WinPhoto

Passport, visa and ID photos · United States

DV lottery photo: check and make yours

Your DV lottery photo, checked against the official rules, framed and sized, ready to upload. Official size: 51 x 51 mm. Digital photo: 600 pixels wide, 600 pixels tall. Background: plain white or off-white. Rules read on travel.state.gov on 4 November 2026.

  1. Take or choose a photo
  2. We check it against the official rules and frame it
  3. Download the exact file

Free check. Your DV lottery photo, €6.99, only once it passes: the ready file, unlimited retakes for 30 days. Refund if the authority rejects it.

Your photo: 600 x 600 px

Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.

Before you take it

  • Stand a step in front of a plain white wall, with nothing behind you.
  • Face a window or soft light: even light on the face, no shadows on it or behind.
  • Phone at eye level, about 1.5 m away: ask someone, or hold it at arm's length.
  • Take your glasses off.
  • A neutral face, eyes open.

Check and make your photo

The first photo loads the face finder and the background outline from this site, about 15 MB, once.

The face finder and the background outline run in this page from files served by this site (sources and licences). They find where a face is in the photo; they never recognise who it is.

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government.

For a baby or young child: DV lottery photo for a child

These are the rules on the State Department's visa photo pages. Check the instructions for the current DV entry period when it opens.

Upload refused? The published file limits, and the usual reasons a file is outside them.

The rules at a glance

For the Diversity Visa (DV, green card lottery) entry digital photo, as the official rules state them.

Size
51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 inches (scanned prints and selectee interview prints))
The file we make
600 x 600 pixels
Background
Plain white or off-white.
Head size
50% to 69% of the photo's height, chin to top of head
Glasses
Not allowed
Expression
A neutral face, eyes open.
Taken
In the last 6 months
Edits
None: the official rules don't allow edited photos, so we only frame and resize.
All the official rules and sources
Printed size
51 mm wide, 51 mm tall (2 x 2 inches (scanned prints and selectee interview prints))
Digital photo
600 pixels wide, 600 pixels tall
File
JPEG; up to 240 KB
This page makes
A 600 x 600 pixel JPEG file
Head height
50% to 69% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head
Eye line
56% to 69% of the photo's height, measured up from its bottom edge
Background
plain white or off-white
Glasses
Not allowed
Expression
neutral facial expression, both eyes open
Head covering
not allowed if it obscures hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose; full face visible, no shadows
Taken
In the last 6 months
Colour
Colour only
  • exactly 600x600 px square JPEG, 240 kB or less
  • scanning a print: 2x2 in at 300 ppi
  • full-face view directly facing the camera; no uniforms; no headphones
  • no digital enhancement or alteration
  • selectees: two identical 2x2 prints on photo quality paper at the interview

For: Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) online entry (digital upload); DV selectees: two 2x2 prints at the interview.

Official source: travel.state.gov, checked on 4 November 2026.

If you are entering the Diversity Visa (DV) Program online, you must upload your digital image as part of your entry. Your digital image must be:
In JPEG (.jpg) file format
Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size
In a square aspect ratio (height must equal width)
600x600 pixels in dimension
Scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimeter)
Each DV applicant will need to bring two (2) identical photos to the interview. Your photos must be:
Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background
Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos, except in rare circumstances when eyeglasses cannot be removed for medical reasons; e.g., the applicant has recently had ocular surgery and the eyeglasses are necessary to protect the applicant's eyes.

Official source: travel.state.gov, checked on 4 November 2026.

The top of the head, including the hair, to the bottom of the chin must be between 50% and 69% of the image's total height. The eye height (measured from the bottom of the image to the level of the eyes) should be between 56% and 69% of the image's height.

Official source: travel.state.gov, checked on 4 November 2026.

The processing requirements below are for the DV-2026 program.

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Rules change: check the official page before you apply.

How to use it

  1. Stand facing the camera in front of a plain, light wall, with even light on your face.
  2. Tap Take the photo and follow the outline and the tips on screen, or choose a photo you have. The page finds your face and frames it to the rules.
  3. Fix anything the page lists, each with its own tip. Adjust the framing if you need to, and move Top of head if the dashed line is not at the top of your head.
  4. Tick what only you can confirm.
  5. Save the file.

Questions

What size is the DV lottery photo?
Printed, 51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 inches (scanned prints and selectee interview prints)). As a digital photo, 600 pixels wide, 600 pixels tall. The file: JPEG; up to 240 KB. The head takes 50% to 69% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026. This page makes a 600 x 600 pixel JPEG file.
What background does the DV lottery photo need?
Plain white or off-white.
Can I wear glasses in my DV lottery photo?
No: the official rules do not allow glasses in the photo. If you cannot take them off, see the official page.
Can I smile in my DV lottery photo?
Neutral facial expression, both eyes open.
Can I wear a head covering in my DV lottery photo?
Not allowed if it obscures hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose; full face visible, no shadows.
How recent must my DV lottery photo be?
Taken in the last 6 months. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
Can I take my DV lottery photo at home?
The official rules, as checked on 4 November 2026, ask for no photographer or studio, so a photo taken at home can meet them if it meets every rule on this page.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is read and checked in your browser, and any file is saved on your device. The page tells our server only that a photo was checked, that it passed, or that a file was saved; never the photo, your face or any measurement. It finds where your face is in the photo; it never recognises who you are.
How is the head measured?
The page finds your chin and eyes in the photo and estimates the top of your head from your forehead, since hair hides it: the dashed line shows the estimate. If it is not at the top of your head, move it with Top of head and the checks follow.
Will my photo be accepted?
Only the issuing authority decides. A photo that passes every check here meets the published size, head and background rules as checked on 4 November 2026; you confirm the rest, such as glasses, expression and how recent the photo is.
What does buying your DV lottery photo add?
Your DV lottery photo, €6.99: the exact 600 x 600 px file, the acceptance report, the Detail check, unlimited retakes and the whole family's photos for this document for 30 days. Pay only once your photo passes. Refund if the authority rejects it. Paid once, with no subscription. In the Detail check our AI model, run in the EU, checks glasses, expression, shadows and more if you choose to send it the photo. Without buying you can check any photo and save a small preview with a watermark.