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United States employment authorization photo requirements

The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for the United States employment authorization, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 10 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the United States employment authorization photo?

The Form I-765 instructions ask for two identical 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) color passport-style photos, taken recently, with the head 1 to 1 3/8 inches from hair to chin on a white to off-white background, printed glossy and never edited. Since December 12, 2025, USCIS policy rules out self-submitted photos for its secure documents, and USCIS says it makes the card from the biometrics it collects, reusing a biometrics photo only if no more than 36 months old.

The Employment Authorization Document (EAD), Form I-766, is the work permit card that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues to eligible foreign nationals who apply on Form I-765. Applicants include asylum seekers with a pending case, people adjusting status, parolees, Temporary Protected Status holders, DACA recipients and F-1 students on Optional Practical Training. You can file on paper by mail, and several categories can also file online through a USCIS account.

On photos, the official guidance has split. The I-765 instructions (edition 08/21/25, the edition USCIS is accepting) still list two identical passport-style photos among the required documents, and the USCIS initial evidence checklist does the same. A USCIS policy in force since December 12, 2025 says the agency will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs; only photos taken by USCIS or other authorized entities are used. USCIS also states that it uses the biometrics collected for an I-765 to produce the card.

Because the instructions still require them, send the prints with your filing, and expect a biometrics appointment notice. USCIS may reuse a photo it took of you at an earlier appointment if no more than 36 months have passed when you file, but it can always ask for a new one.

United States employment authorization photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:[1]

Print size2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
Digital sizeNo pixel size set: online filers scan the prints or photograph them with a phone
Head height1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm), top of hair to bottom of chin
Eye lineTop of the eyes 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches above the bottom of the photo
BackgroundWhite to off-white
ColourColor
Photo ageTaken recently; a reused USCIS biometrics photo must be no more than 36 months old when you file
File sizeOnline uploads: each file 12 MB or smaller
File formatOnline uploads: generally PDF, JPG or JPEG
Print qualityThin photo paper with a glossy finish; unmounted and unretouched
Pixels when printed600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
2 in2 in25–35 mm
2 × 2 in photo drawn to scale, with the 25–35 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: white to off-white.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Please remember that photos submitted to USCIS must be unmounted and unretouched. Unretouched means the photos must not be edited or digitally enhanced.

I-765, Application for Employment Authorization[2]

Key requirements

  • A matching pair of prints

    The I-765 instructions call for two identical color passport-style photographs of the applicant, taken recently. Order both from one shot rather than sending two different pictures.

  • Measurements

    Each print is 2 by 2 inches and shows the full face from the front. From the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin the head measures 1 to 1 3/8 inches, and the top of the eyes sits 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches above the lower edge.

  • No editing of any kind

    USCIS reminds I-765 filers that photos must be unretouched, which it defines as not edited or digitally enhanced. A mounted or retouched photo delays the case and can lead USCIS to call you to an Application Support Center to verify your identity.

  • Card photo from biometrics

    Under USCIS policy since December 12, 2025, self-submitted photos are not used to make secure documents. USCIS uses the biometrics collected for your I-765 to produce the EAD, so attend the appointment when a notice arrives.

  • Three-year reuse window

    If USCIS photographed you at a biometrics appointment no more than 36 months before the date you file, it may reuse that photo for the new card. It keeps the discretion to require a fresh photograph anyway.

  • Religious headwear only

    In the prints your head must be bare, unless you wear headwear that your religious denomination requires.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Check the edition date on the I-765 page before you file.
  • Print both photos from the same original shot.
  • Stand in front of a white or off-white background.
  • Mark the back of each print lightly with your name and any A-Number, in pencil or felt pen.
  • Scan the prints clearly, or photograph them with your phone, if you file online.
  • Attend the biometrics appointment on your USCIS notice and bring photo ID.

Don't

  • Do not edit, filter or digitally enhance the photos.
  • Do not send mounted photos.
  • Do not wear a hat or cap unless your religion requires headwear.
  • Do not skip the biometrics appointment; USCIS may deny the application.
  • Do not count on USCIS reusing an older photo; it may require a new one.

Sample photos

How a United States employment authorization 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.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

The Form I-765 instructions do not mention eyeglasses at all. The rules they do set for the prints are a full face seen from the front and a photo that has not been retouched.

For the card itself, USCIS says it works from the biometrics it collects: normally a photo taken on its own equipment at an Application Support Center, or one reused from an appointment no more than 36 months before you filed.

Headwear and religious dress

For the I-765 prints, the instructions require a bare head with one exception: headwear required by your religious denomination. Medical or fashion headwear is not given as an exception.

The full-face, frontal view still applies when you keep a religious covering on, so it should frame the face rather than cover any part of it.

Babies and children

The photos must show the applicant, so a child who files Form I-765 needs prints of the child, not of a parent or of the family together. A parent or legal guardian may sign the form for an applicant under 14.

The same age line applies at the Application Support Center: a child younger than 14 is not required to give a signature there, though the child may sign if able.

A paper filing goes by mail with two physical prints, 2 x 2 inches, glossy, on thin photo paper. If your photo is a digital file, a photo lab can print it at that size on a 4 x 6 inch sheet; check each square with a ruler before you cut it out.

USCIS accepts online I-765 filings for categories (a)(12), (c)(3)(A), (c)(3)(B), (c)(3)(C), (c)(8), (c)(11), (c)(19) and (c)(33). Its online filing guidance says that where passport-style photos are required, you scan them or take a picture of them with your phone and upload the image with your evidence. Uploads are generally PDF, JPG or JPEG files of no more than 12 MB each. No pixel size is set.

Neither route supplies the photo on the card itself. USCIS says it uses the biometrics collected for an I-765 to produce the Employment Authorization Document.

Where to submit the photo

Mail a paper Form I-765, with the photos, to the USCIS address for your eligibility category. USCIS changed the I-765 filing locations on October 7, 2026, so check its Direct Filing Addresses page before you post the package. Online filers create a USCIS online account, complete the form there and upload the evidence.

USCIS may then schedule a biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center. Bring the appointment notice and valid photo identification, such as a passport or driver's license. If the application is approved, USCIS mails the card, or may ask you to collect it at a local USCIS office.

How to get your United States employment authorization photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the United States employment authorization: 2 × 2 in print, white to off-white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: a matching pair of prints; measurements; no editing of any kind; card photo from biometrics.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. A paper filing goes by mail with two physical prints, 2 x 2 inches, glossy, on thin photo paper. If your photo is a digital file, a photo lab can print it at that size on a 4 x 6 inch sheet; check each square with a ruler before you cut it out.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Mail a paper Form I-765, with the photos, to the USCIS address for your eligibility category. USCIS changed the I-765 filing locations on October 7, 2026, so check its Direct Filing Addresses page before you post the package.

Make this photo online

United States employment authorization photo FAQ

Two identical color photos, each 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with a full-face frontal view on a white to off-white background. The head measures 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, and the top of the eyes sits 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches above the bottom edge.

The current I-765 instructions and the USCIS initial evidence checklist still list two identical passport-style photos as required, so include them. Separately, USCIS announced on December 12, 2025 that self-submitted photos will no longer be accepted for its secure documents and that only photos taken by USCIS or other authorized entities are used. Treat the prints as required evidence for the application; the card picture is expected to come from your biometrics appointment.

One taken by USCIS. USCIS says it uses the biometrics collected for a Form I-765 to produce the Employment Authorization Document. It may reuse a photo from an earlier biometrics appointment only if no more than 36 months have passed when you file, and it can still require a new photo.

USCIS online filing guidance says that if passport-style photos are required, you scan them or take a picture of them with your phone and upload the image with your evidence. Uploads are generally PDF, JPG or JPEG files of 12 MB or less. The guidance sets no pixel size for the photo.

No. USCIS reminds I-765 applicants that photos must be unmounted and unretouched, and that unretouched means not edited or digitally enhanced. A mounted or retouched photo delays processing and may lead USCIS to require you to appear at an Application Support Center to verify your identity.

Yes, if your religious denomination requires that headwear. Otherwise the instructions say your head must be bare. Either way, the prints must give a full-face, frontal view.

The I-765 instructions do not mention eyeglasses. They require a full-face, frontal view and an unretouched photo. The photo printed on the card is taken separately, by USCIS, at your biometrics appointment.

Possibly. For forms other than the N-400, N-600, I-90 and I-485, USCIS may reuse a photo collected at a biometrics appointment if no more than 36 months have passed at the time you file. It has discretion to require a new photograph instead, and it will not use or reuse photos you supplied yourself.

Related photo specifications

Other United States documents

Residence and work permits nearby

Also 2 × 2 in

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Official sources

  1. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checklist of Required Initial Evidence for Form I-765 uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Alert PA-2025-29: Photograph Reuse for Identity Documents uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part C, Chapter 2: Biometrics Collection uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. New Photo Policy Helps Prevent Immigration Fraud Through Enhanced Identity Verification uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Tips for Filing Forms Online uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  9. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online uscis.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.
  10. U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos travel.state.gov. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"United States employment authorization photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/united-states/employment-authorization-photo

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