Free Veteran ID Card (VIC) Photo Online — Square JPEG on a White Background

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) asks for a digital color photo of yourself from the shoulders up when you apply online for a Veteran ID Card (VIC). It should be square, with a white or plain-color background, and taken within the last 10 years.

VA asks that the photo for your Veteran ID Card follow all of these standards. The photo should:

• show a full front view of your face and neck, with no hat, head covering, or headphones covering or casting shadows on your hairline or face;
• be cropped from your shoulders up — in VA’s words, “much like a passport photo”;
• show you with your eyes open and a neutral expression;
• be taken in clothing you’d wear for a driver’s license photo;
• be a square size, with a white or plain-color background and no scenery or other people in the photo;
• show what you look like now — a photo taken sometime in the last 10 years;
• be uploaded as a .jpeg, .png, .bmp, or .tiff file.

VA checks that the image you choose to appear on the card meets these photo requirements.

VA asks for a square photo but does not state a size in inches, pixel dimensions, or a file-size limit for the Veteran ID Card photo. IDPhotoBy uses a 2 × 2 inch square as a common square format, not as a VA requirement — that is why our upload form lists the document as “US Veteran ID Card 2x2 inch”. VA compares the photo to a passport photo only for the crop from the shoulders up.

1. Start with a photo of you facing the camera against a plain, light-colored wall, with no hat, head covering, or headphones.
2. Upload it here — the Veteran ID Card is already selected.
3. IDPhotoBy crops it to a square from the shoulders up and saves it as a JPEG on a white background.
4. Check the preview, then download the JPEG and upload it with your Veteran ID Card application.

IDPhotoBy crops and frames the photo you upload; it does not retouch or beautify your face. No online service can promise that VA will accept your photo — VA checks it against its own requirements.

As of September 2022, all new Veteran ID Cards are digital, and you apply online. Have these ready:

• your Social Security number;
• a digital (scanned) copy of your DD214, DD256, DD257, PHS1867, or NGB22 in .pdf, .jpeg, or .png format — these discharge papers prove your character of discharge;
• a copy of a current and valid government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, passport, or state-issued identification card.

You may be eligible if both of these are true: you served on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard (including the Coast Guard), and you received an honorable or general discharge (under honorable conditions). With an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable character of discharge, you’re not eligible.

If you’re eligible, VA emails you the digital card. You can check the status of your Veteran ID Card application by signing in to your AccessVA account. To replace your card, request a new one by emailing VA at [email protected].

The Veteran ID Card is a digital form of photo ID you can use to get discounts offered to Veterans at many restaurants, hotels, stores, and other businesses; retail vendors volunteer to take part. It won’t replace your Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) or your Department of Defense ID Card. You get the VHIC when you’re enrolled in VA health care and use it to check in to appointments at VA medical centers.

You can’t use the Veteran ID Card to prove your eligibility for any federal benefits, as a form of identification at the airport, or to check into a VA hospital. For other U.S. documents, see all U.S. document photos.

VA publishes the current Veteran ID Card photo standards on VA.gov. Check the official application portal before submitting.