US visa photo rules

A square JPEG between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, at most 240 kB, with the head 50 to 69 percent of the image height. The numbers come from the State Department’s visa photo pages.

$9.90 one-time, USD · test mode Price in US dollars. Before you pay, the checkout page shows the amount in the currency of your billing country where Dodo Payments supports it, plus any tax due.

We check your photo against the published US visa digital image rules and frame it on your face as a square JPEG within the published size and file limits, ready to upload. We replace the background, correct the brightness or contrast, or soften shine on the skin only if you ask for it and confirm that such a photo may be rejected, and we never change your features or the shape of your face. We do not submit anything for you, and the Department of State decides whether to accept the photo.

What the authority does not publish

None of the three visa photo pages shows a last-updated date.
The pages do not say whether 240 kB means 240,000 or 245,760 bytes. We use 240,000.
The Department of State publishes no tolerance on the square aspect ratio.
The alteration ban does not define whether editing the background changes "your appearance", so we replace the background only if you ask for it.

What you get

Your original photo. The file you uploaded, unchanged.
Photo file for the online application. Your photo framed on your face and saved as a JPEG within the size and file limits this application publishes, ready to upload.
Your checked report. Every rule we measured, what we found and which rules were not checked, with the Department of State’s wording next to each one.

Sources

Sources checked on 2026-09-20. Issued by U.S. Department of State, Visa Services.

What we do not claim

We cannot promise that an authority will accept a photo, and we do not submit applications for you. The issuing authority always decides.

← Back to all documents