Take or upload your DV photo
Use a plain white or off-white background. The photo must show your current appearance, face forward, with neutral expression and both eyes open.
Application requirements
Prepare photos and documents before staff review.
A practical checklist for DV photos, identity documents, family information, and the upload process we use to reduce avoidable mistakes.
Simple upload flow
What to prepare for your review.
Upload passport or ID documents
We will request passport or government ID images to verify spelling, identity details, and application information before submission.
We review and crop safely
We can crop and resize the image to the required format, but we should not retouch your face or digitally alter your appearance.
Official DV photo rules
Your Diversity Visa photo must be clean, current, and correctly formatted.
We review the photo before submission and ask for a replacement when it is not ready.
- JPEG photo, square image, exactly 600 x 600 pixels for DV entry.
- Plain white or off-white background with no objects, patterns, or shadows.
- Full-face view, looking directly at the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open.
- Current photo taken within the last 6 months.
- Head size should follow official DV composition guidance.
- No copied/scanned ID photos and no digital appearance edits.
Try the photo preparation tool
Prepare a photo, right in your browser.
Capture or upload a photo, crop it to the technical DV format, and download a copy. The tool runs locally; it does not upload your photo to our team or certify government acceptance.
Your browser will ask for camera permission. You can also upload an existing photo. Nothing is sent to our team by this tool.
Stand in front of a real plain white or off-white background. Use even lighting and face the camera directly. Do not retouch your face or digitally replace the background.
- Use a real white or off-white wall or sheet.
- Use the face-position guide before taking the photo.
- Check image dimensions, file type, and file size in the browser.
- Crop and resize to 600 x 600 pixels without retouching the person.
- Ask for staff review of shadows, blur, glasses, expression, and face position. The automated checks cannot reliably assess all of these.
Technical output, not an acceptance guarantee
Square 600 x 600 crop
JPEG file
Target 200 KB or less
Face alignment outline before capture
Photo examples
See what passes — and what gets rejected.
Your photo is auto-checked for size, format, and dimensions. These examples cover what software can’t judge on its own: lighting, expression, glasses, and background.
Ready to submit
Plain background, face forward, neutral, both eyes open.
Will be rejected
Anything that hides, shadows, or distracts from your face.
Automatic + human review. Software checks size, format, and dimensions instantly. A staff reviewer then checks glasses, expression, shadows, and background before anything is submitted — and asks for a retake if needed.
Document checklist
Documents we will request during intake or follow-up.
The goal is not to collect unnecessary paperwork. The goal is to verify spelling, identity details, family details, and application readiness before staff submits.
- Passport or travel document, when needed for the active DV year.
- Government ID to confirm spelling and identity details.
- Spouse and eligible child details, where required.
- Education or work history to confirm basic DV eligibility.
Want a second look?
Every package includes photo review.
Our team checks your photos alongside your application details. You can start a request now and provide documents during follow-up.
Compare preparation packages
Official source:
Diversity Visa photo and entry rules should always be checked against
the U.S. Department of State before each registration season.
Photo requirements
and
DV instructions .