Avoid Rejection The Face Ratio Rule

We have all been there. You spend 20 minutes getting the lighting right, you find a somewhat clean white wall, and you finally snap a picture that doesn't look half bad. You upload it to the Pak Identity app, wait for the spinner, and then... red error bar.

'Face not detected' or 'Image Validation Failed'.

It is frustrating enough to make you want to quit and just pay an agent to do it. But before you do that, listen to me. The problem usually isn't your camera or your face. It is a tiny, technical detail that NADRA calls the Face Ratio. And honestly, they do a terrible job of explaining it on their website.

I have helped dozens of friends and family members with their applications, and this single rule is responsible for 90% of rejections. Let's fix it right now so you can get on with your day.

The 80 Percent Rule Explained Simply

Forget the technical jargon about ICAO standards for a second. Here is the deal. The NADRA computer system is looking for a mugshot, not a portrait.

When we take photos for Facebook or LinkedIn, we naturally include our shoulders, maybe our tie, or a bit of the background to make it look 'balanced'. That is a human way of looking at photos. But the NADRA bot is not human. It is looking for specific data points on your face—the distance between your eyes, the width of your nose, the curve of your chin.

If you stand too far back, your face is just a small cluster of pixels in the middle of a white rectangle. The bot cannot read those pixels clearly. It gets confused. It thinks, 'I can't see the eyes clearly, so I'm rejecting this.'

The Face Ratio Rule simply means your face needs to consume 70% to 80% of the entire image height.

Why Your Selfie is Failing

This is where most people mess up. You hold your phone out, snap a selfie, and upload it.

The problem with selfies is two-fold. First, the angle usually includes way too much of your chest and shoulders. If your chest takes up 40% of the photo, your face is pushed up and becomes too small.

Second, selfie cameras have wide-angle lenses. They distort your face. They make your nose look bigger and your ears disappear around the sides of your head. NADRA's biometric system checks for ear visibility. If the wide-angle lens hides your ears, the system thinks the photo is invalid.

Visualizing the Perfect Crop

You don't need a ruler. You just need to eyeball it correctly. When you use the CNIC Resizer Tool on our homepage, you will see an oval guide. That guide is your best friend.

Here is what a passing photo looks like

• Top Margin There should be very little white space above your hair. Maybe 10% of the photo height. If there is a huge gap above your head, you are zoomed out too far.
• Bottom Margin The photo should cut off right at the base of your neck or the very top of your shoulders. We do not need to see your collar buttons. We do not need to see your tie knot. We just need the face.
• Side Margins Your ears should be visible, with a little bit of white space on the left and right.

The Fear of Zooming In

It feels weird to crop a photo this tight. It feels 'in your face'. I get it. When I did my own renewal, I kept trying to zoom out because I thought the close-up looked ugly. I got rejected three times.

The moment I swallowed my pride and cropped it super tight—so tight that my hair was almost touching the top edge—it got approved instantly.

Remember, this ID card isn't for a modeling portfolio. It is for a machine to verify you at a bank counter. The machine needs data, not aesthetics. So, don't be afraid to zoom in using the slider on our tool until your face fills that oval completely.

A Note on Pixels for the Tech-Savvy

If you are technical, you know NADRA asks for 350x467 pixels. That is a 3:4 aspect ratio.

If your face is only 100 pixels high inside that 467-pixel image, the algorithm fails. You want your face to be roughly 350 pixels high within that 467-pixel vertical space. That leaves just over 100 pixels for your neck and the space above your head combined. That is the math behind the 'Face Ratio' rule.

Check Your Photo Right Now

Before you try uploading again, open your photo and look at it honestly.

Can you see your armpits? Reject.
Can you see the logo on your shirt clearly? Reject.
Is the white wall above your head taking up half the picture? Reject.

If you see mostly skin, eyes, nose, and mouth, you are on the right track. Use the crop tool, zoom in until you are uncomfortable with how close it is, and then hit download. Trust me, it works.

If you are still struggling with shadows or lighting, check out my other guide on fixing lighting issues at home. You got this.