US Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery) photo requirements
The exact size, ratio, file-size window and head tolerance set by U.S. Department of State — and a free tool below that frames your photo to match, in your own browser.
- Ratio
- 1:1 (square)
- Print size
- 2 × 2 in
- Pixels
- 600×600 – 1200×1200
- File size
- max 240 KB
- Head height
- 50–69%
Read this before you rely on an edited photo
Many immigration and passport authorities require a photograph that has not been digitally altered. Replacing a background, smoothing skin, enhancing with AI, or applying a camera filter can all be treated as manipulation and can get an application refused or disqualified — regardless of whether the file passes an automated size check. Reframing, rotating and resizing are not alteration; changing the content of the picture is.
Background replacement is switched onhere so the result is usable straight away, and you can turn it off in Auto-fix if your authority requires an unaltered photograph — for a US passport, DS-160, DS-260 or DV entry, we would. Lighting correction is on too — it lifts an under-exposed face and evens out a shadow across one side of it, and it has its own switch. Whatever you choose, look at your own photo for filters or “portrait” beautification your phone may have applied on its own — the safest fix for a bad background or bad lighting is always to retake it.
Your photo is reframed to the document’s tolerances, then audited.
Add your photoDrop your photo here
Take one now, or pick an existing photo. Any framing works — a full-length shot is fine, the face is found and cropped for you. Nothing is uploaded.JPG or PNG, any size or framing — a full-length shot is fine, the face is found and cropped for you. Nothing is uploaded.
Upload or capture a photo and every published tolerance for this document gets checked and reported here.
Before you submit
What catches people out on a US Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery) photo
- The DV lottery is the strictest US photo check of the lot — a non-compliant photo disqualifies the entry outright, with no chance to correct it.
- Entries using an AI-altered or manipulated photo are grounds for disqualification.
- Everyone on the entry needs their own compliant photo, including a spouse and each child.
Why this photo is not interchangeable
Where United States departs from the standard passport photo
A photo accepted for one country is regularly refused for another. These are the specific rules U.S. Department of State sets that differ from the ICAO 35 × 45 mm default most passports follow.
Square, not 35 × 45 mm
Most countries use the ICAO 35 × 45 mm portrait shape. United States uses 1:1 (square) (2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm)), so a photo cropped for another country will not fit this frame without re-cropping.
Head must be 50%–69% of the frame
The ICAO default is 71%–80%. U.S. Department of State requires 50%–69%, measured chin to crown including hair — a tighter crop than a standard passport photo.
The eye line is specified, not just the head
Eyes must sit 56%–69% of the way up from the bottom edge. A photo with a correctly sized head can still be refused if the eyes fall outside that band.
Source: DV programme instructions: 2×2 inches, minimum 600×600 pixels, maximum 1200×1200, JPEG, 240 KB maximum, plain white or off-white background, taken within the last 6 months.
US Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery) photo questions
What size photo is needed for a US Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery)?+
A US Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery) photo is 1:1 (square), printed at 2 × 2 in. Digitally it must be between 600×600 and 1200×1200 pixels, in JPEG format, no larger than 240 KB.
How large should the head be in a US Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery) photo?+
The head must measure 50% to 69% of the total image height, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head including hair. The eyes must sit 56% to 69% of the way up from the bottom edge. The background must be plain white or off-white.
Where do these US Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery) figures come from?+
DV programme instructions: 2×2 inches, minimum 600×600 pixels, maximum 1200×1200, JPEG, 240 KB maximum, plain white or off-white background, taken within the last 6 months.