United States DV lottery photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by U.S. Department of State for the United States DV lottery, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the United States DV lottery photo?
The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery entry takes a digital photo, not a print: a square color JPEG of exactly 600 x 600 pixels, 240 kB or smaller, taken in the last 6 months. The head fills 50% to 69% of the image height, on a plain white or off-white background, with no glasses. Your spouse and each unmarried child under 21 need their own photo. A photo that breaks the rules, has been manipulated, or was used in an earlier year's entry can make you ineligible.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, often called the green card lottery, is run by the U.S. Department of State. You enter online through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website during a limited registration period each year, and the photo is uploaded inside that one online entry form. Paper and late entries are not accepted, and a photo cannot be sent separately from the form.
The photo carries more weight here than in most applications. The State Department disqualifies entries that lack the required photos or include invalid ones. If you are selected, the consular officer looks at the entry photo again when deciding your visa, and a photo that did not meet that program year's specifications is a ground for refusal. Reusing the photo from a previous year's entry also makes you ineligible.
A rule in force since April 10, 2026, which the State Department is implementing with the DV-2027 program, adds a second upload: a scan of the entrant's valid passport biographic and signature page, unless an exemption applies. That scan is separate from the photo.
United States DV lottery photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by U.S. Department of State:[1]
| Print size | Digital only; a scanned print must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Exactly 600 x 600 pixels, square (height equals width) |
| Head height | 50% to 69% of the image height, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head |
| Eye line | 56% to 69% of the image height, measured up from the bottom of the image |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Colour | Color |
| Photo age | Taken within the last 6 months; never the photo from a previous year's entry |
| File size | 240 kB or less |
| File format | JPEG (.jpg) |
| Print quality | Scanned prints: scan at 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per mm) |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
You may be ineligible for a DV if the entry photographs for you and your family members do not fully meet these specifications or have been manipulated in any way.
Key requirements
- One image per person
Upload a separate photo for yourself, your spouse and each unmarried child under 21 on the entry. A family member who is already a U.S. citizen or permanent resident needs no photo, though adding one is not penalized.
- Exactly 600 x 600 pixels
Each file is a square color JPEG of 600 x 600 pixels and no more than 240 kB. The DV instructions list that single size, not a range.
- New photo every year
The photo must be under 6 months old. Submitting the same photo you used in an earlier year's entry makes you ineligible for a DV.
- No manipulation
Do not edit, enhance or retouch the image. The instructions warn that a photo manipulated in any way may make you ineligible, and the State Department screens entries for duplicate and non-compliant photos.
- No glasses, religious headwear only
Eyeglasses and sunglasses are not allowed. A hat or head covering is acceptable only when worn for religious reasons and must not hide any part of the face.
- Checked again at the interview
If you are selected, the consular officer reviews the entry photo when adjudicating your visa. A photo that did not meet the program year's specifications, or that does not show you, is grounds for refusal.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Take a new photo for each year's entry.
- Save each photo as a 600 x 600 pixel JPEG of 240 kB or less.
- Have every family member's photo ready before you open the form.
- Scan a print at 300 pixels per inch if you are not using a digital camera.
- Face the camera directly in front of a plain white or off-white wall.
- Lay a baby on a plain white sheet to photograph it.
Don't
- Do not reuse the photo from a previous DV entry.
- Do not wear eyeglasses or sunglasses.
- Do not retouch, filter or otherwise manipulate the image.
- Do not wear a cap or other non-religious headgear.
- Do not use a snapshot, a magazine photo or a picture copied from an ID card.
- Do not submit more than one entry for the same person.
Sample photos
How a United States DV lottery photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are not allowed in DV entry photos. The DV instructions say plainly not to wear eyeglasses, and the federal regulation for DV entries rules out eyeglasses, sunglasses and any other item that blocks the view of the face.
Neither the DV instructions nor the regulation describes an exception for the entry photo. DV entry photos are held to the same standard as U.S. visa photos, where glasses are allowed only in rare medical cases backed by a signed medical statement, so take your glasses off even if you wear them all day.
Headwear and religious dress
Head coverings are accepted only for religious reasons. Under the DV regulation, a religious hat or covering must not hide any part of the face, and tribal, military, airline or other headgear that is not specifically religious is refused. The entry instructions add that a covering must not hide your hair or hairline unless worn daily for religion, and must not throw shadows on your face.
For clothing, wear what you normally wear each day; uniforms are out except religious clothing worn daily. Take off headphones and wireless hands-free devices. A hearing device you normally wear may stay in the picture.
Babies and children
List every living, unmarried child under 21, whether or not the child lives with you or plans to immigrate, and upload an individual photo of each one that meets the same specifications as yours. Leaving out an eligible spouse, or listing someone who is not your spouse, may make you and your family ineligible.
For babies, the DV instructions suggest laying the child on a plain white or off-white sheet, or covering a car seat with one, with nobody else in the picture and no shadows on the face. The child should be looking at the camera with eyes open.
Printed and digital photos
The entry is digital only. You can take a new digital photo or scan a recent print; if you scan, the print must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) and scanned at 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per mm). A digital photo can be cropped and resized to 600 x 600 pixels.
You do not need your own scanner: the instructions allow someone else to scan the photo and send you the file, as long as you have it ready when you submit the entry. Printed photos come later, and only if you are selected: selectees bring two identical 2 x 2 inch prints on photo-quality paper to the immigrant visa interview.
Where to submit the photo
The photos go into the E-DV entry form on the State Department's E-DV website and nowhere else; photo and form are submitted together. Once you open the form you have 60 minutes to complete and submit it, after which the system discards what you entered, so prepare every photo first. If the system rejects your entry, you can resubmit within the registration period without penalty.
After you submit, a confirmation screen shows your name and a unique confirmation number. Keep it: you need it to check whether you were selected. The State Department encourages entrants to fill in the form themselves, or to be present if someone helps, rather than leaving it to a paid agent.
How to get your United States DV lottery photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the United States DV lottery: 2 × 2 in print, 600 × 600 px digital file, plain white or off-white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one image per person; exactly 600 x 600 pixels; new photo every year; no manipulation.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The entry is digital only. You can take a new digital photo or scan a recent print; if you scan, the print must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) and scanned at 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per mm). A digital photo can be cropped and resized to 600 x 600 pixels.
- Submit the photo with your application. The photos go into the E-DV entry form on the State Department's E-DV website and nowhere else; photo and form are submitted together.
United States DV lottery photo FAQ
The DV entry photo is a digital file of exactly 600 x 600 pixels, square, in color, saved as a JPEG of 240 kB or less. If you scan a print, it must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) and scanned at 300 pixels per inch. The head should take up 50% to 69% of the image height.
No. The DV instructions say that submitting the same photograph you used for a prior year's entry will make you ineligible. Take a new photo for every entry; it must also be no more than 6 months old.
No. The DV instructions tell entrants not to wear eyeglasses, and the DV regulation also excludes sunglasses and anything else that blocks the view of the face. No exception is described for the entry photo.
Yes. Include a separate photo of your spouse and of each unmarried child under 21, even if they do not live with you or will not immigrate. You can leave out the photo for a family member who is already a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
The State Department disqualifies entries with missing or invalid photos. If a non-compliant photo gets through and you are selected, the consular officer reviews the entry photo again at the visa interview and can refuse the visa because of it. If the photo is not of you, the officer may also consider a refusal for misrepresentation.
The DV instructions warn that a photo manipulated in any way may make you ineligible. The plain white or off-white background has to be there when the photo is taken, so photograph yourself against a plain light wall instead of editing the picture.
Not for the entry, which takes only the digital image. If you are selected, you bring two identical 2 x 2 inch photos printed on photo-quality paper to your immigrant visa interview.
Yes, under a rule in force since April 10, 2026 that the State Department is implementing with the DV-2027 program. Entrants give their valid passport details and upload a JPEG scan of the passport's biographic and signature page, no larger than 5 MB, unless exempt. PDF files are not accepted for the scan.
Related photo specifications
Other United States documents
- Passport photo 2 × 2 in
- U.S. passport card photo 2 × 2 in
- Visa photo 2 × 2 in
- REAL ID driver's licence or ID card photo
- Employment authorization photo 2 × 2 in
- Green card photo 2 × 2 in
- Citizenship photo 2 × 2 in
- Global entry and TSA PreCheck photo
- Reentry permit and form i-131 travel documents photo 2 × 2 in
- NY MTA MetroCard for seniors photo 1.5 × 2 in
- New york pistol licence photo 1.5 × 1.5 in
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Canada visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- United States visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Barbados visa photo
- Belize visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Costa Rica visa photo 50 × 50 mm
- Cuba visa photo 45 × 45 mm
- Dominican Republic visa photo 40 × 50 mm
- Mexico visa photo
Also 2 × 2 in
- American Samoa passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Armenia eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize residence permit photo 2 × 2 in
- Democratic Republic of the Congo passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Egypt visa photo 2 × 2 in
- All United States photo specifications
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 2 × 2 in photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements: Diversity Visa Program travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Instructions for the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2026) travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Diversity Visa Program: Submit an Entry travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Photo Composition Template travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Federal Register, U.S. Government Publishing Office. Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (91 FR 11891, amends 22 CFR 42.33) govinfo.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 502.6 Diversity Immigrant Visas fam.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Digital Image Requirements travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Photo Frequently Asked Questions travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Federal Register. Diversity Visa vetting and fraud final rule, 91 FR 11891 (March 11, 2026) federalregister.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Photo cropping tool tsg.phototool.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Diversity Visa Instructions travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with U.S. Department of State before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
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"United States DV lottery photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/united-states/dv-lottery-photo