DV lottery photo requirements
As of October 25, 2026, a DV lottery entry photo is a 600 x 600 pixel JPEG of 240 KB or less, taken within 6 months; a photo reused from a prior year can make the entrant ineligible (per travel.state.gov, checked on Oct 25, 2026).
Entrant and family photos that have been manipulated in any way, or that fall short of the specifications, can make an entrant ineligible for a Diversity Visa.
DV entries are accepted only electronically on the State Department’s E-DV website during the registration period; late and paper entries are turned away.
One digital image per person: a color JPEG, square at 600 x 600 pixels, no larger than 240 KB and taken within the last 6 months. It is uploaded with the online entry on the E-DV website; paper entries are not accepted.
Scanning a print also works if the print is 2 x 2 inches and you scan it at 300 pixels per inch, which lands exactly on the required 600 x 600 pixels.
From the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, the head should fill 50% to 69% of the image height. On a 600-pixel image that is 300 to 414 pixels.
For finer placement, the DV instructions refer entrants to the State Department’s Photo Composition Template, where the eyes sit 56% to 69% of the way up from the bottom edge, roughly 336 to 414 pixels on a 600-pixel image.
The DV-2026 instructions name three risks that may make you ineligible: reusing the photo from a prior year’s entry, sending a manipulated photo, or sending one that misses the specifications. They apply to the photos of your spouse and children as well.
The federal regulation adds that eyeglasses, sunglasses, very dark or busy backgrounds and non-religious headgear such as tribal, military or airline hats are not accepted.
Sources: travel.state.gov · ecfr.gov
Yes. The regulation calls for a photo of the entrant, the spouse and each unmarried child under 21, and the instructions hold each one to the same technical specifications. A spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or permanent resident does not need one.
For a baby, nobody else should appear in the frame and the child should face the camera with open eyes. A car seat covered with a plain white or off-white sheet supports the head and gives a clean background.
Sources: ecfr.gov · travel.state.gov
Yes, at the interview stage. Each DV applicant brings two identical photos to the visa interview, printed on photo-quality paper at 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).
Source: travel.state.gov
No. The DV-2026 instructions warn that submitting the photograph from a prior year’s entry may make you ineligible. Use a new photo taken within the last 6 months. Source: official pages "Instructions for the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2026)" and "22 CFR 42.33 Diversity immigrants › (b) Petition for immigrant status", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
No. The DV-2026 instructions say not to wear eyeglasses, and 22 CFR 42.33 rules out eyeglasses, sunglasses and anything else that blocks the face. Source: official pages "Instructions for the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2026)" and "22 CFR 42.33 Diversity immigrants › (b) Petition for immigrant status", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
Yes, as long as the photo meets the requirements and you already have the scanned file when you submit. The photo goes in with the online entry and cannot be sent on its own later. Source: official page "Instructions for the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2026)", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
The State Department. It says it runs checks for duplicate entries and for photos that miss the standards, and no photo service, SelfieToPassport included, can promise that an entry photo will pass. Source: official page "Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (Federal Register, March 11, 2026)", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
No. SelfieToPassport is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State or any other government agency. The U.S. Department of State publishes the photo rules for free at travel.state.gov; this page links to each one.
For U.S. documents we crop and resize your original photo. We do not replace the background: the State Department lists photos with a background cut out by software as unacceptable.
Ready? Free preview with the measurements drawn on your photo; $6.95 for the digital file and both print sheets.
Make my DV lottery photoEvery rule on this page comes from a page published by the U.S. Department of State, read on the date shown. We rewrite each rule in plain words and link to the page it came from. Each rule has a review deadline; one that passes it without a new check comes off the page.
Something here out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official page.
