Passport, visa and ID photos · Upload refused
DV lottery photo not accepted? The file limits, and how to meet them
The photo for the online Diversity Visa (DV) entry is a digital file, and the official page publishes limits for it: file type JPEG; pixel size exactly 600 x 600 pixels; shape square: the height equals the width; file size up to 240 KB. A file outside any one of them does not meet the published limits. WinPhoto ID checks your photo against the published rules and makes a file inside these limits. The check is free.
Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.
The published file limits
For the Diversity Visa (DV, green card lottery) entry digital photo. The indented words are the issuing authority's own, from the official page linked under them, read on the date given. WinPhoto is photo software, not an application service. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo.
| Limit | As published |
|---|---|
| File type | JPEG
In JPEG (.jpg) file formatOfficial page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Pixel size | exactly 600 x 600 pixels
600x600 pixels in dimensionOfficial page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Shape | square: the height equals the width
In a square aspect ratio (height must equal width)Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| File size | up to 240 KB
Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file sizeOfficial page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Background | plain white or off-white
Taken in front of a plain white or off-white backgroundOfficial page, read on 4 November 2026. |
These are the rules on the State Department's visa photo pages. Check the instructions for the current DV entry period when it opens.
The usual reasons a file is refused
Each of these puts a file outside the limits above:
- The file is not a JPEG file.
- The image is not exactly 600 x 600 pixels.
- The image is not square: its height and width differ.
- The file is larger than 240 KB.
This list comes only from the published limits. A photo can also be turned down for what it shows, such as the background or the head size: the DV lottery photo page has every published rule.
What the free check does
- The page checks your photo against the published photo rules it can measure, such as the head size where the rules set one and the background.
- It then frames the photo and makes a 600 x 600 pixel JPEG file, fitted to the file size limit above.
Checking your photo is free and runs in your browser. The file comes with your document's photo: €6.99, paid once for that document, with unlimited retakes for 30 days. No subscription. A file made or checked here meets the published limits as read on 4 November 2026; it is not a promise that the authority accepts it.
Questions
- What photo file does the online Diversity Visa (DV) entry take?
- As the official page states it, read on 4 November 2026: file type JPEG; pixel size exactly 600 x 600 pixels; shape square: the height equals the width; file size up to 240 KB.
- Does a file inside these limits get accepted?
- A file inside them meets the published limits as we read them on 4 November 2026. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo, and rules change: check the official page before you apply.
- Is my photo uploaded to WinPhoto?
- No. The check runs in your browser and the photo stays on your device, unless you choose the Detail check, which is opt-in. No face is recognised.
- Does WinPhoto fill in or send the application?
- No. WinPhoto is photo software: it checks a photo and makes a photo file. The application is yours to make on the official site.