US Visa Photo Requirements for DS-160 Explained

Updated 13 October 2026 · 8 min read

Every US nonimmigrant visa application starts with the online DS-160 form, and the DS-160 asks you to upload a digital photo. If the photo does not meet the requirements, the upload is rejected, or worse, the consular officer may ask for a new photo at your interview. This guide explains each requirement in plain English and shows how to prepare a photo that passes.

The rules below come from the US Department of State's published photo requirements for visas. Always check travel.state.gov and the website of the US embassy or consulate where you will apply, as they may add local instructions.

Make a 600x600 DS-160 photo under 240 KB in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Open the photo tool

The DS-160 digital photo requirements at a glance

Requirement	DS-160 rule
File format	JPEG (.jpg)
Dimensions	Square: minimum 600 x 600 pixels, maximum 1200 x 1200 pixels
File size	240 KB or less
Color	Color (24 bits per pixel, sRGB)
Head size	50% to 69% of the image height, chin to top of hair
Eye height	56% to 69% of the image height, measured from the bottom
Age of photo	Taken within the last 6 months
Background	Plain white or off-white
Glasses	Not allowed (rare medical exceptions)

If you scan a printed 2 x 2 inch photo instead of using a digital camera file, the State Department asks for a scan of at least 300 pixels per inch, which gives exactly 600 x 600 pixels.

Pixel size: why 600 x 600 is the safest choice

The photo must be square, and anything from 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels is accepted. Many people choose 600 x 600 because it is easy to keep under the 240 KB limit at good quality. A larger image gives more detail but needs more JPEG compression to stay under 240 KB, which can create blocky artifacts. If your file is not square, the uploader will ask you to crop it, and its built-in crop can be awkward, so it is better to prepare a correctly cropped square file in advance.

The 240 KB file size limit

A photo straight from a modern phone is usually several megabytes, far over the limit. You need to both crop and compress it. Our US Passport Photo tool exports a JPEG and automatically lowers the quality only as much as needed to fit under 240 KB, then shows you the final size. There is no minimum file size listed for DS-160, but extremely small files are usually blurry, so do not compress more than necessary.

Head size and eye position

These two percentages cause the most rejections. On a 600 x 600 pixel photo:

Head height (bottom of chin to top of hair) must be between 300 and 414 pixels (50% to 69%).
Eye level must be between 336 and 414 pixels up from the bottom edge (56% to 69%). In other words, measured from the top of the photo, your eyes should be about 186 to 264 pixels down.

Practically, your face should fill a large part of the frame, with your eyes a little above the center of the photo. A head that is too small (taken from too far away, not cropped) is the most common mistake. In the Crop Desk tool, select US visa / DS-160 and drag and zoom until your hair top, eyes and chin sit inside the green, blue and red guide bands.

The same percentages apply to US passport photos, which are 2 x 2 inches when printed. A 2 inch photo at 300 pixels per inch is 600 pixels, so the head rule of 1 to 1-3/8 inches matches 50% to 69%.

Background, lighting and appearance

Plain white or off-white background, with no shadows, texture or objects.
Even lighting on the face, without shadows across the face or glare on skin.
Face the camera directly with your full face in view, head not tilted.
Neutral expression with both eyes open. A natural smile is acceptable.
No glasses. Remove them, even if you wear them every day. If you truly cannot remove them for medical reasons, you need a signed statement from a doctor at the interview.
No hats or head coverings unless worn daily for religious reasons. Your full face must still be visible, and the covering must not cast shadows on your face.
No headphones or wireless hands-free devices.
Normal clothing. Uniforms are not allowed except religious clothing worn daily.
No editing. Do not use filters, skin smoothing, background replacement or any change to your appearance.

For tips on getting a clean white background and good light at home, read how to take a 2x2 passport photo at home.

How to prepare your DS-160 photo, step by step

Take a photo against a white wall in daylight, with someone else holding the camera at eye level about 4 feet away.
Open the photo tool and pick US visa / DS-160 (600x600).
Upload the photo. Processing happens in your browser; the photo is never sent to Crop Desk.
Zoom and drag so your head fits the guide bands and your face is centered.
Keep the size at 600 x 600 and click Download JPEG. Check that the result shows a size under 240 KB.
Upload the file in the DS-160 photo step and let the photo checker review it.

What if the DS-160 photo upload fails?

The DS-160 runs an automatic check. If it fails, the message usually points to the problem. Common causes and fixes:

"Photo is not square" or wrong dimensions: re-export as exactly 600 x 600.
File too large: re-export; make sure you uploaded the JPEG from the tool, not the original.
Face not detected or too small: zoom in more so the head fills 50% to 69% of the height.
Background problems: retake against a plainer, brighter background with your shadow behind you.
Image too dark or low contrast: retake facing a window, not with a light behind you.

Depending on the case, the system may let you continue even if the photo is flagged; in that situation, the embassy or consulate may ask you to bring a printed photo that meets the requirements to your interview. Check the instructions of the post where you apply.

Do I need a printed photo too?

For the DS-160 itself, the digital upload is the photo. Some embassies and consulates also ask applicants to bring a printed 2 x 2 photo to the interview, especially if the uploaded photo had issues. With the same tool you can download a 4 x 6 sheet containing six 2 x 2 copies and print it at any photo shop.

Photos for children and infants

Every applicant, including babies, needs their own photo that meets the same requirements. Nobody else, including a parent's hands, should be visible. For infants, laying the baby on a plain white sheet and photographing from above usually works best.

Summary

JPEG, square, 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels, 240 KB or less
Head 50% to 69% of the height; eyes 56% to 69% from the bottom
White or off-white background, even light, no glasses, no edits
Taken within the last 6 months

Make a DS-160 photo

Crop Desk is not affiliated with the US Department of State or any embassy. The official requirements on travel.state.gov and your embassy's website always take priority.