US visa photo requirements call for a square color photograph, 2 inches by 2 inches when printed and 600 to 1200 pixels per side when uploaded, taken within the last six months against a plain white or off-white background. Your full face must be visible and centered, with no glasses, no hat, and even lighting on your skin. Miss any one of those and the photo gets rejected, either by the upload system or by the consular officer at your interview.
Digital File Specifications
When you upload through the online application, the system checks the file before it accepts it. Your image needs to be:
- Square, at least 600 × 600 pixels and no larger than 1200 × 1200 pixels
- Saved as a JPEG
- Full color, 24 bits per pixel, in the sRGB color space (the default for most phones and digital cameras)
- 240 kilobytes or smaller
- Compressed at a ratio of 20:1 or less, so the image stays sharp
Anything outside those limits is rejected automatically.1U.S. Department of State. Digital Image Requirements If your camera saves in PNG, HEIC, or RAW, convert to JPEG before uploading. Most photo editors do this in a single step.
Size and Head Placement
Framing is where homemade photos usually fail. The State Department publishes exact measurements for both the printed and digital versions.
On a printed 2 × 2 inch photo, the distance from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head, hair included, should measure between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches. Your eyes should sit 1⅛ to 1⅜ inches up from the bottom edge.2U.S. Department of State. Photo Composition Template
Digitally, your head from hair to chin should take up 50 to 69 percent of the image height, and your eyes should fall between 56 and 69 percent of the way up from the bottom.2U.S. Department of State. Photo Composition Template Center your head, face the camera directly, keep both eyes open, and hold a neutral expression. A tilted or angled pose interferes with facial recognition and will be rejected.
Background and Lighting
The background has to be plain white or off-white, with no patterns, no objects, and no other people in the frame.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements A blank wall works, but shadows are the fastest route to a rejected photo. Standing a couple of feet away from the wall usually clears background shadows.
Light your face evenly from both sides so no feature is obscured. If your skin looks too orange or too blue on screen, adjust your camera’s white balance. An acceptable image, in the State Department’s words, “reproduces skin tones accurately and does not have shadows.”4U.S. Department of State. Photo Examples
Clothing, Glasses, and Head Coverings
Wear what you wear on a normal day. Uniforms and anything that looks like a uniform are not allowed. Camouflage is out. The one exception is religious clothing you wear daily, which is fine.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirementsp>
Hats and head coverings are prohibited unless you wear one daily for religious reasons. Even then, the covering cannot hide your hairline or cast shadows on your face, and your full face must remain visible. If you cover your head for a medical reason, include a signed statement from your doctor saying you wear it every day.5U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visas – Photo Frequently Asked Questions
Eyeglasses have been banned from visa and passport photos since November 1, 2016.6U.S. Department of State. New Eyeglasses Policy for Visa and Passport Photographs The only exception is a rare medical situation where the glasses physically cannot come off, such as recent ocular surgery, and you need a signed note from your doctor. Even in that case, the frames cannot cover your eyes or cause glare.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements Headphones and wireless earbuds are also not allowed.
How Recent the Photo Must Be
Your photo must have been taken within the last six months and must look like you today. A two-month-old photo can still be rejected if your appearance has changed noticeably. The State Department calls out major facial surgery, added or removed piercings or tattoos, and significant weight change as reasons you need a new one.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements
A different rule covers USCIS benefit applications filed inside the United States, such as Form I-485 adjustment of status or Form I-90 green card replacement. As of December 2025, USCIS limits photo reuse to images taken within three years and no longer accepts self-submitted photos for those forms.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. New Photo Policy Helps Prevent Immigration Fraud Through Enhanced Identity Verification That policy does not change the six-month rule for visas issued at embassies and consulates abroad.
Photos of Babies and Young Children
The same standards apply at every age. White or off-white background, eyes open, face toward the camera, no one else in the frame. Getting a baby to hold still is the hard part. The State Department suggests two approaches.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements
- Lay the baby face-up on a plain white or off-white sheet on a flat surface and photograph from directly above. Watch for shadows cast by your body or the camera.
- Drape the same kind of sheet over a car seat, set the child in it, and photograph from eye level.
No one else’s hands, arms, or face can appear in the shot, even partially.
Submitting the Photo
You upload the digital photo as part of your online application, DS-160 for nonimmigrant visas or DS-260 for immigrant visas. If the upload works, your photo appears on the confirmation page. An “X” in place of the image means the upload failed and you need to try again.
Whether you also bring printed copies to the interview depends on the visa type:
- Nonimmigrant visas: some embassies and consulates ask for one printed photo at the interview, and requirements vary by post. Check the instructions for the specific embassy where you will apply.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements
- Immigrant visas: two identical printed photos are required at the interview.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements
- Diversity Visa program: two identical printed photos are required at the interview.3U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements
Printed copies must be on photo-quality paper at the full 2 × 2 inch size. If your upload failed and you show up without prints, the officer cannot process your case that day.
Why Photos Get Rejected
The same problems come up over and over:
- Shadows on the face, under the chin, or on the wall behind you. This is the most common issue with home-taken photos.
- A patterned, colored, or cluttered background instead of plain white or off-white.
- Glasses. Years after the 2016 ban, this still trips up applicants using older photos.
- Wrong head size, either too far away or cropped so tight the top of the head is cut off.
- Photos scanned or copied from a driver’s license, passport, or other document.
- Snapshots, vending machine photos, and low-resolution phone images that fail the quality standard.
- Filters, retouching, or any digital alteration that changes your appearance.
The State Department recommends using a professional photo service to avoid these problems.4U.S. Department of State. Photo Examples Most retail pharmacies and shipping centers offer 2 × 2 inch visa photos for roughly $15 to $18. If you take your own, the State Department’s free photo tool at tsg.phototool.state.gov will crop and preview the image and catch sizing errors before you upload.8U.S. Department of State. Photo Tool Passing the tool does not guarantee acceptance; the consular officer at your interview has the final call.