DV lottery photo requirements
A DV lottery photo is a 600 × 600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less, with a white or off-white background. The head, chin to top of hair, fills 50–69% of the photo’s height. The eyes sit 56–69% of the height above the bottom edge. Source: U.S. Department of State, checked September 28, 2026.
Sources: federalregister.gov, ecfr.gov and travel.state.gov, checked September 28, 2026.
The rule
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Digital file | 600 × 600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less |
| Head height | 50–69% of the photo height |
| Eye line | 56–69% of the height, from the bottom |
| Background | White or off-white |
| Glasses | Not allowed |
| Expression | Neutral |
| Head coverings | Only for religious purposes and worn daily; your full face must be visible with no shadows. |
| Editing | Digitally altered photos are not accepted, and scanned or copied photos from other documents are rejected. |
| Other rules |
|
Sources: Federal Register: Diversity Visa Instructions for DV-2026 (opens in a new tab) (federalregister.gov); Eye line: Photo Requirements, DV Program section, U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab) (travel.state.gov). Checked .
Notes
Is the DV lottery open?
We have not verified an open DV-2027 or DV-2028 entry period. The State Department’s DV-2027 notice, last updated November 5, 2025, says it will announce the registration start and selection-result dates.
We couldn’t read dvprogram.state.gov ourselves. Check the State Department’s entry portal for the current entry period before preparing your photo. We don’t know when the next entry period will open.
Sources: DV-2027 entry-period notice, U.S. Department of State, checked October 1, 2026; Electronic Diversity Visa Program, U.S. Department of State, not checked by us.
What we check, and what we can’t
On your device, we measure the head size and where it sits, the eye line, the wall behind you, the light on your face, the pose and the sharpness against this rule, and we crop the photo to its size. We level, resize and crop it, and nothing else.
We can’t tell how recent the photo is, whether it still looks like you, or what the office’s own reviewer will see on the day. The State Department decides whether to accept it.
Why a real photo matters
The DV lottery rule on editing, in short
Digitally altered photos are not accepted, and scanned or copied photos from other documents are rejected.
Our summary of Federal Register: Diversity Visa Instructions for DV-2026.
Start with your original camera photo. Check the document’s rules, including whether your head fills 50–69% of the photo’s height.
We don’t generate your photo. We level, scale and crop your original pixels to 600 × 600 px, then show you the head height, the eye line and the margins before you pay.
Our guides cover AI and passport photos and changing a photo’s background.
The U.S. photos side by side
U.S. passport, visa, USCIS and DV lottery photo rules side by side, from each document’s sources, checked September 28, 2026.
U.S. passport
- Print size
- 2 × 2 in
- Head measurement
- 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in), chin to top of head (public page wording)
- Eye line, from the bottom
- Not published on the passport pages
- Digital file
- Online-renewal upload page: no required pixel size or aspect ratio published; 54 KB to 10 MB
- Expression
- Neutral, or a natural smile with the mouth closed
- Glasses
- Not allowed
U.S. visa (DS-160)
- Print size
- 2 × 2 in
- Head measurement
- 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in), chin to top of head, hair included
- Eye line, from the bottom
- 28.6–34.9 mm
- Digital file
- DS-160 online form: 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 px JPEG, 240 KB or less
- Expression
- Neutral
- Glasses
- Not allowed
USCIS forms
- Print size
- 2 × 2 in, 2 copies
- Head measurement
- 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in), chin to top of head, hair included
- Eye line, from the bottom
- 28.6–34.9 mm
- Digital file
- None; USCIS takes the card photo itself
- Expression
- Not stated by USCIS
- Glasses
- Not stated by USCIS
DV lottery
- Print size
- None, digital only
- Head measurement
- 50–69% of the photo height, chin to top of hair
- Eye line, from the bottom
- 56–69% of the height
- Digital file
- Electronic DV entry form: 600 × 600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less
- Expression
- Neutral
- Glasses
- Not allowed
The files
studioless-us-dv-lottery-digital
.jpg E-DV entry form upload: 600 × 600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less.
600 × 600 px JPEG
Your check results come with the files, and everything is deleted 7 days after your order.
Sources
- Federal Register: Diversity Visa Instructions for DV-2026 (opens in a new tab)federalregister.gov
- 22 CFR 42.33 Diversity immigrants (opens in a new tab)ecfr.gov
- Federal Register final rule 2026-04737, effective Apr 10, 2026 (opens in a new tab)federalregister.gov
- Photo Requirements, DV Program section, U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)travel.state.gov
Changes to this page’s rule
- Document pages now show a short list of key facts, each naming its source authority and record date, before the complete rule table.
- Photo for USCIS forms: the page now says first that USCIS will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs (Policy Alert PA-2025-29, December 12, 2025), and the editing rule now uses the form instructions’ own words (unmounted and unretouched). Both come from the September 28 check; they were missing from the page.
- Checked 10 documents against official pages. U.S. State Department pages were read from Wayback snapshots because the live site blocked automated access.
Every document’s rules in one table: passport and visa photo sizesEvery change to the rules we check
Questions
Can I use ChatGPT or an AI app for my DV lottery photo?
For a generated or retouched photo, follow the document’s editing rule. Digitally altered photos are not accepted, and scanned or copied photos from other documents are rejected. That is our summary of the rule, from the U.S. Department of State. Reading or checking rules with a chatbot is a separate use; verify its answer against the authority’s source. We only level, scale and crop your photo.
Can I wear glasses in a DV lottery photo?
No. Glasses aren’t allowed in this photo, so take them off before you take it. We ask you to confirm it before you pay.
What do I get for $9.95?
You get a digital file sized for the online form (600 × 600 px JPEG).
Where do I get my files?
On your order page after you pay, with no account to make.
