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Platform sizes

US visa photo size

By Updated How we write these

2 min read

The short answer

For the DS-160 the photo must be a square JPEG between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, 240 KB or smaller, in color. A printed photo is 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), with the head 1 to 1⅜ inches tall.

Resize to 600 × 600 Get it under 240 KB Check my photo Convert an iPhone photo to JPG

Digital photo for the DS-160

Digital photo for the DS-160
Digital photo upload square JPEG, 600×600 to 1200×1200 px, max 240 KB
Shape square: the height must equal the width
Color color, 24 bits per pixel, sRGB
Compression no more than 20:1

Printed photo

Printed photo
Printed photo 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm)
Head size 1 to 1⅜ in (22–35 mm), chin to top of head
Background plain white or off-white
How recent taken in the last 6 months
Glasses not allowed, except rarely for medical reasons
Scanning a print 2 × 2 in at 300 pixels per inch

Why the DS-160 turns a photo down

Most rejections are about the file, not the face. The usual culprits: the photo isn’t square, it’s bigger than 1200 × 1200 or smaller than 600 × 600 pixels, it’s over 240 KB, or it comes straight from an iPhone as a HEIC file in the wide Display P3 color space. The DS-160 wants an ordinary sRGB JPEG.

The rest is the picture itself: glasses, shadows on the face or background, a head too small or too large in the frame, or a photo older than six months. The State Department’s own photo tool shows the head-size lines if you are unsure.

From a phone photo to a DS-160 file

Take the photo against a plain white wall in even daylight, with the camera at eye level. Crop it square with your head centered, then save it as a JPEG of 600 × 600 pixels — Resize Image does the crop and the size in one step, and Compress Image gets it under 240 KB. Photo Size Checker then checks every rule before you upload.

Questions

What size is a US visa photo?

Digitally, a square JPEG from 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 pixels, 240 KB or less, in sRGB color. Printed, 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), with the head between 1 and 1⅜ inches from chin to top.

Can I wear glasses in a US visa photo?

No. Glasses aren’t allowed in visa photos except in rare cases where they can’t be removed for medical reasons, and then a doctor’s note is needed.

Why does the DS-160 say my photo failed?

Usually because the file isn’t a square JPEG between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels under 240 KB, or it’s an iPhone photo in HEIC or Display P3 color. Convert it to an sRGB JPEG, make it square and check it with the Photo Size Checker.

How do I get my photo under 240 KB?

Resize it to 600 × 600 pixels first — at that size a JPEG is usually well under 240 KB. If it isn’t, Compress Image lowers the quality just enough to fit.

Where these numbers come from

Checked against these sources on 2026-09-28. Platforms change their rules; if one has, the upload limits page changelog says so.

Other platform sizes

Make a file fit