How to take a photo for an American visa?

Important criterion for visa approval

The photographs you submit along with your US visa application should not be taken lightly. A photo of poor quality or that does not meet the requirements of the State Department can undo all your efforts that you have put into obtaining entry. You may be denied a visa if your photos do not suit the visa service.

The final decision about the correctness of your photo is made not by a robot, but by a person. Therefore, you should not completely rely on various online services for checking the quality of photos.

The process of approving your photo involves specific employees of the US embassy or consulate where you are applying to enter the country.

The State Department itself takes photographs for an American visa very seriously. He published a 20-page manual for photographers on how a studio should be equipped, what equipment should be used, and how to compose a photograph. One minus: these recommendations are published in English.

Your photo will be rejected by the embassy or consulate if any changes were made to it using a graphic editor.

Even a harmless retouching of a wart or mole results in a candidate for an American visa being denied this document.

To submit an Application for participation in the Green Card Visa Lottery, a photo is required. The instructions establish simple but strict rules for preparing photos.

We prepare and check photos for Green Cards and US visas using a special program.

Examples of checking photos in the program

Our program checks photos more strictly than the rules of the Green Card Visa Lottery, since our company specializes in issuing US visas. When applying for a US visa, the photo requirements are more stringent.

Photos taken by us meet all the requirements of the Visa Lottery.

We also check our clients' photos. Most of the photos sent do not meet Green Card requirements.

Main mistakes when preparing a Green Card photo

1. Many people do not understand that the Green Card photo is a document photo. And they send group photos, photos in nature, etc.

2. Amateur photos were taken on occasion, full-length, near cars, at sea, etc.

3. The photo is of very poor quality, without sharpness, with shadows.

4. The photo was taken correctly, but does not meet the technical requirements: background, color, shadows.

5. Photo older than 6 months. Until now, some naively believe that a photo cannot be verified by date.

This is not a complete list of errors. This is before the photo is formatted to the desired size.

Photos taken in our office fully comply with Green Card requirements. This is confirmed by the following.

1. We check the photos carefully.

2. A lot of people have won Green Cards with our photos.

3. Our photos for a US visa (the same as for a Green Card) are accepted by the US Embassy and issue visas.

The Instructions for the program “Visas for Immigrants of Different Nationalities DV-2021” say the following:

PHOTO OF APPLICANT – Attached are recent (taken within the last 6 months) photographs of the applicant, spouse and all children listed on the application. You do not need to include photographs of a spouse or children who are already US citizens or permanent residents. However, if you do this, your application will not be disqualified. Group photos will not be accepted. A separate photograph is required for each family member. Applications - questionnaires are subject to disqualification if photographs are attached to the applications in which any changes have been made, as well as if the photographs do not meet the requirements set out below. Submitting photos that were used in a previous drawing (DV-2020) will disqualify your entry.

How to Submit an Electronic Photo A new (that is, taken within the last 6 months) digital photograph, or a New (that is, taken within the last 6 months) photograph scanned using a digital scanner, must meet the compositional and technical requirements outlined below. Before submitting an application, the sender can check the quality of the photo on the E-DV website by clicking on the “Photo Validator” link. A photo quality checker will help identify discrepancies with technical requirements, and will also show examples of “correct” and “incorrect” photographs. Don't submit an old photo. Submitting the same photograph as the previous year will disqualify your application. You must provide color photographs with 24-bit color image depth. If you are using a scanner, you must set the color encoding to 24-bit. Detailed requirements for scanning photos are given below. Compositional requirements Head position: The person being photographed must look directly into the camera; The head of the person being photographed should not be tilted to the side, raised up or down; The head of the person being photographed should occupy approximately 50 to 69 percent of the image in height. The eyes should be between 56 and 69 percent of the full height of the image (This is the distance between the bottom edge of the image and the eye line). Photo background For photography you must use a neutral, light background. Focus The subject's face should be in focus. Without glasses The person being photographed must be depicted WITHOUT glasses or other objects on his face. Headgear and hats Photographs showing applicants wearing a headdress will only be accepted if the wearing of the headdress is for religious reasons, but even then the headdress must not obscure any part of the applicant's face. Photographs in which applicants are depicted wearing a traditional national or any other headdress, the wearing of which is not determined by religious beliefs, will not be accepted. Photos showing applicants wearing military, airline or any other type of headdress will not be accepted. Technical requirements. Taking a new photo using a digital camera. If the new photograph is taken using a digital camera, it must meet the following requirements: Image Format: The image must be in Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format Image File Size: The maximum acceptable image size is two hundred and forty kilobytes (240 kilobytes) Image Resolution and Dimensions: The minimum acceptable resolution is from 600 pixels (width) by 600 pixels (height) to 1200 pixels (width) by 1200 pixels (height). Pixels must be square. This means that the width of the image must be equal to the height. Color depth: 24-bit color. Black and white images (24-bit color depth) and images with 8-bit color depth will not be accepted. Scanning a photo. Before a non-digital photograph is scanned, it must be verified to meet the compositional and color requirements outlined above. Scan the photograph using the following scanner specifications: Scanner resolution: Minimum resolution of 300 dpi Image format: The image must be in Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format Image file size: The maximum acceptable image size is two hundred and forty kilobytes (240 kilobytes) ) Image resolution and dimensions: From 600 pixels (width) by 600 pixels (height) to 1200 pixels (width) by 1200 pixels (height). Color depth: 24-bit color. Black and white images (24-bit color depth), monochrome or gray images will not be accepted.

Where can I take a photo for an American visa?

To complete the documents, you must provide a personal image, which can be obtained from a specialized photo studio. An alternative option is to photograph and frame the image at home. To obtain a high-quality image for printing, it is better to use the services of a professional printing company.

If you have modern equipment and high-quality paper, you can take your own photo, edit the image on online services and print it. In most cases, photographs taken at home for an American visa are not accepted due to the low quality of the photo.

Is it worth taking your own visa photo?

Visa photographs are specially prepared. Copies or scans of the applicant’s photographs cannot be used on other documents. In the same way, instant photos, photos posted in the media, taken with a mobile phone camera, full-length photos, and so on are not used.

Making a visa photo is not cheap. Therefore, some people try to take visa photos on their own. But they, as a rule, do not always meet the established requirements. Even if a person decides to take a photo on his own, he will need to print the photo on high-quality photo paper and professional equipment. Therefore, in any case, he will have to turn to professionals. The result largely depends on the professionalism of the person who photographs himself. For example, someone who is only superficially familiar with the principles of high-quality photography, even with a professional camera, will not take a photograph that meets all standards. It is necessary to properly organize the lighting so that the shadow does not fall on the person being photographed. Achieving uniform lighting at home is extremely difficult. If you want to take a photo yourself, it is better to call an assistant who can control the process and suggest how best to hold your head and what to correct.

In a photo studio you can adjust the lighting correctly

To summarize, let’s say that it is best to immediately contact a photo studio and use the services of professional photographers who have already repeatedly encountered the production of visa photographs and have extensive experience in this matter. We should not forget that rejecting a visa photograph can significantly lengthen the process of obtaining an American visa.

In many ways, the entire result of obtaining a visa depends on one single person - the American immigration officer. Sometimes a situation may arise where two different immigration officers have different views on visa photographs. One may accept them, but the other, on the contrary, will reject them and offer to re-photograph.

Can I use graphics processing programs?

It is officially prohibited to use graphic processing programs when preparing photographs for an American visa. But within reason, many still use, for example, Photoshop.

You can, of course, make slight adjustments to your visa photo. For example, removing a stray strand of hair. But it is necessary that the applicant can be easily identified from the photograph. If its actual appearance differs significantly from the image in the photo, the photo will be rejected and all efforts will be in vain.

A US visa in a foreign passport is the result of proper preparation of documents, including photos

Photo requirements for a US visa

Current photo requirements for a US visa in 2020:

• The photo must be taken within the last 6 months and must correspond to how you look now.
• The photograph for a US visa must be square , measuring 5 x 5 cm
• colored on white background
• in electronic form: resolution from 600 x 600 pixels to 1200 x1200 pixels

• The height of the head in the image should be 25 – 35 mm , or occupy 50% – 70% of the photo, as in the example:

• Head straight, eyes open and looking into the camera lens
• Facial expression should be neutral
• Casual wear

Requirements for a child's photo

Images of children must meet the same criteria as photographs of adults. There are no questions if the visa is issued for a teenager.

Difficulties come with kids. To achieve a photo that will be accepted, you should follow some recommendations:

• Infants are photographed in a horizontal position, but on a white sheet, which will serve as the desired background. If necessary, all unnecessary attributes included in the frame can be trimmed in a special program.
• Mom and dad should be removed from the frame. In order for the baby to look at the camera, it is better to place the mother behind the camera to attract attention.
• It is better to avoid the outbreak so as not to cause a lot of negative emotions in the child.
• It is easier to photograph your child in a child seat or carrier, where you can record the position of the body.

It is better to take photographs of children immediately before submitting the package of documents. Babies tend to grow quickly and, accordingly, change. It is important that the child’s eyes are open in the image, and that there are no parents or extraneous shadows nearby.

Quality requirements

It is preferable to take a photograph for an American visa with a digital camera that has high digital coverage. Printing must be done on high quality photo paper with a high level of resolution. The photo itself should have moderate contrast. The visa photograph must not show scratches, tears, cracks, abrasions or stains. Also, you cannot decorate a photograph with ovals, frames or other geometric shapes.

Official visa photograph requirements can be found directly on the US Department of State website.

The size of the photo is 5x5 cm. In this sense, the photo requirements for an American visa are somewhat different from ICAO standards and the scale adopted in the Schengen countries. The photo turns out to be square, unlike the rectangular one for a Schengen visa.

The US visa photo must fully comply with the requirements of US immigration law

It is necessary that the head and shoulders of the American visa applicant be fully included in the photograph. The image can be placed on an area of ​​at least 70% of the entire photograph. The person being photographed should look natural, the skin should have a natural shade. In addition, there can only be one visa applicant in the photo. The shadows of various objects, people or animals should not be displayed nearby.

Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that the photograph is taken no later than six months before the date of submission of documents. The main condition is that the immigration officer accepting and checking the documents can easily identify the applicant from the visa photograph. In cases where there have been any major changes in the appearance of the visa applicant since the photograph was taken, it is advisable to take a new photo. For example, at the time of photographing the applicant had a beard and mustache. Within six months they were shaved off, and the person’s appearance changed dramatically. In this case, he needs to take new photographs. If he dyed his hair, then in this case it should be understood how radically the dyeing changed the applicant’s appearance.

A change in appearance is considered to be a sudden loss of weight that has significantly changed the applicant. We can also talk about plastic surgery, piercings, and tattoos on the face or neck. Naturally, a change in appearance will also lead to a change in gender. Facial scars resulting from injuries will also make it difficult to identify the applicant from a photograph.

Although lush facial hair on men is a modern trend, it does not contribute to increasing confidence in American visa applicants. The mustache and beard are shaved off within a few minutes, completely changing the person's appearance. And it will be extremely difficult to identify him. Therefore, these points should be taken into account when taking visa photographs. The need to submit fingerprints significantly mitigates the situation. All US visa applicants are required to submit biometric data, regardless of citizenship. The information remains in the USCIS database for a decade. If during this period the foreigner decides to re-apply for a US visa, then he will only need to provide information about the date and place of the previous procedure. The presence of biometrics in the unified immigration database guarantees 100% identification of the American visa applicant.

Video about photos for an American visa

Photo background, angle and other points

The photo must have a white or off-white background. It can be light blue, white or beige, but always monochromatic. And the photo itself should not be too dark or, conversely, too light. During shooting, you need to make sure that the lighting is uniform and there are no shadows on the face. It is important to ensure that the visa applicant’s clothing does not blend into the background in any way. There should be a clear contrast.

It is strictly forbidden to use glasses with tinted lenses or regular glasses with thick frames. As of November 2021, immigration rules in the United States of America have changed somewhat, and in particular, it has become prohibited to be photographed wearing glasses, even if they are used regularly. You can be in the photo wearing glasses only if you have the appropriate medical prescription. Accordingly, it must be translated into English, and the translation must be notarized. Also, there should be no glare on the glasses that would reflect. If the applicant wears sunglasses or tinted glasses for medical reasons, they may wear them when photographed, but will be required to provide an appropriate medical report recommending the use of this type of glasses. But this is rather the exception than the rule.

You cannot wear hats when taking photographs for a visa. However, there is an exception to this rule for those applicants who regularly wear them for religious reasons. In this case, we are talking about women who profess Islam, clergy of Islamic temples, and adherents of Judaism. It is very important that the headdress does not cast a shadow on the face of the person being photographed; it does not cover the face, eyes and forehead.

You may not be wearing a uniform, camouflage pattern, or uniform-like clothing in the photograph. In religious clothing, which is used every day, you can take pictures without any problems. In general, it is advisable to use ordinary clothes that are worn every day.

Examples of correct and incorrect visa photographs will help you take the photo correctly

You should be photographed for an American visa from the front, with a direct gaze and wide open eyes, without smiling. If the person being photographed has a voluminous hairstyle, then be sure to pull the hair back, completely revealing the face.

The red eye effect must be eliminated. When photographing from the front, you should not squint your eyes over your shoulder. The head should be kept level, it should not be tilted in the spirit of a portrait style. It is desirable that the facial expression be neutral, and all its features can be seen without problems.

What can result from an incorrect visa photograph? When a photo is attached to the application form electronically, the system will check it for compliance with the requirements. If something goes wrong, the program will report an error and the questionnaire will not be able to be submitted until the correct photo is uploaded. If the American immigration officer who accepts and checks documents during the interview rejects the visa photographs, then an additional interview is scheduled, to which new photographs must be brought. In this case, we are not talking about refusal to issue an American visa. But the process of its registration will definitely drag on. When submitting documents during a second interview, there is no need to pay the visa fee again.

Digital Photography Requirements

The visual requirements for digital and paper photos are identical. The photo attached to the electronic application form must also be square. Other requirements:

• resolution from 600x600 to 1200x1200 pixels;
• .JPEG format;
• file size no more than 240 kbytes.

Digital photograph attached to Form DS-160

To upload, you can scan a photo taken on paper. Or, conversely, print out and submit to the embassy the photo that was attached to the application form. If you can’t upload the photo right away, you’ll have to resume the session later. If you still fail to upload the photo, then nothing bad will happen.

Composition standards

There will be no problems with the photo if you initially study all the requirements for a visa photo and build the composition correctly.

US standards are as follows:

• the head is completely in the frame, nothing can be cropped;
• the face occupies 50–70% of the picture, approximately 25–35 mm;
• the eyes are approximately 28–35 mm from the bottom border of the image;
• there must be empty (white) space between the applicant's image and the edges of the photograph;
• these parameters must be observed for both printed and electronic images;
• The size of the photo for a US visa is strictly 51 by 51 mm.

Electronic image requirements

The electronic image must be uploaded to the website of the executive department of the US government. This is an important online part of your visa application. If the picture is taken incorrectly, the system simply will not let it through. The following must be taken into account:

1. The image shape is only square, size from 600 by 600 to 1200 by 1200 pixels.
2. The image resolution for the visa is exclusively 24 bits per pixel.
3. Image weight is maximum 240 KB.
4. Picture format
5. Photos taken with a digital camera will have to be compressed at a ratio of 20:1. Otherwise, the picture may be distorted and will not be accepted.

Here, as a last resort, scanning is allowed if a suitable photo has already been taken. Source: 51 by 51 mm, the scanner is set to a resolution of 300 pixels per inch.

US Visa Electronic Image Requirement

You can check the photo online; if you did it incorrectly, the photo will not pass. You can crop and fix it yourself in any program or image editor.

Change in appearance

It is better not to use an old image for an American visa. If it is very different from what you looked like when you applied for your visa, you will be asked to replace it.

Candidates will be asked for a new photograph if:

• plastic surgery was performed that greatly changed the face;
• received facial injuries that distorted appearance;
• there is a piercing or tattoo (if you decide to remove all the piercing, or vice versa, later decorated your face, it is better to take a new photo);
• you have lost a lot of weight or gained weight, as the oval of your face changes noticeably.

A new haircut, change of hair color, beard or mustache are not considered significant changes. The main thing is that you look like yourself.

Additional photo requirements

When taking photographs, it is allowed to use functions to improve the quality of images, to correct light, and eliminate the “red eye” effect. It is prohibited to change the external parameters of a photograph after receiving the finished image.

To print a photo, you need to use only high-quality paper coated with a photosensitive emulsion. Photos with a matte or glossy finish can be submitted for a visa to travel to the United States. The printed photograph must be free of scratches, stains, cracks and abrasions.

Electronic photo for US visa

During the process of filling out the application form, you will need to upload a photo of the applicant. It must have:

• resolution 600-1200 dpi;
• square shape;
• JPEG format;
• size up to 240 KB.

If everything is in order, the photo for the American visa is electronically uploaded into the field provided in the application form. If a snapshot violates any required parameter, it will be rejected automatically. You should first check the photo online. This opportunity is provided by the State Department website, where you can fill out an application for a US visa.

Composition template

The correct composition of the photo will help you get a visa without any problems. Match your image to the standard:

• The head should be completely included in the frame - from the hair on the top of the head to the chin.
• There should be some empty space between the head and the edge of the photo.
• The size of the face oval occupies 2/3 of the height, approximately 25–35 mm.
• The eyes are located 28–35 mm from the bottom edge of the image.

For the electronic version, the same proportions apply. You can check compliance with specified standards using a special tool on the US State Department website.

Instructions for uploading a photo to the DS-160 form

Once you have completed the DS-160 form, you are ready to upload your photo. First of all, you should carefully read the photo requirements for a US visa presented above.

The main stages of uploading a photo to an electronic site:

• Enter the data into the visa application form type DS-160.
• Go to the PHOTO section.
• Click on the Upload Your Photo sign.
• Select the Browse section to download the desired file from your computer.
• Open the folder, double-click on the image.
• Click the Upload selected photo button to upload the photo.
• Get the result of the image matching the specified parameters.

However, it is not always possible to upload a photo for an American visa so quickly. If for some reason the photograph is not suitable, an explanation will be provided. The size may be incorrect, the photo may also be too dark or, on the contrary, very light. Sometimes there is a shadow on the face - such a photo will not work either.

Online validator

The official website of the State Department hosts an online validator for checking your photos for compliance with basic requirements. This service makes it easier to frame your photos. But the approval of photos by a validator does not provide a 100% guarantee that the consulate will accept your photo. After all, a photo has a large set of other requirements.

There are many amateur validators for checking photos. They help evaluate photographs, but do not promise that the photograph will be subsequently approved by the embassy.

Refusal of a visa

If the photo requirements for an American visa are not met, the following options are possible on the part of the Embassy or Consulate:

• Refusal to issue an entry permit.
• Please provide a new photograph taken in accordance with the rules.

In any case, waiting for a decision from the government agency will take some time, usually several days. In the first case, there will be a need to submit a complete package of documents again. If the photo is replaced, there will be no need to provide other documents and pay the consular fee again.

Requirements for children's visa photographs

All minor applicants will be required to take a photograph for a US visa. And regardless of their age. The child must be alone in the visa photograph. For photographs of children, some concessions are made, although their quality, angle and other nuances must be completely identical to photographs of adult applicants. The photograph of the child must be taken a maximum of three months before the date on which documents are submitted for a US visa.

The need for a minor to have his own document for traveling abroad arises at the age of 14, if we talk about his visit to the United States of America. Until this moment, it is enough to have a mark in the passport of at least one of the parents, as well as the original and a photocopy of the birth certificate. Then he does not receive his own visa and there is no need to photograph him.

If a child has his own foreign passport, and it was issued several years before the application for an American visa, then sometimes it can be quite difficult to identify a minor applicant from a photograph. In this case, you will also need an original and a copy of your birth certificate.

Adults need to ensure that the child does not pick up toys or other foreign objects when taking photographs. If we are talking about a very young traveler, then the photo should show him in the arms of his parents. But at the same time, only the parents’ hands can be visible, but the father or mother cannot be in the frame at the same time as the baby. The baby can also be photographed at home in a lying position.

Stars under the photo on a US visa

If you look closely at the photo on the visa, you can see the stars underneath it. Probably every candidate has wondered what the asterisks under the photo on an American visa mean. People who have repeatedly received a US visa may have noticed that the number of stars under the photo on a US visa varies. There are many versions associated with this fact.

The most common one is that one star means that everything is great, the documents are in order and do not require additional control. And two or three stars are an increased risk, that is, the tourist may need to undergo additional testing.

US visa documents

Any foreign citizen who is not associated with terrorist organizations and is mentally healthy can obtain an American visa. In any case, this is declared by the official US immigration departments.

Depending on the purpose and duration of stay, there are two types of American visa permits:

1. Immigration documents intended for subsequent registration of permanent residence.
2. Non-immigrant ─ for tourist/business trips.

In addition, there is an annual Diversity Visa (DV) diversification lottery program, which allows you to obtain US resident status based on the results of a computer selection ─ drawing. In each case, a package of documents with some additions is required.

Standard package for a tourist visa:

• passport (foreign, valid for the entire duration of the proposed visa);
• Confirmation of the electronic application DS-160;
• photo.

Additionally, you can (optional) provide:

• certificate from place of work/study;
• bank account statement;
• extract from the real estate register.

For a student visa, you will need an I-20 form from your future place of study and originals of diplomas and certificates.

For a worker, you will need a petition I-129, form I-797, a resume, an original work record book and a diploma of specialized education.