Free Green Card Photo Online — Make a 2×2 in USCIS I-485 Photo

Need a green card photo? Upload a recent photo and IDPhotoBy sizes and crops it to the USCIS standard for a permanent-resident application — a square, color photo with your head 1 to 1 3/8 inches (about 25–35 mm) from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin on a plain white or off-white background — with the US Green Card document already selected. You get a 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) photo, the exact size you submit with Form I-485. It is free — no payment required.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sets the photo requirements for a green card, and IDPhotoBy checks your photo against them. According to the USCIS Form I-485 instructions and the USCIS Policy Manual, a green card photo must be:

• 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) — a square, color photo, with a full-face, frontal view.
• Head size 1 to 1 3/8 inches (about 25–35 mm) — measured from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin, with your head centered and facing the camera.
• Eye height 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches — your eyes should sit 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches (about 29–35 mm) from the bottom of the photo.
• Plain white to off-white background — with no shadows, patterns, objects or lines behind you.
• Neutral, natural expression — look straight at the camera with both eyes open.
• Bareheaded — your head must be bare, unless you wear headwear as part of a recognized religious practice that does not obscure your face.
• Unaltered appearance — the photo must be unretouched, so your face is left exactly as it is.

The green card photo size is 2×2 inches, which is 51×51 mm (about 5×5 cm) — a square photo with your head centered. USCIS specifies the print size in inches and does not state a pixel count, so IDPhotoBy outputs a square 2×2 inch file at a high print resolution: you get a print-ready photo to put on paper, plus a matching square digital image, whether you mail printed photos or upload your I-485 online.

If USCIS asks for printed photos, the Form I-485 instructions call for photos printed on thin paper with a glossy finish, kept unmounted and unretouched.

Two details trip people up, and neither appears on most photo tools:

• You submit two identical photos. The I-485 instructions ask for two identical color passport-style photographs of yourself, so IDPhotoBy gives you a file you can print or upload twice.
• They must be recent. The USCIS Policy Manual states the photographs must have been taken within 30 days of filing your application, so take a fresh photo close to when you file.

Form I-485 is the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status — the green card application filed from inside the United States. This page is about that filing photo, not the green card lottery (Diversity Visa), which is a different application.

USCIS lets you take the photo yourself — there is no requirement to use a professional photographer for the I-485 photos. You can take a green card photo at home with a phone and still get a compliant result:

• Stand about 60 cm (2 feet) in front of a plain white or off-white wall, in soft, even daylight so there are no shadows behind you or on your face.
• Face the camera straight on in full-face view, with a natural expression and both eyes open. Have someone take the photo, or use a timer, and hold the phone at eye level.
• Fill the frame with your head and the top of your shoulders, then upload it here and let IDPhotoBy crop it to the exact 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) size.

The same steps work for a baby or child's green card photo — lay an infant on a plain white sheet and photograph from directly above, with the eyes open if you can, then crop to size.

These are two different photos, and it is worth being clear about which one this tool prepares:

• The photo you prepare here is the 2×2 inch photo you file with your Form I-485 packet.
• The photo printed on the physical green card is captured separately by USCIS. Under the 2025 USCIS photo policy, USCIS collects new biometrics — including a new photograph — for the I-485, and takes that card image in person at an Application Support Center (ASC) appointment.

So preparing your filing photo correctly matters, but this photo does not become the picture on your card — USCIS takes that at your biometrics appointment.

IDPhotoBy sizes and crops the photo you upload to the 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) green card standard and checks that the background is a plain white or off-white without shadows. It does not retouch, beautify or otherwise edit your face. That matters here: the USCIS instructions say the photo must be unretouched, so your face is left exactly as it is — only the framing, size and background are prepared.

We also do not promise acceptance — no online tool can. Your file is prepared to the published USCIS requirements, but USCIS decides whether your application and photo are accepted. And it stays free: no paid plan, no per-photo charge, no skip-the-line fee.

• A busy or colored background. It must be plain white to off-white, with no shadows, patterns or objects behind you.
• An old photo. The photos must have been taken within 30 days of filing your I-485, so do not reuse a photo from an old passport or visa.
• A head covering. Your head must be bare, except for headwear worn as part of a recognized religious practice — and it must not obscure your face.
• A retouched or filtered photo. Beauty filters and appearance-changing edits are not allowed; use a straight, unedited photo and let the tool handle only the size, crop and background.
• The wrong size or count. The photo must be 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) with your head 1 to 1 3/8 inches from hair to chin, and you submit two identical copies — IDPhotoBy sets the size and crop for you.

Requirements can change — check the official USCIS Form I-485 instructions (uscis.gov/i-485) before you file; USCIS makes the final decision on your application and photo.