US visa photo requirements: DS-160, DV lottery, immigrant visas and green cards

US visa photo requirements are the same rules in three forms: a digital image uploaded with the DS-160 or the Diversity Visa entry, printed 2 x 2 inch photos for immigrant visa interviews, and, for green cards processed inside the US, a photo taken by USCIS itself. This guide sets out each, as the State Department’s visa photo requirements and digital image requirements pages state them (both checked September 2026), then shows how to make a 600 x 600 pixel JPEG under 240 KB from your own photo, without editing it.

The rules every US visa photo shares

Printed or digital, the photo must be:

• in colour;
• sized so the head is 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches, or 50 to 69 percent of the image’s total height, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head;
• taken within the last 6 months, to reflect your current appearance;
• taken in front of a plain white or off-white background;
• taken in full-face view, directly facing the camera;
• with a neutral facial expression and both eyes open;
• taken in clothing you normally wear every day. Uniforms are not allowed, except religious clothing worn daily.

And these are not allowed:

• Glasses. Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos, except in rare cases where they cannot be removed for medical reasons, such as recent eye surgery. That needs a statement signed by a medical professional, and even then the frames must not cover the eyes and there must be no glare, shadow or refraction over them.
• Hats or head coverings that hide the hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose. The full face must be visible, with no shadow from the covering.
• Headphones, wireless hands-free devices and similar items. A hearing device you normally wear is fine.
• Photos copied or scanned from a driver’s licence or another official document.
• Snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photos.
• Digital enhancement or alteration that changes your appearance in any way.

The last rule is the one that decides which tools you can use. The State Department’s passport photo page shows a background removed with a retouching tool as unacceptable, and says photos are checked for AI. A visa photo app that cuts you out and pastes you on white is making the photo it tells you not to submit. The guide to passport photo backgrounds explains how to get the white wall in the camera instead.

DS-160 photo requirements: the digital image

If you apply for a nonimmigrant visa (tourist, student, work) with the DS-160, or the DS-1648, the form asks you to upload a digital image. The digital image requirements:

The two limits work from both ends. 240 KB is the most a file can be. The 20:1 compression ratio sets a floor: a 600 x 600 colour image is 1,080,000 bytes uncompressed, so at 20:1 it should be no smaller than about 54 KB. A file far below that has been squeezed too hard and will look blocky. Aim for a 600 x 600 JPEG between roughly 54 and 240 KB.

Two points from the embassies are worth knowing. Some embassies and consulates ask applicants to bring one printed photo to the interview, so check the instructions of the one where you apply. And the U.S. Embassy in Poland, on its visa photo page (checked September 2026), notes that the DS-160 system accepting your photo does not guarantee the embassy can use it. Acceptance is always at the discretion of the embassy or consulate.

DV lottery photo requirements

For a Diversity Visa entry, the digital image is uploaded with the entry and must be:

• a JPEG (.jpg) file;
• 240 KB or less;
• square, height equal to width;
• 600 x 600 pixels.

If you scan an existing photo instead, the photo must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) and scanned at 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimetre).

If you are selected, each DV applicant brings two identical photos, printed on photo quality paper, 2 x 2 inches, to the interview. All the general rules above apply to the entry photo too, including the one about glasses.

Immigrant visas (DS-260)

If you apply for an immigrant visa using the DS-260, you bring two identical photos to the immigrant visa interview, printed on photo quality paper at 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). Same head size, same white background, same ban on glasses and edits.

Green card photos

This changed recently. A green card applied for inside the United States goes through USCIS, not the State Department, and on 12 December 2025 USCIS announced a new photo policy (checked September 2026): self-submitted photos are no longer accepted, only photos taken by USCIS or other authorised entities are used, and photos must have been taken within three years of filing. Form I-485 (adjusting status), Form I-90 (replacing a green card), Form N-400 and Form N-600 require a new photo regardless of when the last one was taken.

So for a USCIS green card application, do not make a photo at home; follow the form’s current instructions. For an immigrant visa processed at a consulate abroad, the DS-260 rule above still applies.

How to make a US visa photo at home

1. Set up a plain white or off-white wall, or hang a white sheet over one. Stand several feet in front of it.
2. Light your face evenly: face a window, or two lamps at equal distance either side. Turn off overhead lights, which shadow the eyes.
3. Take it with the rear camera, held by someone else at your eye level, a few feet away. Glasses off, neutral expression, eyes open, everyday clothes. Head and shoulders in frame, with space above the head.
4. Choose the sharpest frame, with no shadow on the wall and even light across the face.
5. Crop it. Open getPNG’s passport photo maker, drop the photo in and choose US visa. The head is placed automatically; check that the top of the head sits in the upper band and the chin in the lower one, and drag the photo or change Head size if not.
6. Save as JPG. For this document the saved photo is 600 x 600 pixels and kept at 240 KB or less, which fits both the DS-160 and the DV entry.
7. Print if you need to. For an interview, save the 4x6 inch print sheet instead, print it at 100 percent with no border at a kiosk or lab, and cut out two identical photos.

The State Department also offers its own free photo tool, linked from the requirements page, which crops a photo to exactly 600 x 600 pixels. It says the tool is for cropping only, and that a State Department employee makes the final decision. getPNG does the same job with the head bands drawn on, a check of the background the camera saw, and a print sheet, and it does it inside your browser.

When this does not work

• The background is grey, textured or shadowed. getPNG’s check says when the wall looks too dark or uneven. The fix is a new photo against a better wall, not an edit.
• Glasses, a tilted head, a broad smile, closed eyes. A crop cannot fix a pose, and the tool does not judge faces.
• A blurry or noisy photo. Low quality mobile phone photos are on the State Department’s list of unacceptable photos. Use the rear camera in good light and pick a sharp frame.
• Too tight a shot. If the square would run past the edge of your photo, the gap is filled with white. Frame wider so it never has to.
• A green card through USCIS. Self-submitted photos are no longer accepted, as above.
• A visa for another country. Each has its own size and rules. A Canadian temporary resident visa photo, for instance, is at least 35 x 45 mm, and a Canadian passport needs a commercial photographer, as the guide to Canadian passport photo requirements explains.

For a US passport rather than a visa, the size is the same 2x2 but the digital route and the details differ: see US passport photo requirements. For a child’s visa photo, the State Department’s tips match the passport ones: lay the baby on a plain white sheet, or cover a car seat with one, with no other person in the photo, as described in the guide to baby passport photos.

A visa photo is a biometric image of your face tied to an immigration file. Keep it off servers you do not need to trust: getPNG does the crop in your browser and sends the photo nowhere.

The steps, in short

1. Stand in front of a plain white wall. Several feet in front of a white or off-white wall, lit evenly from the front, so no shadow falls on the face or behind the head.
2. Take it with glasses off. Someone else takes it at eye level, head and shoulders in frame with space above the head, neutral expression, eyes open, everyday clothes.
3. Crop it to a 600 x 600 square. Open getPNG's passport photo maker, choose US visa, and place the top of the head and the chin in the bands so the head is 50 to 69 percent of the height.
4. Save a JPEG under 240 KB. Save as JPG. For the US visa size, getPNG keeps the file at 240 KB or less while staying at 600 x 600 pixels.
5. Upload it, and print two if you need them. Upload the JPEG in the DS-160 or DV entry form. For an immigrant visa or DV interview, print two identical 2 x 2 inch photos from the 4x6 print sheet.

Questions

What size is a US visa photo in pixels?

The digital image must be square, at least 600 x 600 pixels and at most 1200 x 1200 pixels, in colour (sRGB), JPEG, 240 KB or less. For a Diversity Visa entry it must be exactly 600 x 600 pixels (State Department, checked September 2026).

How big should the head be in a DS-160 photo?

Between 50 and 69 percent of the image's total height, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. On a printed 2 x 2 inch photo that is 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches.

Can I wear glasses in a US visa photo?

No. Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos, except in rare medical cases, such as after eye surgery, with a signed statement from a medical professional. Then the frames must not cover the eyes and there must be no glare, shadow or refraction over them.

Can I take my US visa photo myself?

Yes. The State Department recommends a professional photo service but says you may take the photo yourself, as long as it is not digitally enhanced or altered. It also lists low quality vending machine and mobile phone photos, snapshots and full-length photos as not acceptable, so take it carefully with a good camera.

What are the DV lottery photo requirements?

A JPEG of 600 x 600 pixels, square, 240 KB or less, uploaded with the entry, meeting all the general visa photo rules. A scanned photo must be 2 x 2 inches scanned at 300 pixels per inch. Selectees bring two identical 2 x 2 inch photos printed on photo quality paper to the interview.

Can I make my own green card photo?

Not for USCIS applications any more. Since 12 December 2025, USCIS says self-submitted photos are no longer accepted and only photos taken by USCIS or other authorised entities are used, and forms such as the I-485 and I-90 need a new photo. Immigrant visa applicants abroad, using the DS-260, still bring two 2 x 2 inch photos to the interview.