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U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs

US visa photo 600x600 JPEG under 240 kB

For a US visa application online (DS-160 or DS-1648) the State Department asks for a square JPEG between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, 240 kB or less, in colour. Choose your photo below and download a 600 × 600 pixel file that fits.

Official limit, checked on 7 October 2026

  1. 1Choose your photo
  2. 2Adjust if needed
  3. 3Download

Your picture stays on this device. It is resized inside your browser and is never uploaded to us.

Already have a photo? Check whether it will pass the US visa form before you upload it.

US visa picture requirements, from the official source

UploadLimitFormatRule
Digital photo (DS-160)Under 240 KBJPEGSquare, 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 pixels, JPEG, 240 kB or less, in colour. Head 50% to 69% of the image height.

In the organisation’s own words

“The image dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 x 1200 pixels.”
“The image must be in color (24 bits per pixel) in sRGB color space which is the common output for most digital cameras.”
“The image must be in JPEG file format”
“The image must be less than or equal to 240 kB (kilobytes).”

Source: Digital Image Requirements, U.S. Visas, travel.state.gov. Checked on 7 October 2026. Limits can change with a new advertisement, so read the current instructions before you apply.

Which applications this applies to

The State Department’s photo requirements page says that applicants filling in the DS-160 or DS-1648 online form upload a digital image as part of the form, and that the digital image must meet the Digital Image Requirements quoted on this page. Entrants to the Diversity Visa programme upload a digital image with the same rules: JPEG, 240 kB or less, square, 600 × 600 pixels.

Immigrant visa applicants using the DS-260, and Diversity Visa selectees, instead bring two identical printed photos to the interview, 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) on photo quality paper. For prints, use the passport size photo maker on this site and choose the 2 × 2 inch size. Some embassies also ask DS-160 applicants to bring one printed photo; the page says to check the instructions of the embassy or consulate where you apply.

What the photo must show

The requirements page says the photo must be in colour, taken within the last 6 months, in front of a plain white or off-white background, in full-face view directly facing the camera, with a neutral expression and both eyes open, in clothing you normally wear. The head must be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm), or 50% to 69% of the image’s total height, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.

It also says uniforms are not allowed except religious clothing worn daily; hats or head coverings that obscure the hair or hairline are not allowed unless worn daily for a religious purpose, and even then the full face must be visible with no shadow; headphones and wireless hands-free devices are not acceptable; and eyeglasses are no longer allowed except in rare medical cases with a signed medical statement. Photos copied or scanned from driver’s licences or other documents, snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable.

What the tool on this page does

It crops your photo to a square and saves a 600 × 600 pixel JPEG under 240 kB, the minimum dimensions the page allows and the size the State Department’s own photo tool produces. Drag the picture so that your head fills a little over half the height of the frame. The page says the image may need to be compressed to stay under the size limit with a compression ratio of 20:1 or less; a 600 × 600 photo saved by this tool is well within that.

The page notes that photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance, and that acceptance of a photo is always at the discretion of the embassy or consulate where you apply. The tool only crops and resizes; it changes nothing in the picture itself.

Questions about the US visa upload

What size is the digital photo for a US visa (DS-160)?
A square JPEG. The State Department’s Digital Image Requirements page says the minimum is 600 × 600 pixels and the maximum 1200 × 1200 pixels, and the file must be less than or equal to 240 kB.
Is 600 × 600 enough, or should I upload 1200 × 1200?
Both are within the stated range. The tool on this page makes 600 × 600, the same as the State Department’s own photo tool. A larger file is not an advantage and must still stay under 240 kB.
Can I use this photo for a US passport application?
The quotes on this page are from the visa requirements. The passport pages on travel.state.gov have their own instructions, so read those before using a file or print for a passport.
What size should the printed photo be?
2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), according to the same page, scanned or printed at 300 pixels per inch. The passport size photo maker on this site makes a 4 × 6 inch sheet of six 2 × 2 inch photos.

Helpful guides

Other forms in United States

This is the first United States form on the site. Other portals that run through the same system usually state the same sizes; check your portal’s help page. For any other limit, the photo resizer takes a KB figure you type in.