United States diversity visa lottery photo photo size and rules
United States diversity visa lottery photo photos must be 600 × 600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less, with the head 50–69% of photo height from chin to top of head. Background rule: “plain white or off-white”. Source checked 2026-10-20.
Official measurements
| Photo size | 600 × 600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less |
|---|---|
| Head height | 50–69% of photo height — official wording: “head is between ... 50 percent and 69 percent of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head” |
| Background | plain white or off-white |
| Digital photo | at least 600 × 600 px; at most 600 × 600 px; format JPEG (.jpg); file size 0–240 KB |
| Our file | 600 × 600 px JPEG, compressed to stay at or under 240 KB |
Other rules from the official page
- In color and in focus
- Taken within the last six months
- Full-face view directly facing the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open
- Do not wear eyeglasses
- No hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose
- Headphones and similar items are not acceptable
- A photograph that has been manipulated, or one submitted with a prior year's entry, may make you ineligible
Exact wording
“Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size”
“600 x 600 pixels in dimension”
“In a square aspect ratio (height must equal width)”
“50 percent and 69 percent of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head”
“Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background”
“a photograph that has been manipulated ... may make you ineligible for a DV”
Source
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/01/2024-22482/diversity-visa-instructions-for-dv-2026
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/11/2026-04737/visas-enhancing-vetting-and-combatting-fraud-in-the-diversity-immigrant-visa-program
Checked 2026-10-20. Rules can change — the receiving office's current rules are final. Private Apps is not affiliated with any government.
Before you enter the DV lottery
- The only official entry site is dvprogram.state.gov, run by the U.S. Department of State. Private Apps is not a DV entry service and cannot enter you, check your status or improve your chances — we only crop your photo to the published size.
- Since the final rule of March 11, 2026 (effective April 10, 2026), an entry must also include your valid, unexpired passport details and a scan of the passport's biographic and signature page, unless you are exempt (Federal Register 2026-04737).
- In that rule the Department said it was deferring the opening of the DV-2027 entry period. We could not confirm the current entry dates from an official page we are allowed to read, so check dvprogram.state.gov for the dates before you start.
- Every person on the entry needs their own photo (you, your spouse and each unmarried child under 21), and you must not reuse a photo from a previous year's entry.
About “manipulated” photos
The instructions warn that a photograph “that has been manipulated” may make you ineligible. Our tool does not retouch, change the background or rotate your picture: it only crops and scales your own photo to 600 × 600 pixels and compresses it to fit the 240 KB limit, as you would with any image editor. Take the photo in front of a plain white or off-white wall, without glasses.
How our maker fits these rules
The app measures your head from chin to the top of your hair and crops and scales your own photo so the head sits in the middle of the allowed 50–69% of photo height range. It does not change the background, retouch or rotate anything — so take the photo in front of a plain wall that matches the background rule above. The checklist tells you if the background, head tilt or framing need a retake, and the free preview lets you inspect the result first.