The visa photo — US Visa Application: The DS-160 Form

You upload a digital photo with your DS-160. A photo that breaks the rules is one of the most common reasons for delays, so get it right before you start.

The rules for the photo itself

Taken in the last six months, showing how you look now.
In colour, against a plain white or off-white background.
Full face, looking straight at the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open.
No eyeglasses. Glasses are no longer allowed in visa photos (except in rare medical cases with a signed statement).
No hats or head coverings, except those worn daily for religious purposes. A religious head covering must not hide your face or cast shadows on it.
No headphones or wireless devices.
Not edited or filtered to change your appearance. Casual snapshots and selfie-style phone photos are not accepted.

Four portrait photos side by side: the first is correct with a tick, the other three have crosses: one with glasses, one with a dark shadowed background, one with the head tilted — 1 correct: plain light background, face straight and evenly lit. 2 glasses are not allowed. 3 dark background and shadows. 4 head tilted and not facing the camera.

The rules for the digital file

Rule	Requirement
Shape	Square (width equals height)
Size in pixels	At least 600 × 600, at most 1200 × 1200
File type	JPEG (.jpg)
File size	240 kB or less
Colour	Colour (sRGB)

A square photo frame with a head inside; arrows show the head takes up between half and two thirds of the frame's height — The head, from chin to the top of the hair, should be 50% to 69% of the photo's height, with the face in the middle.

How to get a good photo

A photo studio that knows US visa photos is the easiest option. Ask for the digital file, not only prints.
If you take it yourself: stand in front of a plain white wall, use daylight from in front of you (not behind), ask someone else to hold the camera at your eye level, and crop to a square.
The DS-160 checks the photo when you upload it. If it is rejected, read the reason, fix that one thing and try again.

If the upload fails

If your confirmation page later shows an "X" instead of your photo, the upload did not work. Bring one printed photo that meets the same rules to your interview, together with the confirmation page, and follow the embassy's instructions.

Practice task (20 min)

Get a recent visa photo from a studio, or take one against a plain white wall with someone else holding the camera.
Check it against every rule in the lesson: no glasses, white background, square, 600 to 1200 pixels, JPEG of 240 kB or less.
Write down any rule it breaks and fix it before you start the form.