US Visa Photo Requirements (DS-160)

A US visa photo for the online DS-160 application must be a square JPEG between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, no larger than 240KB, in colour on a plain white or off-white background, with your head filling 50 to 69% of the frame height and taken within the last six months. The trap is not the look of the photo - it is the digital numbers. The pixel range and the 240KB ceiling are what reject a file that would print and pass at a counter without a second glance.

This guide covers the photo you upload to form DS-160 for a US visitor, business, or student visa - not the printed 2 x 2 inch US passport photo, which is a different job with a looser file size. For why the two are rarely interchangeable, see visa photos are not passport photos, and for how requirements shift across borders, passport photo size by country.

The DS-160 photo spec at a glance

Every value below is published by the U.S. Department of State, across its digital image and photo composition pages. The composition rules match the printed passport photo; the pixel and file-size limits are specific to the digital upload.

Why a photo that prints fine fails the upload

A printed passport photo has no pixel count and no kilobyte limit - you hand over paper. The DS-160 uploader has both, and they are strict in two directions at once. Your file has to be a square somewhere between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, and it has to weigh 240KB or less. A photo straight off a phone fails both ends: it is a tall rectangle of several thousand pixels, and at a few megabytes it is many times over the 240KB cap.

So there are really two problems to solve, and they pull against each other: crop to an exact square in the pixel range, then compress the JPEG under 240KB without dropping the pixel dimensions below 600 on either side. Push the quality down too far to clear the cap and the photo turns blocky; leave the pixels too high and the file stays too big. The narrow, well-chosen answer is a small square - 600 x 600 - which is easy to keep sharp well under 240KB.

How to hit the exact numbers

Rather than resize and compress in two separate tools and hope the result lands in range, the US visa photo maker does both at once for the DS-160. You position an aspect-locked square box over your photo and it outputs a file that is exactly 600 x 600 pixels - the minimum accepted size, and comfortably inside the 600 to 1200 range - as a JPEG, stepping the quality down automatically until the file lands under 240KB. Because 600 x 600 is a small square, the result usually stays sharp far below the cap. The pixel dimensions never change to hit the file size; only the JPEG quality does.

Be clear about what it does and does not do. It crops to the square, sizes it, and caps the file - the three things the uploader checks mechanically. It does not replace your background, judge whether your head sits at the right height, or promise a consular officer will accept the result. Get the shape and file right with the tool, then check the framing and background yourself. If a separate step leaves you needing to trim a different file under a limit, a target tool like compress to 200KB covers the general case, but for the DS-160 the dedicated maker is the one-step route.

Head size, glasses, and background

The composition is where a technically valid file still gets refused. Your head, measured chin to crown, has to fill 50 to 69% of the frame height, and your eyes should sit 56 to 69% of the way up from the bottom edge. In a 600-pixel-tall square that puts the top of your head near the upper edge with a little clearance - a selfie at arm's length usually leaves the head too small.

• Glasses. Not allowed. Eyeglasses have been barred from US visa and passport photos since 1 November 2016, with a narrow exception for a documented medical reason. If you can take them off, take them off.
• Background. Plain white or off-white, evenly lit, with no shadows, texture, or lines behind you.
• Expression. Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open and looking at the camera. Face the camera straight on.
• No edits. The image must be the unaltered original - no filters, beauty edits, or AI touch-ups, so "fix it afterwards" is risky advice.

These are the same rules that catch people on the printed side too, gathered in why passport photos get rejected. And enlarging a too-small photo to reach 600 pixels does not rescue it - upscaling adds no real detail (see image resolution), so start from a photo taken close enough in the first place. When you are checking specs for more than one country, the visa photo maker hub lists only those verified against their own issuing authority.

FAQ

What size does a DS-160 photo need to be?
A square JPEG between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, no larger than 240KB. Width must equal height, and the smallest accepted size, 600 x 600, is the easiest to keep sharp under the file cap.

Can I use my US passport photo for the DS-160?
Often not for the digital upload. The printed size is the same 2 x 2 inches, but the DS-160 needs a square between 600 and 1200 pixels and under 240KB. A passport-oriented file is frequently larger than 240KB or not sized to a valid square, which the portal rejects.

Why does the uploader reject my photo?
Almost always the digital numbers, not the look: the file is not a square, its pixel dimensions fall outside 600 to 1200, or it is over the 240KB limit. Crop to a square in range and compress the JPEG under the cap.

Can I wear glasses in a US visa photo?
No. Glasses have not been permitted since 1 November 2016, except for a documented medical reason that can require a signed doctor's statement. Remove them for the shot.

How recent does the photo have to be?
It must be taken within the last 6 months and reflect your current appearance. If your look has changed a lot, take a new one even if an older photo falls inside the window.