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United States visa photo

United States visa photo requirements: 51 × 51 mm. Check background, head position, expression, glasses and print or digital format. Official document-specific guidance

No registrationDigital file + print sheetPublic source-backed rules

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First the portrait, then the document and only the settings that matter.

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Choose a portrait from the gallery or use the camera
Face forwardEven lightingNo heavy shadowsNeutral expression
Start with the portrait first so the correct format and rules can be applied to the selected document.
Step 2

Review the photo and choose the document

Just the preview, the document and a few necessary options.

What you get
Ready digital file
Download a normalized file for online forms, uploads and personal storage.
Print sheet
The same result can be exported as a print-ready sheet for common paper sizes.
Rules matched to the document
Format 51 × 51 mm. This page is checked against public document-specific guidance.
1 Upload a portrait
2 Select the document
3 Download the result
Processing photo…
AI adapts your portrait to the selected document. Usually 30–60 seconds.
Result
Why This Page Is Practical
No registration
Open the workflow from this page directly without creating an account.
Digital + print
The same result gives you a normalized digital file and a print sheet for common paper sizes.
Source transparency
This page shows the source authority, verification level and last verified date.
Route-aware rules
This workflow is tuned for documents that still accept applicant photos.

What this page covers

This page summarizes the photo rules for United States visa photo. The main print format is 51 × 51 mm.

Use the checklist below to confirm background, face position, glasses and lighting, then prepare the file online with PhotoDocs.

The reference source for this profile is U.S. Department of State.

Source and verification

VerificationOfficial document-specific guidance
SourceU.S. Department of State
Last verified2026-04-13

This page follows document-specific public guidance published by U.S. Department of State.

Official U.S. visa photo rules were verified on 2026-04-13 using U.S. Department of State sources. The Department of State requires a recent photo taken within the last 6 months, square 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) for print, or a square digital image in JPEG from 600 × 600 up to 1200 × 1200 px and not larger than 240 kB. The composition template sets the head height at 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches on paper, equivalent to 50-69% of image height for digital files, with the eye line 56-69% from the bottom. The background must be white or off-white, the face must look directly at the camera with both eyes open, and glasses are not allowed except rare medical exceptions.

How this page is checked
Structured document profile
This page is maintained as a document profile inside PhotoDocs, not as a generic blog post or a broad passport-photo landing page.
Source and verification
The requirements on this page are tied to U.S. Department of State. The page shows its verification level and the last checked date 2026-04-13.
Where AI is used
AI is used to prepare the output photo. Source links, requirement notes and verification labels are stored in the page data and are not inferred from the uploaded portrait.

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Photo requirements

Format 51 × 51 mm
Digital file 600 × 600 px
Head height 50–69%
Background Plain white or off-white background without shadows or foreign objects.
Pose Strict full-face view, looking fully into the camera, with no tilt or turn.
Expression Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open.
Glasses Glasses are not allowed, except for rare medical exceptions.
Lighting Even lighting, without shadows, glare or digital changes to the appearance.
Head covering Only for religious reasons and without covering the facial outline.

How to take this photo correctly

  • Start with a recent, sharp portrait for United States visa photo.
  • Keep the pose aligned with the rule: Strict full-face view, looking fully into the camera, with no tilt or turn.
  • Use a clean setup that matches the required background: Plain white or off-white background without shadows or foreign objects.
  • Check eyewear before submission: Glasses are not allowed, except for rare medical exceptions.

Common reasons this photo gets rejected

  • The background does not match the rule: Plain white or off-white background without shadows or foreign objects.
  • The head is tilted, too close to the edge or cropped too tightly.
  • Glasses, glare, hair or shadows make the eyes hard to see.
  • The facial expression does not match the rule: Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open.

More document photo pages for United States

DV Lottery photo 51 × 51 mm · Official document-specific guidance EAD work permit photo 51 × 51 mm · Official public guidance United States naturalization certificate photo 51 × 51 mm · Official public guidance United States passport photo 51 × 51 mm · Official document-specific guidance US Green Card photo 51 × 51 mm · Official public guidance

Same document type in other countries: visa

Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm · ICAO-derived baseline Azerbaijan visa photo 35 × 45 mm · Official public guidance Belarus visa photo 35 × 45 mm · Official document-specific guidance Bulgaria visa photo 35 × 45 mm · Official document-specific guidance China visa photo 33 × 48 mm · Official document-specific guidance Croatia visa photo 35 × 45 mm · Official document-specific guidance Cyprus visa photo 35 × 45 mm · Official document-specific guidance Egypt visa photo 51 × 51 mm · Official public guidance Georgia visa photo 35 × 45 mm · Official public guidance India visa photo 51 × 51 mm · Official public guidance

FAQ

51 × 51 mm. Digital file: 600 × 600 px.
Plain white or off-white background without shadows or foreign objects. Strict full-face view, looking fully into the camera, with no tilt or turn. Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open.
Glasses are not allowed, except for rare medical exceptions. Only for religious reasons and without covering the facial outline.
This page follows document-specific public guidance published by U.S. Department of State.
Yes. Start with a sharp, evenly lit portrait and let PhotoDocs crop and normalize the output for the selected document.