DV Lottery Photo Requirements
The green card lottery entry takes one photo size only: 600 x 600 pixels, JPEG, 240 kB or less. Here is the State Department spec, who needs a photo, and the mistakes that cost entries.
DV Lottery photo requirements are strict and fixed: a square JPEG of exactly 600 x 600 pixels, 240 kB or smaller, in colour, on a plain white or off-white background, with your head filling 50 to 69% of the image height, taken within the last six months, without glasses. You need one for yourself and a separate one for your spouse and each child on the entry. The figures come from the U.S. Department of State's Diversity Visa instructions, which warn that a photo that misses them may make you ineligible.
The DV entry is a different upload from a visitor visa. If you're filling in form DS-160 instead, read the US visa photo requirements for the DS-160.
What size does a DV Lottery photo have to be?
Every value below is from the State Department's Diversity Visa instructions (the DV-2026 edition, the most recent we could retrieve). The instructions are reissued for each program year, so check the edition for the year you're entering before you submit.
| Pixel dimensions | 600 x 600, square (height equals width) |
| File format | JPEG (.jpg) |
| File size | 240 kB or less |
| Head height | 50 to 69% of the image height, chin to top of head (1 to 1-3/8 in, 22 to 35 mm) |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Pose | Full face, directly facing the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open |
| Glasses | Not allowed |
| Recency | Taken within the last six months, not manipulated |
| Scanned print | The print must be 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm), scanned at 300 pixels per inch |
The two rules agree: 2 inches at 300 pixels per inch is 600 pixels a side, so a correctly scanned print gives the same 600 x 600 file.
How big should your head be in the frame?
In a 600-pixel-tall image, 50 to 69% works out to a head between 300 and 414 pixels from chin to the top of the head. Stand too far back and you fall under 300; a close selfie can overshoot 414.
Who in your family needs a photo?
You, your spouse, and each unmarried child under 21, each in an individual photo that meets the same specifications as yours. You list your spouse and children even if they won't move with you, and that includes their photos. The one exception: a spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident doesn't need a photo, though the instructions say you won't be penalised for including one.
For a baby or toddler, no one else can be in the shot, and the child's eyes must be open and looking at the camera. The State Department suggests laying the baby on a plain white sheet, or covering a car seat with one, with no shadow on the face.
Can you reuse last year's DV photo?
No. The instructions name submitting the same photograph you used in a previous entry among the things that can make you ineligible, alongside a photo that has been manipulated or is more than six months old. Take a new one each year, even if the old file still fits.
What changes with DV-2027?
A State Department rule published in the Federal Register on 11 March 2026 adds a second upload starting with the DV-2027 program: a scan of the biographic and signature page of your valid passport (unless you are exempt from the passport requirement), as a JPEG no larger than 5 MB. PDF files are not accepted.
How to make a DV photo that meets the spec
- Take the photo against a plain white or off-white wall, facing the camera, with even light and no glasses.
- Open the US visa photo maker and add the photo. It is built for JPG, PNG, and WebP. If an iPhone HEIC file is refused, see how to stop your iPhone saving photos as HEIC.
- Drag the square crop box so your head fills between half and about two-thirds of its height, then run it.
- Download the result. It is always exactly 600 x 600 pixels, saved as a JPEG at the highest quality that stays at or under 240,000 bytes.
The tool handles size, format, and file limit. It doesn't check background, expression, or head height, so look at the result before uploading. Do each family member as a separate run: with several files added at once, the crop box you set on the first photo is applied to all of them, and a photo of a different shape comes out stretched.
Everything runs in your browser, so the photos never leave your device. For how visa uploads differ from passport prints, see visa photos are not passport photos, or browse every country on the visa photo maker hub.