Short on time? The PAN card compressor sizes the photo, signature and supporting-document PDF to the Protean or UTIITSL limits in one step. This guide explains the rules behind it.

PAN Card Application Photo and Signature Requirements

Applying for a new PAN card or changing your PAN through Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL means uploading a photograph and a signature at specific sizes. Wrong uploads are a common reason for delays.

The Protean numbers below come from its official instruction page. The UTIITSL numbers come from third-party sources, so check the size shown on your own form.

Protean (NSDL) requirements

  • Photo: JPEG, colour, 197×276 px (2.5 × 3.5 cm, portrait) at 200 DPI, up to 20KB
  • Signature: JPEG, 354×157 px (4.5 × 2 cm) at 200 DPI, up to 10KB
  • Documents: PDF or JPEG, 200 DPI, up to 300KB per page

UTIITSL requirements (from third-party sources)

  • Photo: JPEG, 213×213 px at 300 DPI. Sources list up to 30KB.
  • Signature: JPEG, 400×200 px. Sources list up to 60KB.

A photo under 20KB and a signature under 10KB pass both portals' size limits, so the tool targets those numbers.

Prepare both in one step

  1. Open the PAN Card Compressor and pick Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL.
  2. Drop your photo and signature. Each is cropped to the exact pixel size and compressed under the limit.
  3. Check the ✓/✗ report, then download the files or the ZIP.

Why PAN applications get rejected

  • Blurry photo: the photo must be clear even at a small file size.
  • Signature outside the box: the whole signature must be inside the image.
  • Wrong format: use a real JPEG, not a renamed PNG.
  • Wrong dimensions: the pixel size should match your portal's requirement.

Privacy first

CompressKaro processes your images in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, so your photo and signature never leave your device.