Photo for U.S. visa: requirements

An integral part of your U.S. visa application is the visa photo. Firstly, if the correct photo is provided to the embassy, your chances of obtaining entry permission will increase. One of the main reasons for denial is that you may not provide all the documents, or one of these documents may be incorrectly formatted. Such requirements also apply to the photo for a U.S. visa. Secondly, without a photo, no one will accept your visa application, as your digital image must be present in the passport along with the new entry permit.

Main Photo Requirements

The requirements for a U.S. visa photo apply to almost all image characteristics, including photo size and image nature. As mentioned earlier, if the requirements for a U.S. visa photo are not met, it can significantly slow down the processing of your documents and even lead to a denial of entry permission.

U.S. visa photo requirements for 2017 (main):

• Face size.

It should occupy approximately 69% of the photo’s height. The eye level line should be approximately 60% from the bottom of the photo.

• Size of the U.S. visa photo.

A photo with a minimum size of 50×50 mm is accepted for consideration, meaning the height and width should be equal in proportion.

• Recency.

When applying for a U.S. visa, the photo must be taken within the last 180 days before the start of the document submission. Otherwise, embassy staff may require you to provide a new photo.

U.S. visa photo requirements for 2017 (additional):

• Head position.

The position of your head in the photo plays an important role during the photo review by embassy staff. The head should be centered in the photo, and the face should be fully visible. These photo requirements can be met if you keep your head straight without turning your torso to the side.

• Open eyes.

You must be depicted in the photo with open eyes, looking directly at the camera without blinking.

• Background and shadows.

One of the additional conditions that must be met is the image background. It should be white (a U.S. visa photo is also accepted with a gray background). It is strictly prohibited for glare and shadows from foreign objects to fall on the face or background during the photo shoot.

• Naturalness.

One of the non-mandatory requirements is naturalness. You should feel at ease and have a natural facial expression (without any smirks or signs of aggression).

U.S. visa photo requirements for 2017 for electronic versions:

• Format.

Only a U.S. visa photo in electronic form with a JPEG graphic format and a color depth of 24-bit is accepted for consideration.

• File size.

Must not exceed 240 KB (with a compression ratio of no more than 10:1).

• Photo size.

Minimum – 600×600 pixels*, maximum – 1200×1200.

*Note: 1 pixel = 0.26 mm.

How is the photo submitted to the embassy?

You can submit a U.S. visa photo either in electronic form or as a printed version along with the document package. Before printing the photo for a U.S. visa, it is important to ensure that:

• special photo paper is used for printing;
• the printer or MFP can print high-quality photos.