United States Visa Photo Online

United States Visa Photo Requirements: A Complete Guide

When you apply for a United States visa, a key requirement is providing photos that meet the prerequisites set by US authorities.

Do I Need to Take a Photo for a United States Visa Application?

You are required to take a United States visa photo if you are a national of one of the countries listed below:

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cabo Verde
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• China
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Macau
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Myanmar
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nepal
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• North Korea
• North Macedonia
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palestine
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Republic of the Congo
• Romania
• Russia
• Rwanda
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Syria
• Tajikistan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Türkiye
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

File format and size

On the other hand, if you are required to upload your photos online, these are the specifications that you photos should meet:

Picture Quality

The pictures you submit for your United States visa application must meet certain standards of quality to be acceptable, which ensure your facial features are visible and recognizable:

• Be sharp without any visible pixels or printer dots.
• Not be blurry so your face in focus and without motion or focus blur.
• In color (not black and white).
• There should be no objects occupying the space behind you and no shadows on you or the background. To prevent shadows, use uniform illumination when taking the photo.
• No flash disruption making your eyes red.

Facial Expression

When you take your United States visa photo, you must:

• Have a neutral facial expression.
• Look straight at the camera.
• Face the camera with a neutral expression, without or smiling or showing your teeth.
• Keep your eyes open so your pupils and irises (colored portions of the eyes) are clearly visible in the photo.

Posture

You must stand straight and not tilt your head.

Attire

Your clothing in the visa photo affects the visibility of your face and the overall quality of the photo. You should wear clothing that you would typically wear on a daily basis when taking your visa photo. Religious attire is allowed unless it covers important features of your face.

If you are employed at a job that requires you wear a uniform to perform daily activites, (such as construction, police, firefighting, nurse etc.) you should take off your uniform when taking your photo.

Accessories

When taking a United States visa photo, it’s important to ensure that you are dressed appropriately and that your photo meets specific requirements. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

Before taking the photo for your a United States visa application, bear in mind that any accessories that cover your face in any way are not allowed.

• Hats or head coverings. You must not wear a hat or head covering, unless you are medically or religiously required to wear one all the time.
• Jewelry.You must not wear jewelry that obscures your face.
• Glasses.You must not wear glasses that cover your eyes, cause glare or shadows, or distort your eyes in any way. If your glasses are medically required, and do not interfere with your facial images, you can keep them on.
• Hearing devices or similar articles If you typically wear a hearing device or other similar articles, you may wear it in your visa photo.

Note: If you must wear a hat or glasses for medical reasons, you must provide a doctor’s statement as valid proof.

How Many Photos Should I Submit for Visa Application

You should provide one photo which was taken in the last six months. If the application is online, one copy of a photo will suffice.

Note: Although for most visa types, one pictures are required, for certain visas, the US embassy may request more or fewer copies of the same picture.

Can I Upload a Scanned Photo?

Yes, you can scan your existing physical photo and use it for your visa application. Make sure you follow the listed directions when you scan the visa photo:

• You must scan one photo at a time.
• The photos must be scanned in color.
• Scan photos clearly so the front and the back are seen.
• Do not put the photo on another piece of paper.

Requirements for Toddlers and Babies

Taking a picture for a visa application of a baby or toddler comes with its own difficulties. They move a lot, and it may be challenging to keep them straight and without closing their eyes or opening their mouth. No matter how difficult it may be, their photo must meet the standard requirements for the United States visa photo. You cannot be in the photo holding them, but you can:

• Place the baby on a white sheet if they cannot stand on their own so they face directly the camera.
• Grab their attention with a toy to make them look straight at the camera and keep their eyes open. It’s okay if they have a soft smile, but they must not be laughing because an open mouth is not allowed in the picture

Although, the same requirements apply for toddlers and babies, the rigidity of the requirements is somewhat more relaxed compared to photos of adults.

Also read: Photo requirments for babies

Should I Print Out the Pictures?

No, because the visa application process is online, you will not be required to print out your visa photo. You have to attach the digital copy of your photo to the application portal, as requested by the US embassy or consulate.

Should I Retake a Photo for US Visa if I Already Have One?

You’ll need to take a new photo if your current photo is older than six months, or:

• You have gained or lost a considerable amount of weight.
• You have undergone surgery because you:
  • Experienced facial trauma
  • Changed your gender
  • Removed numerous tattoos
  • Removed numerous piercings

Keep in mind that even if your photo is not more than 6 months old, the embassy or consulate may ask you to submit a new one if it doesn’t represent your current look. Minor changes such as growing a beard or coloring your hair won’t require a new photo submission as long as you can still be identified from the photo in your visa application.

Passport and Green Card Photo Requirements

If you are applying for an US passport, you should check the United States passport photo requirements.

If you are applying for a Green Card, you should check the Green Card photo requirements.

Other Countries

• Photo Requirements for a Canadian visa
• Photo Requirements for a Mexican visa