Free US Visa Photo Online — Make a 2×2 in (51×51 mm) / 600×600 px Photo

Need a US visa photo? Upload a recent photo and IDPhotoBy sizes and crops it to the U.S. Department of State's standard — a square photo with your head 25–35 mm (about 1 to 1 3/8 inches) from chin to crown on a plain white or off-white background — with the US Visa document already selected. You get the same shot in both forms the State Department uses: a 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) photo to print, and a 600×600 px digital image for the DS-160 online upload. It is free — no payment required.

The U.S. Department of State sets the requirements for a US visa photo, and IDPhotoBy checks your photo against them. Here is what the State Department requires:

• Size 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) / 600×600 px — a square, color photo taken within the last 6 months.
• Head size 25–35 mm — measured from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head (about 1 to 1 3/8 inches), which works out to 50–69% of the image height, with your head centered and shown in full-face view directly facing the camera.
• Eye height — your eyes should sit 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches (about 28–35 mm) from the bottom of the photo, i.e. 56–69% of the image height.
• Plain white or off-white background — with no shadows, texture, objects or lines.
• Neutral expression — keep a neutral facial expression with both eyes open and your mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.
• No glasses — eyeglasses are no longer allowed except in rare documented medical cases, so take them off before the photo.
• Bareheaded — no hat or head covering, except daily religious wear that does not obscure the face; headphones and wireless hands-free devices are not allowed.
• Everyday clothing — wear what you normally wear day to day, with no digital alteration that changes your appearance.

The US visa photo size is 2×2 inches, which is 51×51 mm (about 5×5 cm) — a square photo with your head centered. For a printed photo you bring to an interview, that 2×2 inch print on photo-quality paper is what the consulate expects.

For the online channel you upload a digital image instead. It must be a square aspect ratio (the height must equal the width), a minimum of 600×600 px and a maximum of 1200×1200 px. IDPhotoBy outputs a square 600×600 px file, which is the size the State Department's own crop produces and the exact size the Diversity Visa entry asks for. If you already have a printed photo, a scan of it must be 2×2 inches at 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimetre).

A US visa application uses your photo in two ways, and IDPhotoBy prepares both from a single upload:

• Digital image (DS-160 / DS-1648 online upload and Diversity Visa entry). You upload a digital photo as part of the online form. It must be a JPEG, in color at 24 bits per pixel in sRGB, a square 600×600 to 1200×1200 px, and — this is the part most tools skip — the file size must be no more than 240 KB and, because the compression ratio has to stay at or below 20:1, not so squeezed that it drops below about 54 KB. IDPhotoBy delivers a 600×600 px JPEG that lands inside that 54–240 KB window, so the DS-160 upload accepts it.
• Printed photo (immigrant-visa DS-260 interview). If you apply for an immigrant visa with Form DS-260, you bring two identical 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) photos, printed on photo-quality paper, to your interview. IDPhotoBy gives you a print-ready 2×2 inch file for exactly this.

The same file also works for a DV lottery entry, which uses the same 600×600 px digital image.

• Upload a recent, well-lit photo with the tool on this page — the US Visa document is already selected.
• IDPhotoBy resizes and crops your photo to 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) / 600×600 px with your head at the required size, and checks that your background is a plain white or off-white with no shadows.
• Preview the result — check the head size and position, the plain background, and that your eyes are open and clearly visible.
• Download the finished photo free, then upload the 600×600 px digital file for your DS-160 form or print the 2×2 inch photo for your interview.

The free US visa photo maker doubles as a size checker and cropping tool for a photo you already have — there is no app to download, it runs online in your browser.

IDPhotoBy sizes and crops the photo you upload to the 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) / 600×600 px US visa 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 State Department says photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance in any way, so your face is left exactly as it is — only the framing, size and background are prepared.

What we do not do is promise acceptance — no online tool can. Your file is prepared to the published State Department requirements, but the U.S. embassy or consulate where you apply makes the final decision. And it stays free: no paid plan, no per-photo charge and no skip-the-line fee.

You do not need a studio — the State Department says you may take the photo yourself. You can take a US visa 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 neutral 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 / 600×600 px size.

The same steps work for a baby or child's visa 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. Take the photo within the last 6 months so it reflects your current appearance.

• A busy or colored background. It must be plain white or off-white, with no shadows, patterns or objects behind you.
• Wearing glasses. Eyeglasses are no longer accepted — take them off before the photo.
• An edited or filtered photo. Beauty filters, retouching and appearance-changing edits are rejected; use a straight, unedited photo and let the tool handle only the size, crop and background.
• An exaggerated smile. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and both eyes open, looking at the camera.
• The wrong size or file. The photo must be 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) / 600×600 px with your head 25–35 mm from chin to crown, and a DS-160 upload must be a JPEG no larger than 240 KB — IDPhotoBy sets all of this for you.

Requirements can change — check the official U.S. Department of State visa photo rules (travel.state.gov) before you apply; the U.S. embassy or consulate makes the final decision on your photo.