US visa photo (DS-160)

Produce a square JPEG in the 600x600 to 1200x1200 range, under 240 KB, for the DS-160 photo upload.

Prepare your file

600 × 600 pxunder 240 KB

JPEG, PNG, WebP or BMP. You can also drag a file here.

The file stays in this tab. It is not uploaded.

What this form requires

Official rules and our own recommendations are labelled separately, so you can tell which is which.

  • Official requirementThe image must be square — width and height equal.
  • Official requirementBetween 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels.
  • Official requirementJPEG format. PNG, HEIC and HEIF are not accepted.
  • Official requirementFile size no larger than 240 KB. No minimum is stated.
  • Official requirementThe file must use the sRGB colour space.
  • Official requirementTaken within the last 6 months, in colour, with no filters or digital alteration.
  • Official requirementEyeglasses are not permitted.
  • Calculated from the official figureThis tool exports at 600 x 600, the lower end of the accepted range, because it produces the smallest file for the 240 KB ceiling.
  • DocuFix recommendationHead height around 50-69% of the frame gives the most headroom against the automated check.

Requirements last reviewed against the sources below on .

What causes rejections

  • Uploading an iPhone photo still in HEIC, or in the Display P3 colour space instead of sRGB. Both are rejected by the automated check even when the pixel dimensions are right.
  • Exceeding 240 KB. This is the single most common upload failure.
  • Cropping from a social media profile picture, which usually has the wrong head position and background.
  • Uploading a screenshot, which carries the wrong pixel dimensions and extra compression.

What this tool can and cannot check

Checked automatically

  • Exact pixel dimensions
  • File size under 240 KB
  • JPEG output in the sRGB colour space
  • That the file is a real image, not a renamed HEIC or PDF
  • Background evenness, brightness and colour cast

Judged by a person or the portal

  • Whether your expression is neutral
  • Whether hair or a head covering obscures your face
  • Whether the photo is recent enough
  • Head height, which the crop guide targets but does not measure
  • Whether the photograph is genuinely of you

Passing every automated check here does not mean your application will be accepted. It means the file will not fail for a technical reason.

How your image is handled

Your file is read into this page, decoded, drawn onto a canvas at the target size and re-encoded. Every step runs on your device. No network request carries the image, so nothing is stored on our side and nothing can be recovered from us later.

Re-encoding through a canvas also converts the file to the sRGB colour space and strips the original EXIF metadata, including any location tag your camera wrote into it.

What this does and does not protect against

Questions

Why does CEAC reject my photo even though it is 600 x 600?
The most frequent causes are file size over 240 KB, a non-sRGB colour profile such as Display P3, or a HEIC file renamed to .jpg. This tool re-encodes to a standard sRGB JPEG and compresses inside the 240 KB limit, which addresses all three.
Can I wear glasses?
No. The Department of State stopped accepting photos with eyeglasses in November 2016, apart from a documented medical exemption.
What if the upload still fails?
You can complete the DS-160 by selecting the option to provide a photo at your interview, then bring printed 2 x 2 inch photos. Confirm with your embassy first, as not all posts accept this.

Sources

  1. [1]U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs — Photo requirements — digital image requirements

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the source.