The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery entry form asks for one digital photo of you and one of each family member you list. The form is free and is only at dvprogram.state.gov. The photo is the part of the entry that most often goes wrong, and the State Department instructions warn that a photo that does not meet the specifications may make you ineligible for a DV.
This guide lists the technical rules (pixels, file size, format) and the composition rules (head size, background, glasses), then walks through the most common reasons an entry photo fails. Every number below comes from the U.S. Department of State photo requirements page, its photo composition template, or the DV-2026 instructions. When the DV-2027 instructions are published, they control. You can follow the entry period on our DV-2027 status page.
The file rules at a glance
| Rule | DV entry photo |
|---|---|
| Format | JPEG (.jpg) |
| Pixels | 600×600 |
| Shape | Square (height equals width) |
| File size | 240 kB or less |
| Color | Color, not black and white |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Head height | 50–69% of the image height |
| Eye height | 56–69% of the image height, measured from the bottom |
| Taken | Within the last 6 months |
| Glasses | Not worn |
Our full requirements page quotes the official sentence behind each line.
Pixel size: 600×600, square
The photo page lists the digital image as “600x600 pixels in dimension” and “in a square aspect ratio (height must equal width).”
You may also see a range of 600 to 1200 pixels. That comes from the photo composition template, which says digital visa photos must be square, at least 600×600 and at most 1200×1200 pixels. A 600×600 file meets both statements, which is why this site always produces exactly 600×600.
A few practical points:
- Square means exactly square. A 600×601 image is not square. Phone cameras shoot in 3:4 or 9:16, so every phone photo must be cropped.
- Do not stretch the image to make it square. Crop it. Stretching distorts your face, and the rules say photos must not be altered to change your appearance.
- Do not upscale a tiny image. Enlarging a small, blurry crop to 600×600 gives you the right pixel count but a soft photo. Start from a sharp original with plenty of space around your head.
File size: 240 kB or less
The photo page says the file must be “equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size.” A 600×600 JPEG saved at normal quality is usually well under that limit. Files go over when:
- the image is larger than 600×600 (for example, an uncropped 4000×3000 phone photo),
- the JPEG was saved at maximum quality, or
- the file was converted from a PNG or HEIC without recompressing.
The official text does not say whether a kilobyte means 1,000 or 1,024 bytes. To be safe, keep the file at or under 240,000 bytes. Check the size in your file manager (on Windows, right-click the file and choose Properties; on a Mac, use Get Info) before you upload.
Format and color
The file must be a JPEG (.jpg) and in color. PNG, HEIC (the default on many iPhones), WebP, and PDF files are not JPEGs, so convert them before you upload. A black-and-white photo does not meet the color rule.
Head size and position
The composition template says the head, from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, must be between 50% and 69% of the image height. On a 600×600 photo that is roughly 300 to 414 pixels. The eyes should sit between 56% and 69% of the image height, measured from the bottom, which is about 336 to 414 pixels up from the bottom edge.
The most common framing mistakes are a head that is too small (a selfie taken from arm’s length, cropped loosely), a head that is too large (a close-up with the chin or hair cut off), and a head that is not centered or is tilted. You should face the camera directly, with a neutral expression and both eyes open.
Background and lighting
The photo must be taken in front of a plain white or off-white background. Patterned walls, doors, curtains, and outdoor scenes do not qualify. Shadows also cause trouble: a shadow behind your head on the wall, or a shadow across one side of your face, can make a photo unacceptable. Stand a short step away from a light wall and face a window or an even light source.
The most common rejection reasons
The State Department does not publish rejection statistics, but its rules and photo examples make the usual problems clear. These are the problems they point to most often.
1. Wrong pixel size or not square
An uncropped phone photo, or a crop that is a few pixels off square. Fix: crop to exactly 600×600.
2. File larger than 240 kB
Usually caused by a large image or maximum JPEG quality. Fix: resize to 600×600 and save at a normal quality setting.
3. Glasses
The DV-2026 instructions say “Do not wear eyeglasses.” The general visa photo page allows glasses only in rare medical cases with a signed medical statement. Sunglasses are not allowed either. Take the photo again without glasses.
4. Background that is not plain white or off-white
Gray, colored, or patterned backgrounds, and visible shadows. Retake against a plain light wall, or use a tool that only cleans the background without changing your face.
5. Old or reused photo
The photo must be taken within the last 6 months and show how you look now. The DV-2026 instructions also say that submitting the same photograph that you submitted with a prior year’s entry will make you ineligible. Take a new photo every year.
6. Edited or retouched photo
The photo page says photos “must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance in any way.” Beauty filters, skin smoothing, and face reshaping all count. Cropping, resizing, and a clean background are a different matter: they do not change your features.
7. Hats, headphones, and covered hairline
Hats and head coverings that hide the hair or hairline are not allowed unless worn daily for a religious purpose, with the full face visible and no shadow on the face. Headphones and wireless hands-free devices are not acceptable.
8. Scans and snapshots
A photo copied or scanned from a driver’s license or other official document is not acceptable. Neither are snapshots, magazine photos, low-quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, or full-length photos.
How to check your photo before you submit
- Take a new photo in good, even light against a plain white or off-white wall, without glasses.
- Run it through the free DV Lottery photo checker. It reports each rule as pass, warning, or fail, with a fix for anything that fails.
- If you would rather not crop it yourself, make a DV photo from your upload: the photo is cropped to 600×600 with the head at the DV size and the background made white, and your facial features are not changed.
- Confirm the file is a .jpg, 600×600 pixels, and 240 kB or less, then enter at dvprogram.state.gov during the official entry period.
Remember that no tool can promise acceptance. A State Department employee makes the final decision on whether a photo is acceptable, and the entry itself is free. This site is an independent photo service and is not affiliated with the U.S. government.