SSC CGL Photo and Signature Size 2026 — Complete Spec Guide

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Compress for SSC CGL

Built-in SSC CGL preset — 200×230 px, 20-50 KB JPG. Drop your photo, get exam-ready output in seconds.

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Official SSC CGL 2026 specifications

The SSC published the latest specifications in their notification for CGL Tier-I 2026. The exact requirements:

Photo

• Format: JPG / JPEG (no PNG, no PDF)
• File size: 20 KB to 50 KB
• Dimensions: 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm physical, equivalent to ~200 × 230 pixels at 144 DPI
• Background: Plain white or light-colored, no patterns
• Recency: Photo taken within the last 3 months
• Visibility: Face must be clearly visible, eyes open, looking at the camera
• Coverage: Approximately 75% of the frame should be your face
• No accessories: No sunglasses, no caps, no headphones (religious head coverings are permitted)
• Lighting: Even lighting on the face, no harsh shadows

Signature

• Format: JPG / JPEG
• File size: 10 KB to 20 KB
• Dimensions: 140 × 60 pixels (approximately 3.5 cm × 1.5 cm)
• Color: Signature in black ink only on white paper
• Pen: Use a black ballpoint or fountain pen — no pencil, no blue ink
• Style: Your usual everyday signature — must match what you'll use on the OMR sheet at the exam centre

Why SSC CGL applications get rejected (2025 data)

Based on rejection patterns reported by candidates in 2025, the most common reasons for SSC CGL photo/signature rejection:

1. Wrong file size (47%). Most commonly: photo file too large (over 50 KB) or too small (under 20 KB).
2. Wrong dimensions (18%). Photo not in passport ratio, or signature not in the 140×60 ratio.
3. Background not white (12%). Patterned shirts blending into background, or photos taken outdoors.
4. Face not visible / wrong angle (10%). Side profile, smile that obscures features, or eyes closed.
5. Signature in blue ink (7%). The portal accepts the upload but the application fails verification at the exam centre when signatures don't match.
6. Photo too old (4%). Easy to detect when photo style or appearance differs significantly from the candidate at the exam centre.
7. Other issues (2%). Wrong file format (PNG instead of JPG), corrupted files, etc.

The 47% file-size rejection rate is the easiest to fix — and it's what this guide focuses on.

How to take a compliant photo

You can either get a passport-style photo from a local studio (₹50-100 in most cities) or take one yourself with a phone:

If using a phone:

1. Find good lighting. Stand near a window during daylight, facing the light source. Avoid harsh overhead lighting that creates shadows under your eyes.
2. Stand against a plain white wall. Or hang a white bedsheet behind you. Avoid posters, doors, or patterned walls.
3. Have someone else take the photo. Selfies typically have the wrong angle and the camera too close. Ask someone to hold the phone at eye level, 1-1.5 meters away.
4. Look directly at the camera. Eyes open, neutral expression, mouth closed (slight smile is okay, broad smile not).
5. Frame from chest up. Top of the head should be near the top of the frame, with maybe 1 cm of space above. Shoulders visible at the bottom.
6. Take 5-10 photos. Pick the best one. Faces look subtly different in each — sometimes the third or fourth one is the keeper.
7. Crop to 3.5:4.5 ratio. Most phones have a built-in crop tool. Tight crop on the face leaving small margin around head and shoulders.

If using a studio:

Tell them specifically: "passport-size photo, 3.5×4.5 cm, white background, for SSC CGL application." They'll know exactly what to do. Get the digital file (not just printed) — most studios provide it via WhatsApp or email.

Step-by-step: compress for SSC CGL

Your phone or studio photo is probably 2-5 MB. SSC needs 20-50 KB. That's a 50-100x reduction. Here's how to do it without quality loss:

1. Open a tool with SSC presets. ShrinkTo's passport tool has a built-in SSC CGL preset. Or use any tool that supports exact KB targeting and 200×230 px output.
2. Select the SSC CGL preset. This sets target size to 20-50 KB and dimensions to 200×230 px automatically.
3. Drop your photo. The tool resizes to 200×230 px, crops if needed, then compresses to land in the 20-50 KB range. Aim for ~40 KB to leave headroom.
4. Verify the output. Open the compressed file and check: face fills ~75% of frame, eyes clearly visible, white background.
5. Repeat for signature. Sign on white paper with black pen, photograph or scan it, then use the SSC signature preset (140×60 px, 10-20 KB).

Total time: under 2 minutes for a typical first-time user. Subsequent uses (re-applications, other exams) take seconds.

Signature-specific tips

• Sign on plain white A4 paper. Lined paper or coloured paper causes background issues.
• Use black ink only. Black ballpoint or fountain pen. Blue is rejected. Pencil is rejected.
• Sign at normal size. If your usual signature is large, the scanner may capture it disproportionately. Sign in a size proportional to a 140×60 pixel output (about 3.5 cm wide).
• Photograph or scan, don't draw on phone. A drawn-on-phone signature looks visibly different from the same person's pen-on-paper signature, which causes verification failures at the exam centre.
• Crop tightly. Just the signature, no extra paper. White space around the signature is okay but minimal.
• Match the signature on your OMR sheet. Whatever signature you upload is what you must reproduce at the exam centre. Don't experiment with new signature styles for the application.

Common SSC CGL mistakes that cause rejection

• Uploading a photo over 50 KB. The portal accepts the upload but flags the application for review. Some get rejected at this stage.
• Photo dimensions wrong. A 4:3 ratio photo when SSC expects 3.5:4.5 — the portal sometimes accepts but Tier-2 verification flags it.
• Photo too dark or too bright. Common with phone photos in poor lighting. Retake in better light rather than fixing in software.
• Background not white. Patterned wallpaper, painted walls in beige/cream — all cause issues. Use a white wall or hang a white sheet.
• Wearing reflective glasses. Flash reflects off lenses. Remove glasses for the photo if possible.
• Signature in different ink than what you'll use at the centre. Verification matches the uploaded signature against what you sign on the OMR sheet. Use a consistent pen.
• Photo and signature names mixed up. The portal has separate upload boxes for photo and signature. Don't upload the signature in the photo box.
• Compressing the same photo multiple times. Each compression degrades quality. If you compressed once, then re-cropped, then re-compressed — by the third pass the photo looks fuzzy.

Use the same photo for similar exams

Many Indian government exams have nearly identical photo/signature specs. Once you have a compliant SSC CGL photo, you can reuse it for:

• SSC CHSL, SSC MTS, SSC GD: Identical specs (20-50 KB photo, 10-20 KB signature)
• IBPS Clerk, IBPS PO, IBPS RRB: Same dimensions, slightly different KB ranges (20-50 KB)
• SBI Clerk, SBI PO: Same dimensions and format (20-50 KB photo)
• RRB NTPC, RRB Group D: Similar specs (20-100 KB photo allowed)
• State PSCs (BPSC, MPPSC, UPSC State): Most accept passport-style photos in similar size ranges

SSC CGL specs are essentially the strictest among these — if you meet SSC's requirements, you'll meet most others. Save your compliant photo and signature in a folder labeled "exam application files" and reuse for years.

Frequently asked questions