It is so lucky of you to be eligible for the US Diversity Visa Lottery (DV lottery), now it’s time to submit your application. Applicants are required to present a list of supporting documents as proof of identity and eligibility to obtain the diversity immigrant visa. Individual head-and-shoulder photos of you and your non-US family members (spouse and unmarried children below 21) must be included.
The entrant photo must comply with the same rules and regulations as U.S. visa photos, otherwise, your application might be rejected. The Department of State accepts photos taken at home or in a photo store. In this passage, we are going to explore the requirements for this US visa lottery and common mistakes. No matter which way you choose, try to follow our instructions.
DV Lottery Photo Requirements
While registering for the Diversity Visa Program online, you need to upload a digital image which should be in JPEG form, less than 240kb, and at least 600×600 pixels in a square aspect ratio. It is permitted to convert a paper photo into digital form, but make sure the existing photo is 2″ x 2″ (51 x 51 mm) and scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Don’t scan the photo on passports, driving licenses or other official certificates.
After being selected for the program, you should bring two 2 x 2 inch identical photos to the interview. Please print it on premium photographic paper. In this section, we will talk more about a qualified DV lottery photo.
- The photo must be colored.
- The photo must be taken within the last six months and match your current look. Never use the same photo as your last DV lottery application.
- Make sure your head, from chin to the top of the head) takes up 50% – 69% within the whole frame vertically, measuring around 1-1 3/8 inches (22 – 35 mm).
- You should take the picture in front of a plain white or off-white background.
- Show the full face and face the camera directly.
- Hold a neutral facial expression with eyes open.
- Put on everyday wear and casual clothing. Uniforms are prohibited unless it is daily worn for religious reasons.
- Hats and head coverings in case of hiding hair or hairline. Religious veils on a daily basis are accepted as long as it does not cover your face or cast shadows.
- Headphones, earphones or similar headsets are not allowed to appear.
- Eyeglasses are not acceptable unless for medical reasons, but you have to hand in a medical statement from a medical professional/health practitioner to prove that you do have to wear them. Make sure the glasses do not obscure your eyes, generate glare on the lenses, cast shadows, or reflect lights.
- A hearing aid or similar items are allowed if you have to wear them.
Tips for Photos of Babies or Toddlers
If your little kid needs to be held, don’t capture the other person or any part of his/her body in the photo. it is suggested to lay it down on a white or off-white sheet and take a shot from above. In this way, your baby doesn’t need to be supported by another person.
For toddlers too young to stand upright, you can place it in the car seat and cover the car seat with a white cloth, or put it in a high chair and hang up a white sheet behind it. Then you can snap a picture from the front.
Please note that babies or toddlers also need to look at the camera with open eyes.
Common Mistakes of Unqualified DV Lottery Photo
During DV lottery application, a built-in verifier will scan everything you submit, such as your application form, photos, supporting documents, etc. It will also act as a US visa lottery photo checker, screening out unqualified photos.
Indicated Errors
This is the first check. It aims to stop poor-quality photos, such as one without a person on it or one with full body shots. Images with the following mistakes would fail to be displayed and you will be told what’s wrong.
- Wrong Photo Size
The system cannot identify extra-large photos. In the event of a file size larger than 245kb, there would be an error reminder. You can crop it without damaging clarity. There are a variety of proven ways to resize a biometric photo, and we will introduce a DV lottery photo tool, AiPassportPhotos in the next part.
- Wrong Pixels
Any photo violating the 1:1 aspect ratio or out of the pixel range (600 x 600 – 1200 x 1200) would be rejected. It might be banned even if it looks like a square. Make sure to crop it with a professional tool.
- Wrong Format
Any other format except JPEG (.jpg) is accepted. Common types like PNG, GIF, etc. can be converted into JPEG in image editors.
Uninformed Errors
You can go further to apply for a diversity immigrant visa on the condition that the photo is successfully uploaded. However, it will be rejected at the next stage if there is anything wrong with the following aspects, covering background, composition, pose, facial expressions and so forth.
- Background
Red, blue and light gray are also common backgrounds for official photos besides white. Although you can upload a photo with a colored background, it would be disqualified by the officer in further review. Moreover, backgrounds with stains, uneven texture, shadows and patterns are all common examples of rejection. When taking photos in a studio or photo store, you don’t need to worry about this issue. When taking it at home, AiPassportPhotos would help you replace it if you fail to find a proper background.
- Lighting
Although it is not clearly stated in the DV lottery photo requirements, you should be aware that a photo with uneven lighting would be possibly rejected. Poor illumination would result in shadows on the face and background, underexposure, overexposure, or red-eye effects. Insufficient lighting would darken and blur the subject. The officer would say NO to such a photo.
- Facial Expressions
A gentle smile makes you look better, but it is not recommended. A neutral expression prevents your facial features from being distorted. Exaggerated expressions or funny faces are common in life photos, such as grinning, laughing, frowning, pouting, etc., but they are wrong in a diversity immigrant visa application. Pay attention to it especially when taking a shot for kids.
- Pose
Your head must be centered and occupy at least 50% of the frame. Look straight at the camera. Looking around, tilting or lowering your head, and shrugging your shoulders would lead to disqualification from the US visa lottery.
Additionally, you might leave your hair covering part of your face in daily life. Don’t do that.
- Dressing
As only your whole face and upper shoulder are shown, there is no specific dress code. You can look fashionable, smart, or elegant as long as you don’t wear a uniform, camouflage or clothes that reflect lights. Vests are off-shoulder tops not recommended because they will make you look naked.
As for headgear and head coverings, they are restricted unless for religious belief. If you do have to wear a hijab, always ensure your face (from the forehead, both cheeks to the chin) is not covered.
Even if you are allowed to wear glasses for medical treatment, please avoid tinted lenses and thick frames because they will stop the officer and machine from reading your biometric information. Sunglasses and tinted contact lenses are in no case acceptable.
- Alteration or Modification
Are you used to retouching photos before sharing them on social media? As photo editing tools develop, it is quite easy to tune skin color, remove blemishes, add filters, or even change the shape of your face, eyes, nose, and mouth. However, these are all violations. Please note that any digital editing except for resizing and background replacement is not permitted.
How to Ensure DV Lottery Photo Compliance
As most mistakes would not be indicated, we suggest you scan the photo with a DV lottery photo checker before uploading. AiPassportPhotos is a professional identity photo maker. Supported by AI technology and built-in photo templates, it promises to generate a 100% qualified picture for the selected service. Face scanning, compliance check, cropping, and background replacement all run automatically. All you need to do is take a shot according to the requirements and tips above, upload a prepared photo here, wait for a few seconds, and download either a digital or printable template. Unlike offline services, it does not require appointments and does not have fixed business hours, which means you can access it at any time and anywhere.
Read more about how to get a qualified photo for DV lottery here.
Summary
DV lottery application is held once every year. In order to make everything go smoothly, you have to make full preparations. We hope this passage can enhance your confidence in making a compliant biometric image. It is suggested to get acquainted with DV lottery photo requirements and avoid the listed common mistakes in size, format, background, lighting, facial expressions, pose, dressing and photo quality. With our DV lottery photo tool, you will feel free to make it at home with the least expense and time.
Dolores Xiao