EPFO UAN Profile Photo Size for e-Nomination
EPFO's e-nomination will not open until your UAN profile has a photo, and every family member you add needs one too. The member portal's own upload check accepts JPG, JPEG or PNG and rejects any photograph over 100KB. EPFO publishes no pixel or cm size, so use a clear, recent passport-style photo.
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EPFO's e-nomination will not open until your UAN member profile has a photograph, and every family member you add in the nomination needs a photo as well. The member portal checks each photo as you pick it: the file must be JPG, JPEG or PNG, and anything over 100KB is rejected with the message "The size of photograph cannot be more than 100 KB."
EPFO does not publish a pixel or centimetre size. Guides that quote 3.5 x 4.5cm are borrowing the usual passport size, which is a sensible shape, but the portal itself only checks the format and the 100KB limit.
EPFO photo rules at a glance
| Document | Format | File size (KB) | Dimensions | Other rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member profile photo | Image (JPG or PNG) | Keep to 100KB or less | Not specified | Must be in your profile before e-nomination opens |
| Family member or nominee photo | JPG, JPEG or PNG | 100KB or less | Not specified | One per family member added; crop, preview, then confirm |
Source: EPFO e-Nomination help file for members, which lists the member's photo as a profile item that must be present before e-nomination and asks for a photo and Aadhaar for each family member; and the e-nomination upload check on the EPFO Unified Member Portal (unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in), read on 26 September 2026, which allows .jpg, .jpeg and .png files and blocks photographs over 100KB. EPFO does not publish a separate limit for the member's own profile photo, so the profile row uses the same 100KB target. If the profile screen shows a different limit, follow the screen.
Get your photo under 100KB with the photo resizer, or make a fresh passport-style photo with a plain background using the passport photo maker.
Passport Size Photo Maker
Same settings as the full tool page.
Runs in your browser. Your file never leaves your device. Open the full Passport Size Photo Maker page
Why e-nomination gets stuck without a photo
EPFO's help file sets out what must be in your profile before the e-nomination link opens: father's name, marital status, date of joining, your photo and your address. Father's name and date of joining come from your employer. Marital status, photo and address are yours to add. Many members activated their UAN years ago and never added a photo, so when they try to nominate a spouse, parent or child, the nomination does not start.
The help file also says only Aadhaar-verified UAN holders can file e-nomination, because your name, date of birth and gender are checked against Aadhaar. A photo alone will not unlock it if your UAN is not Aadhaar-verified.
Step by step: add your photo, then file e-nomination
- Log in to the UAN member portal with your UAN and password.
- Open your profile and check whether a photo is showing. If not, upload a clear, recent photo of 100KB or less.
- Check your marital status and address in the profile too, since the nomination needs them.
- Open e-Nomination and add your family members. If you are married, add your spouse and children even if you do not want to nominate them for PF, because they are family for the pension fund.
- For each family member, choose their photo (JPG, JPEG or PNG, 100KB or less), crop it if needed, preview it and confirm. Enter their Aadhaar number, which is verified against the name, date of birth and gender you enter.
- Set the PF share for each nominee. A bank account for the nominee is not mandatory.
- The portal makes a PDF. E-sign it with the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile. The help file says a nomination that is filed but not e-signed will not be acted on.
Keep each family member's Aadhaar number and a photo under 100KB ready before you start, as the help file suggests. It saves you from being logged out halfway while you resize a photo.
Getting a photo under 100KB
A phone photo is usually 2MB to 5MB, far over the limit, so it has to be cropped and resized. Crop to head and shoulders against a plain wall, then save a JPG. A passport-style image of a few hundred pixels wide lands well under 100KB and still looks sharp. If your phone saves HEIC, convert it first: the guide to HEIC to JPG on iPhone shows how. For a PNG that is too heavy, converting PNG to JPG usually cuts the size a lot.
If you want a fixed target instead of cropping by hand, compressing an image to 100KB walks through it, and the resizer above does it in one step.
If the portal still will not accept the photo
- "The size of photograph cannot be more than 100 KB": the file is over the limit. The portal counts 1KB as 1,024 bytes, so aim for about 90KB to be safe.
- "Invalid format! Select a valid image.": the file is not JPG, JPEG or PNG. HEIC, WebP and PDF files are rejected.
- The e-nomination link does not open at all: check that your profile has a photo, marital status and address, and that your UAN is Aadhaar-verified.
- A family member cannot be added: their Aadhaar name, date of birth or gender does not match what you typed.
Changing or updating a nomination later
The UAN member portal's notice board says filing a nomination is mandatory for members under the EPF Scheme, 2026, and that e-nominations can be filed and updated during service. To change it, you file a fresh nomination and e-sign it: the help file says an e-signed nomination cannot be edited, and the new e-signed one replaces the old one. If you file as unmarried and later marry, the earlier nomination becomes invalid and you must file again. Keep your family photos under 100KB saved somewhere safe so the next update is quick.
Common mistakes with EPFO photo uploads
- Trying e-nomination before adding a profile photo, then assuming the feature is broken.
- Uploading a phone photo straight from the camera, well over 100KB.
- Uploading a HEIC or WebP file, which the portal rejects as an invalid format.
- Leaving out a spouse or children from the family list because you do not want to nominate them for PF.
- Filing the nomination but not e-signing the PDF, which leaves it incomplete.
If you also need a printed copy of your Aadhaar for EPF paperwork, the Aadhaar card print tool puts the front and back on one A4 page. The government form tools page has the resizers and PDF tools together.
Tools for this
Frequently asked questions
What is the photo size limit on the EPFO UAN portal?
The e-nomination upload accepts JPG, JPEG or PNG and rejects any photograph over 100KB. EPFO does not set a pixel or cm size, so a clear passport-style photo under 100KB works.
Why won't EPFO let me file an e-nomination?
Your profile must have a photo, marital status and address first, and your UAN must be Aadhaar-verified. Add the missing item in your profile, then open e-Nomination again.
Do I need a photo for each nominee, or just for myself?
Both. Your own photo must be in your profile, and EPFO's help file asks you to upload a photo and enter Aadhaar for each family member you add.
Is 3.5 x 4.5cm required for the EPFO photo?
No. EPFO does not publish a dimension. The portal checks only the format (JPG, JPEG or PNG) and the 100KB limit. A passport shape is still a good choice.
Can I upload a HEIC photo from my iPhone?
No. The portal accepts only JPG, JPEG and PNG. Convert the HEIC photo to JPG first, then keep it under 100KB.
What if I file the nomination but do not e-sign it?
It is not complete. EPFO's help file says a nomination that is not e-signed will not be considered, so finish the Aadhaar OTP e-sign step.
Sources
- EPFO, e-Nomination help file for members (archived copy of epfindia.gov.in/EP_Cal/Doc/eNominationHelpFile.pdf, which now redirects) (checked 2026-09)
- EPFO Unified Member Portal, e-nomination photo upload check (JPG/JPEG/PNG, not more than 100 KB) (checked 2026-09)
- EPFO Unified Member Portal (notice board: nomination mandatory under EPF Scheme, 2026) (checked 2026-09)
Rules and limits change. Always check the latest official notification or portal before you submit a form.