Document upload limits by portal: file size and type
Government and visa portals set their own limits for the files you upload. These are the ones we have read on official pages. Always check the limit shown in your own application, because portals change them.
| Country | Portal | File types | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | UKVI: uploading evidence as part of your visa application | Photos: PNG, JPG, JPEG. Scans: PDF, PNG, JPG, JPEG | The GOV.UK guidance page does not state a size limit | Official page |
| United States | USCIS online filing | PDF, JPG, JPEG (TIF/TIFF for some forms) | 12 MB per file | Official page |
| Canada | IRCC online accounts | Varies by account: JPG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, and DOC/DOCX in most | Per file: 4 MB (secure account, online citizenship, asylum portal, PR portal), 5 MB (IRCC Portal) | Official page |
| Australia | ImmiAccount: attach documents | Includes PDF, JPG, PNG, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX (list taken from an excerpt) | 5 MB per file (from an excerpt of the official page) | Official excerpt only |
| Germany | Consular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de) | PDF, JPG/JPEG | 10 MB and 50 pages per file (from an excerpt of the FAQ) | Official excerpt only |
| Netherlands | IND: uploading documents | PDF (without password protection), JPG | Under 8 MB per file, 40 MB in total | Official page |
| India | Indian e-Visa: photo and passport page | Photo: JPEG. Passport page and supporting document: PDF | Photo 10 KB to 1 MB; PDF 10 KB to 300 KB (the page states 1 KB = 1,024 bytes) | Official page |
| India | OCI online application | JPEG / JPG | 200 KB per image (photograph and signature) | Official page |
| Singapore | ICA e-Services: photo upload | JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF, PNG | 8 MB | Official page |
| Singapore | MOM work pass application: document upload | JPG, PNG, PDF | 2 MB per file | Official page |
Need to get under a limit? Use compress image to a target size, or read how to reduce a scan for a visa upload.
Frequently asked questions
- Why do upload limits differ between sources?
- Portals change their limits, and third-party sites often repeat old ones. This page lists only what we read on the official page, and marks limits we could only see in an excerpt.
- Is 5 MB 5,000,000 or 5,242,880 bytes?
- Portals rarely say. Aim about 10% under the stated limit so either reading passes.