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Guide

DV lottery photo rejected? What to check and how to fix it

As of October 25, 2026, the Diversity Visa entry takes a square 600 x 600 pixel color JPEG of 240 KB or less, with the head filling 50% to 69% of the image height, a plain white or off-white background and a photo no more than six months old. A photo that misses the rules, has been manipulated or was used in a prior year’s entry may make you ineligible. SelfieToPassport turns a phone photo into a 600 x 600 pixel JPEG under 240 KB, with a free preview and $6.95 for the file.

Updated Rules checked against the official pages listed belowHow we check

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The short version

  1. SelfieToPassport: a 600 x 600 px DV entry JPEG under 240 KB from a phone photo, free preview, $6.95.
  2. Make the image square at exactly 600 x 600 pixels.
  3. Save it as a color JPEG of 240 KB or less.
  4. Frame it so the head is 50% to 69% of the height and the eyes 56% to 69% up from the bottom.
  5. Use a plain white or off-white background and take off your eyeglasses.
  6. Use a new photo, no more than six months old, not the one from a previous year’s entry.
  7. Upload it with the entry itself: the photo cannot be sent separately.

The file rules for the DV entry photo

Start with the file. A rectangular phone photo, an image that is not exactly 600 x 600 pixels or a file over 240 KB breaks the rules below.

A photo straight from a phone camera is usually several thousand pixels wide and a few megabytes, so it needs cropping to a square, resizing and saving as a smaller JPEG.

The rules

  • Every Diversity Visa entry carries a digital photo uploaded with the online form, saved as a JPEG (.jpg) file of no more than 240 KB. travel.state.gov
  • The DV entry image has to be square, with width equal to height, at 600 x 600 pixels. travel.state.gov
  • Under 22 CFR 42.33, the federal rule for the Diversity Visa Program, each entry photo must be a color image in JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF). ecfr.gov
  • A DV entrant may scan an existing print instead of taking a new digital photo, provided the print measures 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) and is scanned at 300 pixels per inch. travel.state.gov

Head size, eye height and background

DV photos follow the same quality and composition as U.S. visa photos. A selfie at arm’s length makes the head too big; a photo from across the room makes it too small.

Measure the head from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, and the eyes from the bottom edge of the image, as a share of the image height.

The rules

  • The State Department’s DV-2026 instructions hold entry photos to the same quality and composition standard as U.S. visa photos. travel.state.gov
  • In a DV entry photo, the head from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head must fill 50% to 69% of the image height, or 1 to 1 3/8 inches on a 2 x 2 inch print. travel.state.gov
  • On the State Department’s visa photo composition template, the eye line sits 56% to 69% of the image height above the bottom edge. travel.state.gov
  • The DV-2026 instructions require entry photos to be taken in front of a plain white or off-white background. travel.state.gov
  • Federal regulation 22 CFR 42.33 says DV photos with very dark or patterned, busy backgrounds will not be accepted. ecfr.gov

What can make the photo cost you the entry

A DV photo problem is not only an upload problem: the State Department screens entry photos, and a photo that falls short can make the entrant ineligible.

The usual traps are an old photo, eyeglasses, any manipulation of the image and reusing last year’s photo.

The rules

  • A DV entry photo can be no more than six months old on the date the entry is submitted, under 22 CFR 42.33. ecfr.gov
  • Eyeglasses, sunglasses and anything else that blocks the view of the face are banned from DV entry photos by 22 CFR 42.33. ecfr.gov
  • 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. travel.state.gov
  • Submitting the same photo that went in with a prior year’s DV entry may make the entrant ineligible, the DV-2026 instructions warn. travel.state.gov
  • The State Department says it already runs checks to detect duplicate DV entries and photos that do not meet the required standards. federalregister.gov

How to fix the photo

Fix the file before you submit: the photo goes in with the entry, and every person on the entry needs one.

SelfieToPassport crops, resizes and compresses the photo in your browser, without retouching the face or replacing the background, and shows the measurements in a free preview before you pay. The file costs $6.95.

  1. Take a new photo: a friend or a timer, several feet away, against a plain white or off-white wall, no eyeglasses.
  2. Crop to a square with the head 50% to 69% of the height.
  3. Resize to 600 x 600 pixels.
  4. Save as a color JPEG and check that the file is 240 KB or less.
  5. Repeat for your spouse and each unmarried child under 21, then upload each photo in the entry form.

The rules

  • A scanned DV photo may come from someone else’s scanner, but the file has to be uploaded together with the online entry; it cannot be sent separately. travel.state.gov
  • Under 22 CFR 42.33, a DV entry needs a photo of the entrant, the spouse and every unmarried child under 21. ecfr.gov

FAQ

What size should a DV lottery photo be?

Exactly 600 x 600 pixels, square, saved as a color JPEG of 240 KB or less. Source: official page "Photo Requirements (U.S. Visas) › Additional Requirements for the Diversity Visa (DV) Program", checked on Oct 25, 2026.

Can I scan a printed photo for the DV lottery?

Yes, if the print is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), it is scanned at 300 pixels per inch and the resulting file also meets the digital image rules. Source: official page "Photo Requirements (U.S. Visas) › Additional Requirements for the Diversity Visa (DV) Program", checked on Oct 25, 2026.

Can I reuse last year’s DV lottery photo?

No. Submitting the same photo as a prior year’s entry may make you ineligible, and the photo has to be no more than six months old when you submit. 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.

Do DV selectees need printed photos too?

Yes. Each applicant brings two identical 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photos on photo-quality paper to the visa interview. Source: official page "Photo Requirements (U.S. Visas) › Additional Requirements for the Diversity Visa (DV) Program", checked on Oct 25, 2026.

Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page comes from a page published by the U.S. Department of State and the companies named, 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.