Documents · United States
DV lottery photo size and requirements
Each person in a Diversity Visa entry needs their own digital photo: exactly 600 × 600 pixels, JPEG, at most 240 KB. The photo follows the US visa photo rules, with no glasses at all. Don't reuse a photo from an earlier entry: that makes the entry ineligible.
Note: You enter the DV lottery only on the State Department's own website. PassPic only helps with the photo.
Requirements
- Digital file
- 600 × 600 px, up to 240 KB, JPEG
- Head height
- 50 to 69 % of the photo height, chin to the top of the hair
- Eye height from the bottom
- 56 to 69 % of the photo height
- Background
- Plain and even: white, off-white
- Glasses
- No glasses
- Expression
- Neutral
- Selfies
- Not stated. A photo someone else takes is safest
- How recent
- Taken in the last 6 months
- Print sheets in PassPic
- Digital file only
Source: govinfo.gov, last checked 14 October 2026.
“Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size”
Babies and young children
- Eyes must be open, also for babies.
- The expression must still be neutral.
- A baby can lie on a plain sheet and be photographed from above.
Common mistakes
- A head that is too small or too large. It must be 50 to 69 % of the photo height, chin to the top of the hair.
- A busy or uneven background, or one that isn't white or off-white.
- Wearing glasses.
- An expression that isn't neutral.
- An old photo. It must be taken in the last 6 months.
- A file of the wrong size or type. It must be: 600 × 600 px, up to 240 KB, JPEG.
- A photo that was retouched, filtered or had its background replaced.
PassPic can't measure some things, so check them yourself: glasses, head coverings and hair over the eyes.
How PassPic helps
PassPic checks your photo against these rules on your phone and marks each check Passed, Check or Fix, with a one-line tip. It crops and scales the photo to size and never changes your face or your background. Your photo is checked on your phone and never uploaded.
PassPic is coming to Google Play.
Related documents
We can't promise that any office will accept a photo; the issuing authority decides. Rules change, so read govinfo.gov before you send your photo. PassPic is an independent app. Not affiliated with any government.