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eVisa - attachments FAQs

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Why can’t I upload attachments to an eVisa application?

If you are having problems uploading attachments to the eVisa system, you may be outside the limits of the file number, size or type allowed for upload.

File naming tips

When naming your files to be attached to an eVisa application only use numbers 0 - 9 and letters A - Z (upper and lower case), dashes '-' and underscores '_'. 

You must avoid using spaces ' ', periods '.', ampersand '&', hash '#', star '*', explanation marks '!', quotations '' "" and any other character that is not a letter, a number, a dash or an underscore.

What are the limits on file attachments?

The following table details the maximum number and size of files you are able to attach to each type of eVisa form.

Form Type Maximum number of files Maximum size each file Formats allowed
Long stay primary 20 3MB .DOC, .XLS, .PPT, .RTF, .TXT, .GIF, .JPG , .PDF
Long stay dependant 20 3MB .DOC, .XLS, .PPT, .RTF, .TXT, .GIF, .JPG , .PDF
Nominations No attachment upload facility
Sponsorships 20 3MB .DOC, .XLS, .PPT, .RTF, .TXT, .GIF, .JPG , .PDF
Student Offshore 30 500 KB .DOC, .DOT, .XLS, .PPT, .RTF, .TXT, .GIF, .JPG , .BMP, .PDF
Visitor Short Stay 30 500 KB .DOC, .XLS, .PPT, .RTF, .TXT, .GIF, .JPG , .PDF
GSM 60 1MB .DOC, .DOT, .XLS, .PPT, .RTF, .TXT, .GIF, .JPG , .BMP, .PDF
Photos 5 500 KB .GIF, .JPG

How do I reduce file sizes?

The following table contains tips for reducing the size of your attachments.

Extension File Type Tip to reduce file size
.BMP Bitmap image Use a freeware graphics program to convert .BMP files to .JPG files.
.DOC Word document Remove unnecessary images, formatting and macros. Save the file as a Word 5.0/95 version. If the file is still too large, create a PDF document,
See: http://createpdf.adobe.com/
.DOT Word template Remove unnecessary images and macros. If template functionality is not necessary, save the file as a .DOC or .RTF file.
.GIF GIF image Reduce the file size of a .GIF image by setting the resolution to 96 DPI (dots per inch)
.JPG JPG image Reduce the file size of a .JPG image by setting the resolution to 96 DPI (dots per inch)
.PDF Portable document format Reduce the file size of a .PDF document by:
  • Recreating the PDF with Distiller set to 'lowest file size'
  • Ensuring that all images in the PDF are set to 96 DPI
  • Deleting all unnecessary images.
  • Saving the file as a RTF or TXT document (this will effect formatting)
.PPT PowerPoint Save the file as a RTF or DOC file or create a PDF document,
See: http://createpdf.adobe.com/
.RTF Rich text format Remove any unnecessary graphics, links or formatting.
.TXT Text file If a bare text file is over 500KB, it will be physically too long to be useful. Consider splitting the document into more useful parts or removing unnecessary data.
.XLS Excel Spreadsheet Remove unnecessary images and macros. Save the file as an Excel 5.0/95 version.