Live photo capture in exam forms: set it up before you click

The steps, in order

1. 1

   Find out what your form asks for

   Have ready: Your exam's notice or its CorrectForm page.

   SSC and RRB forms take only the live photo, so there is no photo file at all. UPSC, NTA and IBPS forms want both: a passport photo you upload, and a live photo the form takes. (SSC CGL notice para 9.4, p.18; RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(a)-(b), p.22; UPSC ESE 2027 Note 2, p.2; NEET (xvii), p.16; IBPS Annexure III, p.36)

2. 2

   Make the passport photo file first (UPSC, NTA, IBPS)

   Have ready: A recent passport photo and your exam's size and KB limits.

   Size it before you open the form, so you aren't looking for a file with the camera already on. NEET 2026 wanted the face filling 80% of a JPG of 10 to 200 KB on a white background; other exams set their own limits. (NEET (i), p.16; UPSC ESE 2027 Note 2, p.2; IBPS Annexure III, p.36)

   Size the passport photo →
3. 3

   Set up a plain wall and light on your face

   Have ready: A plain wall (pure white for RRB) and daylight or a bright lamp in front of you.

   RRB wants a pure plain white background with no scenery, plants, people or animal pictures, no shade on your face and no strong light behind you. SSC asks for good light and a plain background, NTA for a light-coloured one with proper lighting, IBPS for light-coloured, preferably white, with enough light. (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(d)-(e), p.22; SSC CGL notice para 9.4(i), p.18; NEET (xvii), p.17; IBPS Annexure III, p.37)

4. 4

   Dress for contrast, and clear your face

   Have ready: A plain, dark, non-white top that covers your shoulders.

   For RRB, wear non-white clothes, preferably plain and dark, covering shoulders and chest, so you stand out from the white wall. Take off cap, mask and glasses (SSC and RRB). Keep hair and cloth off your face. NTA wants your ears visible and no mask; IBPS rules out coloured glasses, sunglasses and a cap. (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(d)-(e), p.22; SSC CGL notice para 9.4(v), p.18; NEET (xvii), p.17; IBPS Annexure III, p.37)

5. 5

   Camera at eye level, face inside the frame

   Have ready: The laptop raised on books, or the phone propped at eye height.

   SSC and RRB both ask for the camera at eye level and for you to look straight at it. Keep your whole face inside the frame on screen, neither too close nor too far. RRB wants your head to fill at least half the photo, with nothing below the chest or elbows showing. Keep your eyes fully open: RRB won't capture a photo with closed eyes. (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(e), p.22; SSC CGL notice para 9.4(ii)-(iv), p.18)

6. 6

   Switch to the phone if the webcam won't work

   Have ready: A phone with a working front camera.

   RRB accepts the phone's front camera. On NTA forms, scan the QR code on the right side of the form with your phone. On IBPS forms, choose "Click here to Scan" and take the photo on the phone; it is added to the form by itself. (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(c), p.22; NEET (xvii), pp.16-17; IBPS Annexure III, p.36)

7. 7

   Check the preview, retake if needed, then submit

   Have ready: The preview screen and the set-up sheet below.

   RRB lets you preview and retake the photo until you submit. SSC asks you to check in Preview/Print that the photo meets every requirement. With NTA the live photo can't be changed once the fee is paid, so check it before you pay. (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4, p.22; SSC CGL notice para 9.11, p.19; NEET Ch.2 para 16, p.9)

Never photograph a photo

What the live photo is checked against

What gets a live photo rejected

Each line is a reason or a rule the notices print. Go through them before you click Capture.

• ✕A photo of a photo. SSC and RRB reject any application where the camera captured a printed or on-screen photograph. (SSC CGL notice para 9.5, p.18; RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4 Important Note 1, p.23)
• ✕Cap, mask or glasses. SSC and RRB ask you to take all three off; RRB also wants no hair or cloth covering the face. (SSC CGL notice paras 9.4(v) and 9.5, p.18; RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(e), p.22)
• ✕Closed eyes. RRB says the photo won't be captured, and a photo with closed eyes is liable to be rejected. (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(e), p.22)
• ✕A photo that ignores the instructions: wrong background, face outside the frame, poor sharpness or brightness. RRB and SSC both say such applications are liable to be rejected. (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4(e), p.22; SSC CGL notice para 9.5, p.18)
• ✕IBPS lists these as don'ts: a small photo, shadow on the face, not facing the camera, a distorted or blurred image, a mask, and a dark or unsuitable background. (IBPS Annexure III, p.37)

SSC, RRB, UPSC, NTA, IBPS

Frequently asked questions

What is the live photo in an exam application form?

A photo the form takes of you while you fill it in, through your webcam or your phone's front camera. You can't upload an old photo for it. RRB, SSC, UPSC, NTA and IBPS forms all have this step (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4; SSC CGL 2026 notice para 9.4).

Do I still need to upload a photo if the form takes a live photo?

For SSC and RRB, no: there is no photo file. For UPSC, NTA (NEET, JEE Main and others) and IBPS, yes: you upload a passport photo and also capture a live one (UPSC ESE 2027 Note 2; NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin p.16; IBPS PO XVI Annexure III).

What background and clothes does RRB want for the live photo?

A pure plain white background with nothing behind you, and non-white clothes, preferably plain and dark, that cover your shoulders and chest. Your head should fill at least half the photo (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4).

Can I wear glasses for the live photo?

Not for SSC or RRB: both ask you to take off cap, mask and glasses. IBPS rules out coloured glasses and sunglasses. NTA allows spectacles only if you wear them regularly (NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin p.17).

My webcam doesn't work. What now?

Use your phone. RRB accepts the phone's front camera, and NTA and IBPS forms show a QR code that opens the camera on your phone and sends the photo back to the form.

What happens if my live photo doesn't match my ID or Aadhaar?

RRB asks you to download Annexure VIII from the form and upload it signed by a Gazetted Officer. NTA asks for its Annexure-VI certificate with a recent photo certified by your principal or a Class-I Gazetted Officer (RRB CEN 06/2026 pp.22-23; NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin p.17).

Can I change the live photo after submitting?

RRB lets you retake it as often as you like, but only until you submit. NTA treats it as final once the fee is paid and the Confirmation Page is generated (RRB CEN 06/2026 para 14.4; NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin p.9).

Source