USCIS form photo requirements
A photo for USCIS forms is 2 × 2 in with a white or off-white background. The head measures 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in) from chin to top of hair. USCIS says it “will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs” and takes the card photo itself. Source: USCIS, checked September 28, 2026.
Source: uscis.gov, checked September 28, 2026.
The rule
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Print size | 2 × 2 in (50.8 × 50.8 mm) |
| Head height | 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in), chin to top of head, hair included |
| Eye line | 28.6–34.9 mm (1 1/8–1 3/8 in) from the bottom |
| Background | White or off-white |
| Head coverings | No head coverings except for religious reasons; your full face must be visible. |
| Editing | The form instructions ask for photos that are unmounted and unretouched. USCIS adopted the State Department’s passport-style photo standards (PM-602-0072, 2012). |
| Other rules |
|
Source: Form I-485 Instructions (opens in a new tab) (uscis.gov). Checked .
Notes
USCIS may not use these photos
USCIS says it “will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs” (Policy Alert PA-2025-29, December 12, 2025). The photo on your card is taken by USCIS at your appointment.
Some current form instructions, such as Form I-485 (edition 09/18/26), still ask for two identical color passport-style photos. We make those prints to the size rule if you choose to include them, and we can’t tell you whether USCIS will use them. Follow your form’s current instructions.
Sources: Policy Alert PA-2025-29: Photograph Reuse for Identity Documents, USCIS, checked September 28, 2026; Form I-485 Instructions (edition 09/18/26), USCIS, checked September 28, 2026.
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 office that takes your application decides whether to accept it.
Why a real photo matters
The USCIS form rule on editing, in short
The form instructions ask for photos that are unmounted and unretouched. USCIS adopted the State Department's passport-style photo standards (PM-602-0072, 2012).
Our summary of Form I-485 Instructions.
Start with your original camera photo. Check the document’s rules, including whether your head is 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in) from chin to top of hair.
We don’t generate your photo. We level, scale and crop your original pixels to 2 × 2 in, 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-uscis-print-4x6
.jpg Print it as a regular 4 × 6 in photo at any drugstore kiosk, then cut on the lines.
1800 × 1200 px at 300 dpi, 2 photos at 2 × 2 in
studioless-us-uscis-print-5x7
.jpg The same photos on a 5 × 7 in sheet, printed and cut the same way.
2100 × 1500 px at 300 dpi, 6 photos at 2 × 2 in
The application asks for 2 identical photos. Paper: photo paper. Your check results come with the files, and everything is deleted 7 days after your order.
Sources
- Form I-485 Instructions (opens in a new tab)uscis.gov
- Form I-765 Instructions (opens in a new tab)uscis.gov
- Form I-131 Instructions (opens in a new tab)uscis.gov
- Form N-400 Instructions (opens in a new tab)uscis.gov
- USCIS Policy Alert PA-2025-29: Photograph Reuse for Identity Documents (opens in a new tab)uscis.gov
- USCIS alert: New Photo Policy (opens in a new tab)uscis.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 USCIS form photo?
For a generated or retouched photo, follow the document’s editing rule. The form instructions ask for photos that are unmounted and unretouched. USCIS adopted the State Department’s passport-style photo standards (PM-602-0072, 2012). That is our summary of the rule, from USCIS. 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 USCIS form photo?
Take them off. USCIS form instructions don’t mention glasses, and the State Department’s passport photo rules, which USCIS adopted in 2012, don’t allow them.
What do I get for $9.95?
You get printable 4 × 6 in and 5 × 7 in sheets you can print at any drugstore. The application asks for 2 identical photos.
Where do I get my files?
On your order page after you pay, with no account to make.
What if my photo is rejected?
If your photo is rejected, we refund your whole order, or make you a new photo free if you prefer. We cut every photo to your document’s published size rule and check your wall against its background rule. Only USCIS decides whether it is accepted.
