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UPSC document preparation

Union Public Service Commission · Union — not UPPSC (Uttar Pradesh)

Get your certificate into UPSC's 50KB–300KB range and named exactly the way the portal demands. Free, and your document never leaves your device.

Which document are you uploading?

Required: PDF, between 50KB and 300KB, named board_certificate.pdf

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Your certificate is processed on your device and is never sent to any server.

The two things that get UPSC uploads rejected

Most guidance about UPSC uploads talks only about file size, and gets even that half right. There are two separate rules in the Commission's own instructions, and both reject a document.

1. The size is a range, not a limit

PDF certificates must be between 50KB and 300KB. Almost every compression tool online treats 300KB as a ceiling and squeezes as far below it as possible — which can push your file under 50KB and get it rejected for being too small. This tool aims for the middle of the range and will tell you if it cannot get there.

2. The filename must match exactly

UPSC's instructions are unusually blunt about this: a document will not be uploaded if any file name, format or size other than the specified one is used. Your caste certificate must be called caste_certificate, not caste certificate scan.pdf or IMG_20260212.pdf.

This trips people up in a way that is easy to miss, because most PDF tools rename your file as they work — adding -compressed or -300kb to the end. That renamed file will be refused. This tool names the download for you, exactly as the table requires.

Verified requirements

Taken from two documents published by the Commission on its application portal: Instructions for uploading documents and Instructions for uploading the photo & signature. We publish only what those documents state. Where they are silent — they give no pixel dimensions for the photograph, for instance — we say so rather than repeat figures from elsewhere.

PDF documents — 50KB to 300KB

Document	Profile	Format	Size	Exact filename
Matriculation / Board or Equivalent Certificate	Matriculation Profile	PDF	50KB–300KB	`board_certificate`
Caste Certificate	Social Category Profile	PDF	50KB–300KB	`caste_certificate`
Name Change Affidavit / Gazette Notification	Identity Profile	PDF	50KB–300KB	`name_change`
Disability Certificate	Disability Profile	PDF	50KB–300KB	`disability_certificate`
PwD / PwBD Recommendation Certificate	Disability Profile	PDF	50KB–300KB	`pw_recommendation`
Bachelor Marksheet	EPFO Examination	PDF	50KB–300KB	`bachelor_marksheet`
Bachelor's Degree Certificate	EPFO Examination	PDF	50KB–300KB	`bachelor_certificate`
Writing Extremity Certificate	EPFO Examination	PDF	50KB–300KB	`writing_extremity_certificate`
Age Relaxation Certificate	EPFO Examination	PDF	50KB–300KB	`age_relaxation_certificate`

Image uploads — JPG

These are image files rather than PDFs, so the tool above does not handle them — but each has its own tool: the photograph and scribe's photograph, the signature and scribe's signature, and the photo ID and assistive device.

Document	Profile	Format	Size	Exact filename
Photograph	Photo & Signature	JPG	20KB–200KB	`photo`
Signature	Photo & Signature	JPG	20KB–100KB	`signature`
Photo ID (Aadhaar / Photo ID)	—	JPG	20KB–200KB	`id_card`
Scribe's Photo	EPFO Examination	JPG	20KB–200KB	`scribe_photo`
Scribe's Signature	EPFO Examination	JPG	20KB–100KB	`scribe_signature`
Assistive Device	EPFO Examination	JPG	20KB–200KB	`assistive_device`

Photograph rules

The instructions are detailed about the photograph and, notably, give no pixel dimensions at all for the photograph — which is notable, because they do give dimensions for the signature. If you have seen a specific figure quoted elsewhere — 413×531, 350×350, 200×230 — it is not from these documents. What UPSC actually specifies:

Colour JPG, 20KB to 200KB, saved as photo.
Your face must cover 75% (three quarters) of the photo area. This is the single most common rejection reason in their own examples.
Plain white background.
Frontal view of the full face, head centred, both ear lobes visible, looking directly at the camera.
Eyes open and edges of the face clearly visible.
Natural expression — no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows.

Rejected outright: dark backgrounds, photographs in uniform, eyes hidden behind coloured or dark glasses, shadows on the face or background, eyes covered by hair, glare on eyeglasses. And the photograph must not be signed.

The live photograph — and why your uploaded photo must look like you

This is the rule almost nobody mentions, and it quietly overrides a lot of common advice.

Capturing a live photograph is mandatory for submitting an application to any UPSC examination. You take it either through your device's webcam, or by scanning a QR code on screen and using your phone. It should be taken in good lighting and clearly show your face.

The important part: the live photograph is matched against the passport-size photograph you uploaded. UPSC's instructions state that if a mismatch is detected between the two, the applicant will not be allowed to proceed further with the application process.

So the uploaded photo has to look like you do right now, sitting at the form. An old photograph, a heavily edited one, or one run through a beautifying filter or an aggressive background-replacement tool all risk failing that match — and failing it does not just reject the photo, it stops the application. If you have already captured a live photograph, there is a View Photo option to check what was recorded.

Signature rules — three signatures, one image

UPSC wants a single scanned image containing three signatures, and it rejects applications whose signature file does not meet the specification. The full requirement:

Sign three times vertically, one below the other, on plain white paper using black ink.
Leave adequate space between each signature.
Scan all three signatures in a single image — not three separate files.
The image must contain exactly three signatures.
Clear, sharp and well lit — not blurred or dark.
Correctly oriented: not rotated, not upside down.
Plain white paper only — no ruled lines, no colour.
JPG, saved as signature, 20KB to 100KB, 350 to 500 pixels.

The instructions are explicit that applications with signature files failing these specifications will be rejected, so this is worth getting right the first time.

Preparing a certificate that is too large

A colour scan of a degree certificate at 300 DPI is commonly 3–4MB, so getting to 300KB means cutting it to under a tenth of its size. That is normal and the portals expect it. If the result comes out unreadable, work in this order:

Convert to grayscale first. A certificate is black text on white paper; the colour data is mostly waste. Our grayscale tool removes it before you compress, which leaves more room for detail.
Then bring it into the range with the tool above.
Check it before uploading. If the certificate number, date, issuing authority and your name are not clearly readable, it will fail verification no matter what the file size says. Rescan at 150–200 DPI grayscale rather than compressing a colour scan harder.

If your certificate spans several pages, merge them into one PDF first, then bring the merged file into range. If a scan came out sideways, rotate it before compressing.

For the rest of the application: the photo tool and signature tool handle the image uploads, and the upload checker verifies everything against the official specification before you submit.

Other UPSC uploads

Same application, different file. Each has its own limits — they are not interchangeable.

Frequently asked questions

What file size does UPSC require for certificates?

The Commission's document upload instructions specify 50KB to 300KB for PDF certificates. Note that this is a range, not a ceiling: a file compressed below 50KB is rejected just as an oversized one is.

Why was my document rejected even though the size was correct?

The most common cause is the filename. UPSC's instructions state that a document will not be uploaded if any file name, format or size other than the one specified is used. Each document has an exact required name, such as caste_certificate or board_certificate.

What filename should I use for my caste certificate?

caste_certificate.pdf, exactly as written, in lower case with an underscore. This tool names your download for you so it matches.

Can this tool prepare my photograph and signature?

Not this one, because they are JPG images rather than PDFs, but we have dedicated tools for both. The photo tool crops for the 75 percent face coverage rule and hits the 20KB to 200KB range; the signature tool handles the triple-signature scan at 350 to 500 pixels and 20KB to 100KB.

How do I check my files will be accepted before uploading?

Use our UPSC upload checker. It reads the files you have prepared and reports whether each one meets the required format, size range, dimensions and exact filename, before you take them to the portal.

My scanned certificate is only 30KB. What do I do?

It is below UPSC's 50KB minimum and compression cannot help, since compressing makes a file smaller. Rescan the document at a higher resolution or in colour to produce a larger, more detailed file.

Is my document uploaded to your server?

No. The compression runs inside your browser using your own device's processor. Your certificate is never transmitted anywhere, which matters when the document carries your name, address and identity numbers.

Can I use an old or edited photograph?

It is risky. UPSC requires a live photograph to be captured during the application, and it is matched against the passport-size photo you uploaded. If a mismatch is detected, you are not allowed to proceed with the application. Use a recent, unedited photo that looks like you do now.

How many signatures do I need to upload?

Three, signed vertically one below the other on plain white paper in black ink, with adequate space between them, and scanned together as a single JPG image. The file must contain exactly three signatures.

What are the signature dimensions?

350 to 500 pixels, at 20KB to 100KB in JPG format, named signature. The scan must be sharp, correctly oriented, and on unlined white paper.

Do these specifications apply to every UPSC exam?

They are taken from the document upload instructions published on the UPSC application portal. Some rows in that table are tied to a specific examination profile, so always check the instructions and the notification for the exam and cycle you are applying to.

Source

Specifications on this page are taken from documents published by the Union Public Service Commission:

Instructions for uploading documents — upsconline.nic.in
Instructions for uploading the photo & signature (PDF) — upsconline.nic.in
Civil Services Examination 2026 notification (PDF) — upsc.gov.in

UPSC can change these without reissuing a notice, so confirm against the portal before you upload. We are not affiliated with the Union Public Service Commission.