Immigration PhotoAll 23 documents
US Passport Photo Requirements by Documents
Grouped by the question that matters first: whether your form takes a photo at all. Every figure behind these pages was read from the official source and re-audited, with the check date shown on each page. All 23 documents were last verified in a full pass on August 4, 2026.
Counting instead of reading? How many photos each form takes puts all 23 in one table.
Every form at a glance
| Form | Agency | Photo required? | How many | How recent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-589 | USCIS | No, do not send | None | Not specified |
| DS-64 | State Dept | No | None | Not specified |
| I-90 | USCIS | No | None | Not specified |
| Green Card | USCIS | No | None | Not specified |
| 2x2 photo | State Dept | Sometimes | See page | Taken within the last 6 months, and must still be a good likeness |
| USCIS photos | USCIS | Sometimes | See page | Form instructions say only "taken recently". The 30-day rule applies to adjustment of status (USCIS Policy Manual 7 USCIS-PM A.4); Form I-129F states its own 30-day rule. |
| N-400 | USCIS | Sometimes | 2 | Taken recently. The form instructions give no specific number of days or months. |
| N-565 | USCIS | Sometimes | 2 | Taken recently. The form instructions give no specific number of days or months. |
| N-600 | USCIS | Sometimes | 2 | Taken recently. The form instructions give no specific number of days or months. |
| I-751 | USCIS | Sometimes | See page | Taken recently. The form instructions give no specific number of days or months. |
| I-130 | USCIS | Sometimes | 4 | Taken recently. The form instructions give no specific number of days or months. |
| I-131 | USCIS | Sometimes | 2 | Taken recently. The form instructions give no specific number of days or months. |
| US passport | State Dept | Yes | 1 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| US visa | State Dept | Yes | 1 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| DS-11 | State Dept | Yes | 1 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| DS-82 | State Dept | Yes | 1 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Online passport renewal | State Dept | Yes | 1 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| DS-160 | State Dept | Yes | 1 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| DS-260 | State Dept | Yes | 2 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| DV Lottery | State Dept | Yes | 1 | Taken within the last 6 months |
| I-485 | USCIS | Yes | 2 | Taken within 30 days of filing (USCIS Policy Manual 7 USCIS-PM A.4, adjustment of status) |
| I-765 | USCIS | Yes | 2 | Taken recently. The form instructions give no specific number of days or months. |
| I-129F | USCIS | Yes | 2 | Taken within 30 days of filing the petition (stated in the I-129F instructions) |
Do not send photos
Sending photos with this form goes against the official instructions.
No photo required
Do not buy photos for these. Nothing is submitted by you.
- DS-64Department of StateForm DS-64 requires no photograph. It is a report of a lost or stolen passport, not an application, the photo is submitted with the replacement application (Form DS-11) instead.
- I-90USCISForm I-90 requires no photographs. The photo for a replacement green card is captured by USCIS at a biometrics appointment, not submitted by the applicant.
- Green CardUSCISYou cannot submit your own photo for a green card. Since 12 December 2025 USCIS accepts only photographs it captures itself, or that another authorized entity captures, at a biometrics appointment.
Sometimes required
Depends on your circumstances, usually residence outside the United States.
- 2x2 photoDepartment of StateA US 2x2 photo is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), square, with the head between 1 and 1 3/8 inches from chin to the top of the head. Submitted digitally it must be square, at least 600 x 600 pixels and at most 1200 x 1200 pixels, in JPEG format.
- USCIS photosUSCISUSCIS photos must be 2 x 2 inches, in color, full face and frontal view, on a white to off-white background, unmounted and unretouched. How many you send depends on the form: many USCIS forms now require none at all because the photo is captured at a biometrics appointment.
- N-400USCISForm N-400 requires photographs only if you live outside the United States, in which case you send two identical 2 x 2 inch color photos. Applicants residing in the US send none, the photo is captured at a biometrics appointment.
- N-565USCISForm N-565 requires photographs only if you live outside the United States, in which case you send two identical 2 x 2 inch color photos.
- N-600USCISForm N-600 requires photographs only if the person the certificate is for lives outside the United States, in which case two identical 2 x 2 inch color photos are needed.
- I-751USCISForm I-751 requires photographs only if you live overseas on US military or government orders, and then it is two photos for each petitioner and each dependent regardless of age, so the total is often more than two. Standard filers send none, because biometrics are captured at an Application Support Center.
- I-130USCISForm I-130 requires photographs only when petitioning for a spouse: two identical 2 x 2 inch color photos of the petitioner and two of the spouse. Other relative categories require none.
- I-131USCISForm I-131 requires photographs only in specific circumstances set out in its instructions, such as filing from outside the United States. When required, two 2 x 2 inch color photos are needed.
Photo required
Submit photos with every one of these.
- US passportDepartment of StateA US passport application requires one color photo, 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, taken within the last 6 months.
- US visaDepartment of StateA US visa photo must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) if printed, or square and between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels if uploaded, with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, taken within the last 6 months.
- DS-11Department of StateForm DS-11 requires one color photograph, 2 x 2 inches, submitted with the paper application.
- DS-82Department of StateForm DS-82 requires one color photograph, 2 x 2 inches, mailed with the renewal application. Renewing online instead means uploading a digital photo rather than mailing a print.
- Online passport renewalDepartment of StateRenewing a US passport online requires one digital photo uploaded into the application. No printed photo is mailed.
- DS-160Department of StateForm DS-160 requires one digital photo uploaded inside the application, square, at least 600 x 600 pixels and at most 1200 x 1200 pixels. If the upload fails you bring a printed 2 x 2 inch photo to the interview instead.
- DS-260Department of StateForm DS-260 requires two identical printed 2 x 2 inch photographs brought to the immigrant visa interview. No photo is uploaded into the DS-260 itself.
- DV LotteryDepartment of StateA Diversity Visa entry requires one digital photo of every person on the entry, square and exactly 600 x 600 pixels, in JPEG format.
- I-485USCISForm I-485 requires two identical color passport-style photographs, each 2 x 2 inches, taken within 30 days of filing.
- I-765USCISForm I-765 requires two identical color passport-style photographs, each 2 x 2 inches, taken recently.
- I-129FUSCISForm I-129F requires two photographs in total: one color passport-style photo of the petitioner and one of the beneficiary, each 2 x 2 inches.