo is captured there. NADRA’s helpline and the Pak ID support section can tell you whether a visit is needed for your case.

FAQ

What is the CNIC photo size in Pakistan?

For a CNIC, NADRA normally takes the photo itself at the registration centre, so you don’t need a print. When a photo is uploaded, the size most often quoted is 35 × 45 mm, or 350 × 467 pixels digitally. Follow the guidelines shown in Pak ID if they differ.

Is the NADRA photo background white or blue?

Sources disagree, and NADRA’s own instructions in the Pak ID app are the final word. The passport office’s online service specifies white. Many “CNIC-size” prints for banks and universities use blue.

Can I wear glasses in my CNIC photo?

It’s safest not to. Glasses cause glare and are a common reason for photo rejections across ID documents. Remove them unless the app or the NADRA staff tell you otherwise.

Can I use a selfie for Pak ID?

Only if the app asks you to capture the photo yourself, and then follow its framing guide. Hold the phone at eye level, or ask someone else to take it, so your face isn’t distorted.

Sources

NADRA changes its procedures from time to time. Check the Pak ID app or NADRA’s helpline before you apply.