WinPhoto

Passport, visa and ID photos · United States

US visa photo: check and make yours

Your US visa photo, checked against the official rules, framed and sized, ready to upload or print. Official size: 51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 inches). Digital photo: 600 to 1,200 pixels wide, 600 to 1,200 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 and a print sheet

Free check. Your US visa photo, €6.99, only once it passes: the ready file and print sheet, unlimited retakes for 30 days. Refund if the authority rejects it.

Your photo: 1200 x 1200 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: US visa photo for baby

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

Handling many clients' photos? WinPhoto ID for law firms, agencies and studios.

The rules at a glance

For the U.S. visa photo (DS-160 / DS-1648 nonimmigrant digital image; DS-260 immigrant visa prints), as the official rules state them.

Size
51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 inches)
The file we make
1,200 x 1,200 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)
Digital photo
600 to 1,200 pixels wide, 600 to 1,200 pixels tall
File
JPEG; up to 240 KB
This page makes
A 1,200 x 1,200 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 and no shadows on the face
Taken
In the last 6 months
Colour
Colour only
  • full-face view directly facing the camera
  • clothing normally worn daily; no uniforms except religious clothing worn daily
  • no headphones or wireless hands-free devices; hearing devices may be worn
  • no digital enhancement or alteration
  • 24-bit sRGB colour; JPEG compression ratio 20:1 or less
  • no photos copied or scanned from driver's licences or other official documents; no snapshots, magazine, low-quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, no full-length photos
  • scanning an existing photo: 2x2 in scanned at 300 ppi
  • DS-260 immigrant visa: two identical 2x2 prints on photo quality paper at the interview

For: DS-160 online nonimmigrant visa form (digital upload); DS-1648; two 2x2 prints at the immigrant visa interview (DS-260); 1 print if the embassy asks at interview.

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

In color
Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50% and 69% of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
Taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance
Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background
With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open
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.
Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose. Your full face must be visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face.
In addition, snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable.
If you are applying for an immigrant visa, using Form DS-260, you must provide two (2) identical photos at your immigrant visa interview.
2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) in size
While we recommend you use a professional visa photo service to ensure your photo meets all the requirements, you may take the photo yourself.

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

Dimensions The image dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 x 1200 pixels.
Color The image must be in color (24 bits per pixel) in sRGB color space which is the common output for most digital cameras.
File Format The image must be in JPEG file format
File Size The image must be less than or equal to 240 kB (kilobytes).
Compression The image may need to be compressed in order for it to be under the maximum file size. The compression ratio should be less than or equal to 20:1.
Scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimeter)

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

The height of the head (top of hair to bottom of chin) should measure 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches (25 mm - 35 mm)
Make sure the eye height is between 1 1/8 inches to 1 3/8 inches (28 mm – 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo
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.

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, or the print sheet to print at 100% on 4 x 6 inch photo paper.

Questions

What size is the US visa photo?
Printed, 51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 inches). As a digital photo, 600 to 1,200 pixels wide, 600 to 1,200 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 1,200 x 1,200 pixel JPEG file.
What background does the US visa photo need?
Plain white or off-white.
Can I wear glasses in my US visa 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 US visa photo?
Neutral facial expression, both eyes open.
Can I wear a head covering in my US visa photo?
Not allowed if it obscures hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose; full face visible and no shadows on the face.
How recent must my US visa photo be?
Taken in the last 6 months. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
Can I take my US visa 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.
How do I print it?
Save the print sheet: a 4 x 6 inch (10 x 15 cm) photo at 300 dpi with as many copies as fit and thin lines to cut along. Have it printed at 100% (actual size) on 4 x 6 inch photo paper at a photo lab or shop, then cut out the copies you need.
What does buying your US visa photo add?
Your US visa photo, €6.99: the exact 1200 x 1200 px file, the 4 x 6 in print sheet, 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.