File Size & Format Requirements for Every Major Pakistani Government Portal (2026)
A friend of mine spent three hours trying to submit his company registration documents to the SECP portal last year. The upload bar would reach 100%, sit there for a moment, and then reset. No error message. No explanation. Just reset. He called SECP's helpline twice. He tried three different browsers. He tried a different laptop. The documents still would not upload.
The answer, when he finally found it, was two words: file size. His scanned documents were 8–14MB each. SECP's portal has a 2MB limit per file. The portal was silently rejecting every upload without telling him why.
This happens to thousands of Pakistanis every week across every major government portal — NADRA, FBR, HEC, NTS, FPSC, PPSC, and dozens of others. The file size limit is always there. It is almost never clearly stated anywhere on the portal. And the portals almost never tell you when your file has been rejected because of it.
This guide gives you the complete reference table for every major Pakistani government portal — exact limits, accepted formats, and the tool to use for each.
The Master Reference Table — Pakistani Government Portal Requirements
| Portal / System | Document Size Limit | Photo Size Limit | Accepted Format | Tool to Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SECP company registration | 2MB per document | — | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor |
| FBR e-filing (IRIS) | 2–5MB per file | — | PDF Compressor | |
| NADRA online services | 1–2MB per document | 50–200KB | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor / Image Compressor |
| HEC scholarship portal | 2MB per document | 50KB–200KB | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor / Image Compressor |
| NTS registration | 1–2MB per document | 50KB for photo | PDF, JPG | Image Compressor + Image Resizer |
| PPSC application | 1MB per document | 50–100KB | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor / Image Compressor |
| FPSC application | 1MB per document | 20–50KB | JPG | Image Resizer + Image Compressor |
| AGPR / government pension | 2MB per document | — | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor |
| NUST admissions portal | 5MB per document | 100–200KB | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor |
| University of Punjab online | 2–5MB per document | 50–100KB | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor |
| KU (Karachi University) | 2MB per document | 50KB | PDF, JPG | Image Compressor |
| Pakistani bank account opening portals | 2–5MB per document | 200KB | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor |
| PEMRA license applications | 5MB per document | — | PDF Compressor | |
| SMEDA registration | 2MB per document | — | PDF Compressor | |
| PEC (Engineering Council) | 2MB per document | 100KB | PDF, JPG | PDF Compressor |
| PMDC (Medical & Dental) | 2MB per document | 50–100KB | PDF, JPG | Image Compressor |
Why Portals Reject Files Without Telling You
Pakistani government portals are built on backend systems that enforce file size limits at the server level. When your file exceeds the limit, the server discards it — but many portals do not return a clear error message to the browser. The frontend shows the upload completing because the transfer itself completed. The backend rejection happens silently.
The result is the experience my friend had: upload bar reaches 100%, nothing happens. Or worse: the portal shows a success message, you log out thinking you are done, and days later you find out your application was incomplete because the document never actually attached.
The solution is simple: compress before every portal upload. Even if your file seems small, compress it. A 1.8MB file that becomes 900KB after compression is never going to hit a portal limit. The 30 seconds it takes to compress is always worth it.
The NTS 50KB Photo Problem — How to Actually Solve It
NTS's 50KB photo requirement is the most commonly complained about portal requirement in Pakistan. A standard smartphone photo is 2–5MB — roughly 50 to 100 times larger than the NTS limit. Most people try to compress the photo directly as a PDF and cannot get below 200KB.
The correct workflow is:
Step 1 — Resize the photo to the correct dimensions NTS requires a passport-size photo: 35×45mm. At screen resolution (96 DPI), this is approximately 132×170 pixels. Resize your photo to these dimensions first. → utilvox.com/tools/image-resizer
Step 2 — Compress the resized JPG A 132×170 pixel image at 70–80% JPG quality will typically be 15–35KB — well within the 50KB limit. → utilvox.com/tools/image-compressor
Step 3 — Verify the file size before uploading Right-click the file → Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac) to confirm it is under 50KB before attempting the upload.
This workflow works for NTS, FPSC, PMDC, and any other portal with an extremely tight photo size limit.
Compressing Documents for SECP — Step by Step
SECP is Pakistan's most common corporate registration bottleneck. The typical company registration document set includes:
- Memorandum and Articles of Association (often 8–15 pages, scanned: 15–40MB)
- CNIC copies of all directors (phone photos: 3–8MB each)
- Utility bill for registered address (phone photo: 2–5MB)
- Bank account certificate (1–3 pages, scanned or digital)
Every single document needs to be under 2MB.
Workflow for scanned documents:
- Scan the document (or photograph with phone)
- If multiple pages, keep them as one PDF or photograph each page separately
- Upload to utilvox.com/tools/pdf-compress
- Select High compression level
- Download and verify the file size is under 2MB
- Upload to SECP portal
For phone photos of CNICs and utility bills: Phone photos are JPGs, not PDFs. Before uploading to SECP, either:
- Compress the JPG directly: utilvox.com/tools/image-compressor
- Or convert to PDF first, then compress: utilvox.com/tools/jpg-to-pdf → utilvox.com/tools/pdf-compress
SECP accepts both JPG and PDF for supporting documents.
FBR IRIS Portal — Tax Document Upload Guide
FBR's IRIS portal is used for income tax filing, sales tax registration, and withholding tax submissions. The portal accepts PDF files up to approximately 2–5MB depending on the document type.
Common documents submitted to FBR:
- Income tax return supporting documents
- Business registration certificates
- Bank statements for wealth reconciliation
- Rent deeds and property documents for deductions
- Sales tax invoices and supporting schedules
Bank statements from major Pakistani banks (HBL, UBL, MCB, Meezan) are typically digital PDFs that are already small — 1–5 pages, 200–500KB. These usually do not need compression.
The documents that cause problems are scanned supporting documents — property records, old certificates, manually prepared accounts. These are typically scanned at high DPI and come in 10–50MB. Use High compression. A 40-page scanned property document at High compression typically comes out at 1.5–2.5MB — suitable for FBR.
HEC Scholarship Applications — Document Package Preparation
HEC scholarship portals (HEC Need-Based Scholarship, Prime Minister's Laptop Scheme, and various overseas scholarship programmes) require a complete document set — typically 8–15 separate documents, each under 2MB.
Standard HEC scholarship document set:
- Academic transcripts (often 10–30 pages, scanned)
- Domicile certificate
- CNIC / B-Form
- Income certificate
- Utility bill
- Matriculation and intermediate certificates
- Recommendation letters
- Personal statement / SOP
Recommended workflow:
- Prepare and scan all documents
- Compress each one individually using High compression
- Verify each is under 2MB before beginning the upload session
- Do not compress then merge — upload each document separately as most HEC portals want individual files
For documents that need to be under 50KB (photos for HEC forms): use the NTS photo workflow above — resize first, then compress the JPG.
Common Questions About Portal Uploads
Why does the portal say "upload successful" but my document is missing?
Silent rejection. The browser completed the file transfer but the server discarded the file. This happens when the file exceeds the size limit, uses an unsupported format, or is password-protected. Compress the file, verify it is under the portal's limit, and re-upload.
Can I combine all my documents into one PDF before uploading?
It depends on the portal. Some portals want one combined PDF. Others (especially scholarship and job application portals) want each document uploaded separately into a designated field. Read the portal's instructions carefully — if it says "attach all documents," merge them. If it has separate fields for each document, upload separately.
To merge documents: utilvox.com/tools/pdf-merge
My document is a Word file (.docx) — can I upload it directly?
Almost no Pakistani government portal accepts Word files. Convert to PDF first using any method (print to PDF in Word, use an online converter), then compress if needed.
The portal specifies a minimum DPI for scanned documents — what does that mean?
Some portals specify "minimum 200 DPI" for scanned documents to ensure readability. This refers to the scan quality, not the compressed output. Scan at 300 DPI for quality, then compress for size. High compression at 300 DPI input still produces readable output at screen resolution — it reduces the image DPI in the output but maintains legibility for document review.
I uploaded the wrong document — how do I replace it?
Most Pakistani portals do not allow replacing uploaded documents after submission. If you are still in the same session before final submission, check for a delete or replace option. If you have already submitted, you will typically need to contact the portal's helpdesk directly. This is why verifying each document before final submission is critical.
The Universal Pre-Upload Checklist
Before uploading any document to any Pakistani government portal:
- File is PDF or JPG (check portal requirements — almost never Word or PNG)
- File size is under the portal's limit (compress if needed)
- Photo is under 50–200KB (resize + compress if it is a photo upload)
- PDF is not password-protected (unlock at utilvox.com/tools/pdf-unlock)
- Document is readable at normal zoom (check after compression)
- File name has no special characters or Urdu text (rename to plain English before uploading)
Tools for Every Portal Requirement
- PDF Compressor — Get scanned documents under 2MB for SECP, FBR, HEC
- Image Compressor — Get photos under 50KB for NTS, FPSC
- Image Resizer — Resize passport photos to exact portal dimensions
- PDF Merge — Combine multiple compressed documents into one submission
- PDF Split — Extract specific pages before compressing
- PDF Unlock — Remove password protection before portal upload
- JPG to PDF — Convert phone photos to PDF for portals requiring PDF format
- HEIC to JPG — Fix iPhone photos before uploading to any portal
Related Free Tools on UtilVox
- Image Compressor — Compress CNIC/photo scans for portals
- PDF Compressor — Reduce PDF size for PPSC/HEC/NADRA uploads
- JPG to PDF — Convert document scans to PDF for submission
- HEIC to JPG — Convert iPhone photos to JPG for portal upload