Open the passport or driver licence supporting scan and choose PDF or JPG. Set Maximum size to 5 MB or a lower available step and inspect the saved details. Home Affairs’ cited limit applies to document attachments, with separate rules for digital photographs; keep required pages.
A supporting scan within ImmiAccount’s document limit
Home Affairs’ attachment guidance lists a 5 MB ceiling for documents other than digital photographs. Use the actual document checklist, keep every required page and inspect the saved scan after compression. A portrait photo is a separate task from copying the passport identity page.
Fit a scan under the limit
- Open the photo or PDF of your licence, passport or Medicare card. If the form wants both sides in one file, add the back.
- The tool crops away the table around the document and straightens it; less background means fewer bytes. If it missed, choose Adjust under the preview and drag the corners onto the document. Rotate turns a sideways photo upright.
- Under Format, choose JPG or PDF, then set Maximum size to the portal’s limit.
- Read the copy’s size next to Download, then zoom into the downloaded file and check the numbers before you upload it.
The steps are 100, 150, 200, 300 and 500 KB, then 1, 2 and 5 MB, or no limit. Sizes here count 1 MB as 1,000,000 bytes, so when a portal gives a figure between two steps, choose the step below it.
Limits you will meet
ImmiAccount. Home Affairs accepts documents other than digital photographs of up to 5 MB each, in formats that include PDF, JPG and PNG, and up to 60 documents per person on most visa and citizenship applications. It does not accept encrypted or secured PDFs. A PDF from this tool carries no password, and 5 MB, 2 MB or 1 MB all fit.
100-point checks and other portals. Each organisation sets its own size, and some ask for both sides of every document, as the federal ROVER portal does. Read the upload page rather than guessing; the 1 MB default here is a starting point, not a rule.
How the tool keeps it readable
It lowers JPEG quality first at full resolution, and only reduces the resolution when quality alone cannot reach the target. On a passport, check that the two machine-readable lines at the bottom stay sharp; on a licence or Medicare card, check the card number and expiry date. When the smallest step blurs them, pick the next size up or crop tighter.
What changes in the file
The exported copy leaves out location and other camera data, and your original file is not touched. A PDF from the tool holds one image per page, so selectable text, form fields and digital signatures are lost; keep the original when those matter. Only the first ten pages of a PDF are used.
For a printable A4 sheet with both sides at real size, use the photo to PDF converter first, then compress. To mark or trim a copy before shrinking it, see Watermark and Hide details.
Finish the requested attachment
Prepare the PDF, reduce the scan, label the recipient or hide unnecessary details for the agreed sharing task. Inspect the final saved file.
Common questions
What file size does ImmiAccount accept for a passport scan?
Home Affairs says documents other than digital photographs can be up to 5 MB each, in formats including PDF, JPG and PNG, and that ImmiAccount does not accept encrypted or secured PDFs. Any Maximum size of 5 MB or below fits.
Why can’t the tool get my scan under 100 KB?
A detailed scan or several pages may not fit the smallest steps while staying legible. The tool lowers quality first and resolution after that, then shows the smallest size it reached; crop away the background or send fewer pages.
Does compressing remove the location from my photo?
Yes. The copy is re-encoded in your browser without location or other camera data, and your original file stays as it was.
Can I compress a password-protected PDF?
No. The tool asks you to open the PDF, export a copy without the password and try again. ImmiAccount refuses encrypted PDFs too, so that copy is the one to upload.
