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US Visa Photo

VerifiedChecked against the official source on 2026-09-22.Official requirements

Quick facts

What a US Visa Photo must look like, from our document catalogue.

Photo size
2×2 in (50.8×50.8 mm)
Digital size
600×600 px
Head height (chin to crown)
25–35 mm
Eye line from the bottom
28–35 mm
Background colour
#FFFFFF (also accepted: #F2F2F2)
Print resolution
300 DPI
Maximum file size
240 KB
Glasses
Not allowed
Head covering
Religious head covering allowed, with the whole face visible
Expression
Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open

Before and after

The same snapshot, straightened, cropped and put on the background this document asks for.

Illustration of a finished US Visa Photo

Get this photo now

Illustration of a finished US Visa Photo

We check every rule above before you pay.

Upload a photo or take one

This text has not been translated yet and is shown in English.

How to take a US visa photo with your phone

The geometry is the same square as the American passport photo: 2×2 inches, 50.8 mm a side, the head 25–35 mm from the chin to the crown and the eye line 28–35 mm up from the bottom edge. What changes is where the photo goes. Most applicants upload it inside the DS-160 form, where an automatic checker measures the file before a human ever looks at it, and that checker is the reason a photo that would sail through a print counter gets refused in a second.

Give it something easy to measure. Shoot about 1.5 metres from a plain white wall with the phone at your eye level on the rear camera, with daylight in front of you and nothing behind you — no door frame, no curtain, no shadow. Leave room around your head: the square crop comes later, and the uploader wants the face centred with the eyes at a specific height, which is much easier to hit from a loose original than from a photo already cut to size.

Why a US visa photo comes back

Glasses are not accepted. The rule has applied since November 2016 and there is no "no glare" version of it for US applications, so take them off completely; pushed up onto your hair, the frame still shows and the photo still fails.

The digital limits are the next obstacle: a square JPEG between 600×600 and 1200×1200 pixels and no larger than 240 KB. Squeeze a big photo under 240 KB with the wrong export settings and the compression blurs the face enough to fail the quality check. After that, the usual: a background that is not white or off-white, a photo older than six months, a smile with teeth rather than a neutral expression, a uniform, headphones, and a head covering worn for anything other than religious reasons.

Where a US visa photo is used

The upload belongs to the DS-160 non-immigrant application, and the printed 2×2 photo is what you take to the interview at the embassy or consulate when the upload fails or is not offered; immigrant visa and green-card paperwork uses the same square. Save both. The requirements in full are on the official State Department visa photo page.

Written by TakPhoto editorial, last checked 23 września 2026.

Accepted and rejected examples

The same person six times. The three on the left follow the rules above; the three on the right are the mistakes we see most.

  • Illustration: a centred head and shoulders on an even, plain background
    Accepted

    Even light, plain background

    Daylight from the front, no shadow on the wall, background a single flat colour.

  • Illustration: a straight, centred head with the eye line marked
    Accepted

    Head straight and centred

    Eyes level, shoulders square to the camera, the whole face visible from chin to crown.

  • Illustration: a neutral face with the mouth closed and both eyes open
    Accepted

    Neutral expression, eyes open

    Mouth closed, both eyes open and unobscured, hair away from the eyes.

  • Illustration: a head casting a hard shadow on the wall behind it
    Rejected

    Shadow on the background

    A lamp behind the camera throws a hard shadow, so the background is no longer one colour.

  • Illustration: a tilted, off-centre head inside the frame
    Rejected

    Head tilted or off centre

    The face is turned away from the lens and sits off the centre line, so the measurements fail.

  • Illustration: a smiling face with glare across the glasses
    Rejected

    Glare, smile or covered eyes

    Reflections on the lenses, a smile with visible teeth, or a fringe across the eyes.

The most common reasons this photo comes back

Each of these is checked automatically before you pay, so you find out in seconds rather than weeks.

  1. The background is not #FFFFFF (also accepted: #F2F2F2)

    A patterned wall, a second colour, or a shadow behind the head all break the plain background this document requires. We replace the background with the exact colour above.

  2. The head is the wrong size in the frame

    The head must measure 25–35 mm from chin to crown. Standing too close makes it too large, and a cropped snapshot usually makes it too small.

  3. Glasses in the photo

    Glasses are not accepted for this document. Take them off completely — pushing them up onto the hair still shows the frame.

  4. Smiling or speaking

    The expression must be neutral, with the mouth closed and both eyes open. A smile changes the distances between the facial landmarks the check measures.

  5. Blurred or low resolution

    A photo of a printed photo, a screenshot, or an image scaled up from a small crop loses the detail the clerk looks for. Shoot with the rear camera, not a screenshot.

  6. Uneven light on the face

    One lamp on one side leaves half the face dark. Face a window, or use two light sources at the same distance.

  7. The file is bigger than 240 KB

    The upload form for this document refuses anything larger. We export the file inside the limit without visibly degrading the photo.

Questions about the US Visa Photo

What size is a US Visa Photo?
A US Visa Photo is 2×2 in (50.8×50.8 mm), which is 600×600 px at 300 DPI. Print it at exactly that size: a photo enlarged from a smaller crop loses the detail the clerk checks.
What background colour does a US Visa Photo need?
The background must be #FFFFFF (also accepted: #F2F2F2), plain and evenly lit, with no shadow behind the head. Any pattern, second colour or visible shadow is a rejection.
How big must the head be in a US Visa Photo?
The head must measure 25–35 mm from the chin to the top of the crown, centred in the frame with the eyes looking straight at the lens.
Can I wear glasses in a US Visa Photo?
Not allowed. This is the rule the office applies to a US Visa Photo, and it is one of the checks we run before you pay.
Can I smile in a US Visa Photo?
No. The expression must be Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open, because the distances between your facial landmarks are what the document is measured on.
Can I take a US Visa Photo with my phone?
Yes. Use the rear camera, stand about 1.5 metres from a plain wall in daylight, and we handle the crop to 2×2 in (50.8×50.8 mm), the background and the head height for you.
How much does a US Visa Photo cost here?
One small one-off fee, with no account and no subscription, and you only pay after the photo has passed every check above. The current price is on the pricing page.
How long does a US Visa Photo take?
About 30 seconds from the moment you upload: the checks, the crop and the background run immediately, and you download the digital file and a printable sheet straight away.

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