Green Card Photo Requirements: DV Lottery Size & Free Tool

A green card (DV Lottery) photo must be a square JPEG between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, no larger than 240 KB, in color, taken within the last six months, facing the camera on a plain white or off-white background, with no glasses. Your head should fill 50–69% of the image height.

The photo is the most common reason a Diversity Visa entry is disqualified, and the rules are strict because the check is partly automated. The good news: you do not need a studio. A well-lit phone photo, cropped to the right square size, is enough. Below are the exact rules, a step-by-step way to prepare the file for free in your browser, and the mistakes that get entries rejected.

Free toolPassport Photo MakerCrop portraits to standard biometric 35x45 mm or 50x60 mm passport sizes and generate printable sheets directly in your browser without uploading files.Open the tool

Official DV Lottery photo requirements at a glance

These values come from the U.S. Department of State’s DV instructions. Always double-check the current year’s instructions before you submit, since the program can update details.

Requirement	DV entry (digital)	Printed U.S. visa photo
Shape and size	Square, 600x600 to 1200x1200 px	2x2 inches (51x51 mm)
File format	JPEG (.jpg), max 240 KB	Glossy or matte photo paper
Head height	50–69% of image height	1 to 1 3/8 inches (25–35 mm)
Eye height	56–69% from the bottom of the image	1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from bottom
Background	Plain white or off-white	Plain white or off-white
Color	24-bit color (sRGB), no black and white	Color
Age of photo	Taken within the last 6 months	Taken within the last 6 months
Glasses	Not allowed	Not allowed

If you are selected, you will need printed 2x2 inch photos later for the DS-260 immigrant visa interview, so it is worth taking one good photo that can serve both purposes.

How to make a green card photo for free

1. Take the photo: Stand about 1–1.5 meters from a plain white wall with soft light from the front (a window in front of you works well). Have someone else take it at eye level. Look straight at the camera, keep a neutral expression, both eyes open, no glasses, no hat.

2. Convert iPhone photos if needed: Newer iPhones save photos as HEIC, which the DV form does not accept. Convert the file with a HEIC to JPG converter first.

3. Crop to the US 2x2 size: Open the Passport Photo Maker and choose US 2x2 in (51x51 mm). Drag and zoom the crop box so your head fills roughly half to two thirds of the square, with a little space above your hair. The tool exports a 600x600 pixel JPEG at 300 DPI, which is exactly the DV minimum. Your photo is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

4. Check the file size: The DV form rejects files over 240 KB. If your download is larger, run it through an image compressor and lower the quality slightly until it drops under 240 KB. Keep the dimensions at 600x600.

5. Repeat for every family member: Your spouse and each child under 21 listed on the entry needs their own photo that follows the same rules.

6. Upload only on the official site: Submit your entry at dvprogram.state.gov during the registration period. Entry is free.

Free toolPassport Photo MakerCrop portraits to standard biometric 35x45 mm or 50x60 mm passport sizes and generate printable sheets directly in your browser without uploading files.Open the tool

Taking a photo that passes the check

Most rejections come from the photo itself rather than the file settings. Keep these points in mind:

• Lighting: Light should be even across the face. Strong side light creates shadows that can fail the check. Avoid a flash that causes glare on skin.
• Background: Use a truly plain wall. Patterned wallpaper, doors, or visible shadows behind the head are not acceptable.
• Head position: Face the camera directly. Do not tilt or turn your head, and keep your shoulders straight.
• Hair and face: Your full face must be visible from the hairline to the chin. Hair should not cover the eyes.
• Head coverings: Hats are not allowed unless worn daily for religious reasons, and even then the face must be fully visible.
• No editing: Do not use beauty filters, background removal effects, or retouching. Cropping and resizing are fine; changing your appearance is not.

If you only need to adjust the frame and not the size preset, a general image cropper also works, but you must still end up with a square image of at least 600x600 pixels.

Common mistakes

• Reusing last year’s photo: Photos must be taken within six months. Submitting the same photo as a previous entry is a known cause of disqualification. Fix this by taking a new photo every year.
• Wearing glasses: Glasses have not been allowed since 2016, even without glare. Fix this by removing them before the photo.
• Uploading a file over 240 KB: Modern phone photos are several megabytes. Fix this by cropping to 600x600 pixels and compressing the JPEG below 240 KB.
• Wrong shape: A 4:3 or portrait phone photo is rejected. Fix this by cropping to an exact square before upload.
• Head too small or too large: A full-body or waist-up shot fails the 50–69% head-height rule. Fix this by zooming the crop until the head fills about half to two thirds of the height.
• Paying a third-party site: Unofficial sites charge fees for a free program and sometimes submit poor photos. Fix this by entering only at dvprogram.state.gov yourself.

Frequently asked questions

What size must a green card lottery photo be? The Diversity Visa entry photo must be square, between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, saved as a JPEG and no larger than 240 KB. If you scan a printed photo, it must be 2x2 inches scanned at 300 dpi, which gives exactly 600x600 pixels.

Can I wear glasses in my DV Lottery photo? No. Eyeglasses are not allowed in DV entry photos or U.S. visa photos, except in rare documented medical cases. Remove them before the photo is taken.

Can I use the same photo as last year’s entry? No. The photo must be taken within the last six months. Reusing an older photo, or submitting an edited or filtered photo, can get the entry disqualified.

Do my spouse and children need their own photos? Yes. Every person listed on the entry, including your spouse and each eligible child, needs a separate photo that meets the same rules. A missing or non-compliant family photo can disqualify the whole entry.

Is it free to enter the green card lottery? Yes. The DV program entry is free and is submitted only on the official U.S. Department of State website, dvprogram.state.gov. Any site that charges a fee to enter or promises better odds is not the official program.

Prepare your photo before registration opens

Registration for the DV program usually opens in early October and lasts about a month, and the official site slows down near the deadline. Take your photos now, crop them to 600x600 pixels with the free Passport Photo Maker, keep each file under 240 KB, and you will be ready to submit on day one.