Uploading a Digital Photograph

If the photo satisfies all of the requirements listed below, you can capture a brand-new digital image or use a digital scanner to scan a recent image that was shot within the last six months. Photographs used for DV entries must match US visa photographs in terms of composition and quality. Here are some illustrations of appropriate images. Please refrain from submitting any photos that are more than six months old or that don’t adhere to all of the requirements listed below. You might not be eligible for a DV if you submit the same photo you provided with your entry from the previous year, a photo that has been altered, or a photo that doesn’t fit the requirements listed below.

Your digital pictures or photos have to be:

  • In color
  • In focus
  • The head should be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) tall, which is 50–69% of the image’s total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Check out the Photo Composition Template for more information on what sizes are needed.
  •  Taken within the last six months to show how you look now
  • Pictured against a white or off-white background
  • Taken with the whole face facing the camera
  • Both eyes open and wearing a neutral expression
  • Taken while wearing what you would typically wear every day.
  • You shouldn’t wear a uniform in your picture unless it’s daily religious clothes.
  • A hat or other head covering that hides your hair or hairline should not be worn every day unless it is holy. It’s important that your whole face can be seen and that your hat doesn’t cast any shades on it.
  • You can’t have headphones, wireless hands-free gadgets, or other similar things in your picture.
  • Do not wear  eyeglasses.
  • If you normally wear a hearing aid or something similar, you might wear it in your picture.

Look at the Photo Examples to see examples of photos that are okay and photos that are not okay. Photos that have been copied or scanned from driver’s licenses or other official papers are not allowed. Also, you can’t use snapshots, paper photos, low-quality vending machine photos, or full-length photos.

You need to send a digital picture as part of your entry. Your digital picture needs to be:

  • In the JPEG (.jpg) file type
  • File size equal to or less than 240 kB or less
  • In a square aspect ratio (height must equal width)
  • 600×600 pixels in dimension

Would you want to scan a current picture? Apart from meeting the specifications for digital images, your current photo needs to be:

  • 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) 
  • Scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per
    millimeter) 

Taking pictures of your kid or baby

There shouldn’t be anyone else in the picture when you take a picture of your baby or toddler. Your child should be looking at the camera with eyes open.

Tip 1: Place your child on their back on a white or off-white bed. This will keep your baby’s head steady and give the picture a plain background. Make sure that your baby’s face is not in shade, especially if you are taking a picture of them from above while they are lying down.

Tip 2: Put a plain white or off-white sheet over a car seat and take a shot of your child in it. Your baby’s head will also be supported this way.

Scroll to Top