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U.S. Visa Photo Guide

The United States visa is issued by a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and entitles its holder to travel to the United States and apply for admission to the country. All documents required for the U.S. visa must be prepared in advance. Among all the documents, two identical U.S. visa photos are requisite. Taking photos, however, is not the easiest step of this process, and many people’s visa applications are rejected due to unqualified photos. Therefore, spend some time learning the following must-know information on U.S. visa photo requirements. This page will provide you with information on:

• Size and background requirements for your U.S. visa photos
• General requirements for your U.S. visa photos
• Permitted facial expressions in your U.S. visa photos
• Common mistakes people make when taking U.S. visa photos
• What should be done if your U.S. visa photo is unqualified?

Size and Background of U.S. Visa Photos

A U.S. visa photo must measure 51 x 51 mm, with both the height and width of the photograph at 51 mm. In inches, the photo’s dimensions should be 2 x 2 inches. For digital photos, dimensions should be kept between 600 x 600 pixels and 1200 x 1200 pixels. The applicant's head height should be around 1.29 inches, with the distance from the bottom of the photo to the applicant’s eye line 1.18 inches.

The background of a U.S. visa photo must be a uniform white or off-white color with no shadows, patterns or designs. The photo should show only the applicant themselves.

Since most people are not professional photographers, it may be difficult to obtain a picture with the correct size and standard background for a U.S. visa photo. However, using an online photo maker can help! The AiPassportPhotos tool can crop your photo and change its background, helping it meet U.S. visa requirements.

General Requirements for U.S. Visa Photos

Simply meeting the photo size and background requirements is still far from sufficient for obtaining a quality U.S. visa photo. The U.S. visa photo also has rules concerning photo quality, picture content, and accessories such as glasses and head coverings. The following explains these rules in detail:

• Number of photos: Two identical biometric photos are required.
• Photo color: Your photo should be in color. Black and white photos are not acceptable.
• Photo content: The applicant should look directly at the camera, showing their full face, which should cover around 50% of the photograph area. In general, the head of the applicant, including face and hair, must be shown from the crown of the head on top to the tip of the chin on the bottom. It is preferable that the applicant’s ears be exposed.
• Photo quality: The photo should be of high quality, without any grain, underexposure or overexposure.
• Glasses: Glasses, including transparent or tinted glasses, are not allowed in your U.S. visa photo except for medical reasons. If you need to wear glasses you must provide a statement signed by a medical professional/health practitioner explaining your reasons.
• Head covering: Head coverings are acceptable only when the applicant’s face is completely exposed.
• Alteration: The photo should be original and should not be retouched in any way.

Facial Expression in U.S. Visa Photos

According to U.S. visa photo guidelines, your entire face and upper shoulders should appear in the picture. Your facial expression must be neutral, meaning you cannot make facial expressions such as smiling, frowning, winking or raising your eyebrows. Additionally, your mouth should be closed in the photo.

Choice of Clothes for U.S. Visa Photos

Feel free to wear your daily clothing when taking your U.S. visa photo; plain clothes are preferred. Attire that is too casual, such as clothes with a deep-V neckline or off-the-shoulder clothes, are not recommended. Since only the upper part of your shoulders will be present in the photo, wearing clothes without shoulder coverings will make you appear naked in your photo. 

Uniforms, uniform-like clothing and camouflage attire should not be worn in photos. The exception to this rule is religious uniforms that are worn regularly. While religious clothes and head coverings are permitted, facial features must be kept visible in the photo.

Common Mistakes People Make When Taking U.S. Visa Photos

Learning from past mistakes or other people’s experiences benefits us when taking high-quality visa photos. We have gathered the most common errors and listed them below for your consideration:

• Closing your eyes or tilting your head during the shooting process.
• Dressing in white, or a color similar to white, so you do not adequately contrast with the photo background.
• Taking your photographs in front of a busy, patterned or dark background.
• Smiling, frowning or grinning in your photos.
• Submitting a selfie as your U.S. visa photo.
• Featuring red eyes or shadows on your face in your photos.
• Using a computer software or app to add filters to your photos.

What Should I Do If My U.S. Visa Photo Is Unqualified?

It is frustrating when your visa application is rejected or delayed because of unqualified photos. In this situation, you have no choice but to re-take your photographs. You can go to a photo studio if you again concerned about not taking a standard photo, since professional photographers can take care of every step of the photo-taking procedure.

You can also read all of the U.S. visa photo requirements and common mistakes mentioned above carefully, re-take a new photo, and adjust the photo according to official regulations by yourself. In this case, using the AiPassportPhotos tool is an apt option for helping your finish your adjustment task.

Supposing there are only minor mistakes in the size or background of your photos, you do not need to start entirely from the beginning. Instead, use AiPassportPhotos to crop your existing photo, removing the wrong part of the background and replacing it with a standard one automatically. Once this is completed, AiPassportPhotos will send you a printable picture within seconds.

How to Print Visa Photos Online?

There are three ways you can print your U.S. visa photos:

• Print the photo yourself at home using a color printer.
• Save the photo to a thumb drive and print it at any photo printing shop near you.
• Use an online photo printing service such as Snapfish or Shutterfly.