Make My Passport Photo › All photo sizes › DS-160 photo
DS-160 Photo Requirements: 600×600 px, JPEG, Under 240 KB
The DS-160 is the online nonimmigrant visa application, and it asks you to upload a photo rather than post a print. That means the file itself has to satisfy a technical specification, not just show your face correctly. Most rejected uploads fail on the file, not the photograph: wrong format, over the size limit, or not square.
Make a DS-160 photo now, free preview →The exact digital specification
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | Square — height must equal width |
| Minimum dimensions | 600 × 600 pixels |
| Maximum dimensions | 1200 × 1200 pixels |
| File format | JPEG only |
| Maximum file size | 240 KB |
| Colour | 24 bits per pixel, sRGB |
| Compression ratio | 20:1 or lower |
Source: the State Department's Digital Image Requirements. Requirements can change, so check before you submit.
The four reasons uploads get rejected
The file is not a JPEG. Phones increasingly save as HEIC, and design tools default to PNG. Both are refused however good the photograph is. This is the single most common technical failure.
The file is over 240 KB. A modern phone photo is several megabytes. It has to be compressed, but compressing too aggressively can breach the 20:1 compression guidance, so there is a band to hit rather than simply "make it smaller".
The image is not square. Phone cameras shoot 4:3 or 3:4. The photo has to be cropped to a true square, and cropping to a square is not the same as squashing a rectangle into one.
The image is under 600 pixels. This one is insidious, because it usually happens while trying to fix the size problem. Shrinking an image is the easiest way to get under 240 KB, and it is very easy to drop below the 600 pixel floor without noticing.
What this tool does about it
Select a United States document and a preset appears in the digital file options. One click sets 600 pixels and 240 KB. From there the tool does three things you would otherwise have to watch for yourself:
It clamps the pixel size to the legal 600 to 1200 range, so a mistyped number cannot produce a file outside the specification.
It never shrinks below 600 pixels to hit the file size. It reduces JPEG quality first, and stops rather than crossing the minimum. This is the failure mode most tools fall into.
You also get a second, full quality copy of the same photo, so the compressed upload version never gets printed by mistake.
The State Department states that photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance in any way, and its passport guidance adds that you must not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence. Because of that, this tool switches background replacement and the brightness, contrast, colour and sharpness controls off automatically when you select a US document. Cropping, straightening and resizing are formatting rather than alteration, so those stay available. Get the background right in the camera: a plain white or off white wall in even light, with no shadow behind you. Read the official rule.
What this tool does not do
It sizes and formats the file. It does not judge whether the photograph itself is acceptable. It does not measure your expression, check for glare on glasses, detect shadows on the background, or verify eye position. A Department of State employee makes the final decision, and no online tool can promise otherwise. Treat the checklist below as yours to satisfy, not ours.
Neutral expression with your mouth closed. Both eyes open and visible. No glasses. No hat or head covering unless worn daily for religious reasons, with the full face visible. Even lighting with no shadow on your face or the wall behind you. A photo taken within the last six months.
Using a scanned print instead
If you already have a printed 2 by 2 inch photo, you can scan it rather than starting again. Scan at 300 pixels per inch, which produces exactly 600 by 600 pixels, then save as JPEG under 240 KB. The same no-editing rule applies to the scan.
Open the tool and apply the DS-160 preset →