The rules for a DS-160 photo
The US visa application form, DS-160, asks for a digital photo with a short list of technical rules: a square JPEG, between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, no larger than 240 KB, in colour, taken within the last six months, against a plain white or off-white background. The same shape as a US passport photo, 2 × 2 inches, is 600 × 600 pixels at 300 DPI, which is why 600 × 600 is the safe size to aim for.
| Requirement | What the form expects |
|---|---|
| Format | JPEG (JPG) |
| Shape and size | Square, between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels |
| File size | 240 KB or less |
| Colour | Colour, not black and white |
| Age of the photo | Taken within the last six months |
| Background | Plain white or off-white, no shadows |
These are the requirements this page applies. The US Department of State publishes the official rules and can change them, so confirm on travel.state.gov before you submit.
Preparing the photo here
- Drop your photo on this page. The square 600 × 600 size and the 240 KB limit are already set.
- Crop around your head and shoulders. Your head, from chin to the top of the hair, should take up roughly half to two thirds of the image height. Centre your face.
- Download the JPG and upload it to the application.
Common reasons photos are rejected
- The head is too small or too large in the frame. The guideline is roughly half to two thirds of the image height.
- Shadows on the face or the wall. Face a window or a lamp, and stand a little away from the wall.
- The wrong file format. The form wants JPEG; a HEIC photo from an iPhone needs to be converted to JPG first.
- Glasses, hats and filters. Follow the current guidance on what is allowed, and do not use beauty filters or editing.
- A photo that is too old or a scan of a printed photo. Use a recent digital photo.
Is it the same as a passport photo?
The shape is the same, but the upload rules are not identical. Online passport renewal has its own requirements, so use the right tool for the right application. The guide on passport and visa photos for digital upload covers the differences. If your photo is a HEIC file or too large, the tool decodes it and fits it to the limit in one pass. Everything runs in your browser, and your photo is never uploaded, which matters for an identity document.