DV Lottery photo requirements

The specification

Editing and retouching

DV entry photographs must meet the same standards as U.S. visa photos. You may be ineligible for a DV if the entry photographs for you and your family members do not fully meet these specifications or have been manipulated in any way. Submitting the same photograph that was submitted with a prior year’s entry will make you ineligible for a DV.

Department of State, quoted from the official source

What the official source does not say

THREE things to carry into any DV page. (1) TIMING: these figures are from the DV-2026 notice (89 FR 79997, 2024-10-01), which was still the most recent DV instructions notice as of 2026-08-04, no DV-2027 notice had been published. Re-verify before each registration period and state which DV year the page describes. (2) A REGULATION CONFLICT exists on the print size: 22 CFR 42.33(b)(2)(i) says a scanned source print "must have been 2'' by 2'' (50mm x 50mm)", while the DV-2026 instructions and travel.state.gov both say 51 x 51 mm. Cite both rather than silently picking one. (3) SCOPE: effective 2026-04-10, an E-DV entry also requires a scan of the entrant's passport biographic and signature page under new 22 CFR 42.33(b)(3). JPEG/JFIF only, no PDF, 5 MB maximum. That is not a photo spec but it belongs on the page.

The DV entry photo is stricter than a visa photo

The Diversity Visa entry takes the visa photo standard and hardens it: exactly 600 x 600 pixels, not a range, in JPEG at 240 KB or less, in focus, in color. Reusing a photo from a prior year's entry can make the entry ineligible, and a DV entry with a bad photo is not corrected, it is disqualified. There is no second chance within the entry period, which is what makes this the one photo worth checking twice.

As of the rule effective April 10, 2026, these specifications are codified in regulation at 22 CFR 42.33: the JPEG format, the eyeglasses bar, and the limits on non-religious headgear are now regulatory text, not just website guidance.

Do not confuse the photo with the passport scan

The same 2026 rule added a second upload to the DV entry: a scan of your passport's biographic and signature page, JPEG only, with a file size that must not exceed 5 megabytes. That 5 MB limit belongs to the passport scan, not the photo. The photo's ceiling is still 240 KB. Mixing up the two limits is an easy way to build a file that fails.

What an acceptable DV photo looks like

An acceptable example is simple to describe: a color photo, exactly 600 x 600 pixels, in focus, head facing the camera and taking up 50 to 69 percent of the image height, neutral expression, both eyes open, no glasses, plain light background, taken this entry season. The failing examples are just as concrete: a reused photo from last year's entry, glasses, a head cropped or tilted out of the band, a busy or dark background, and any other person visible in a child's photo. Photographed pass and fail examples of the shared rules are on the rejected passport photos page, and the checker measures your own photo against the DV figures, including head size, free.

The traps that end DV entries

Every one of these is a real rule, not folklore. Reusing a photo from a prior year's entry can make the entry ineligible, even if the photo itself is compliant. Eyeglasses fail; so do headphones and wireless hands-free devices, while hearing devices are allowed. A baby or toddler photo with any other person visible fails. Photos copied or digitally scanned from a driver's license or other official document fail, as do snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine photos, and full-length photographs.

The frame rules are the visa standard: head between 50 and 69 percent of the image height, full-face view directly at the camera, neutral expression with both eyes open, daily clothing with no uniforms except daily religious wear, and no head covering that obscures the hair or hairline unless worn daily for religious purposes. Since these entries cannot be corrected after submission, check the file before you upload it. And if your entry is selected, the immigrant visa stage has its own photo rules on the DS-260 page: the same digital spec plus two identical prints at the interview.

Questions about the DV Lottery photo

What size must a DV lottery photo be?

Exactly 600 x 600 pixels, JPEG format, 240 KB or less, in color and in focus. Unlike the DS-160's 600 to 1200 pixel range, the DV entry accepts one size only.

Can I reuse last year's DV photo?

Do not. Reusing a photo from a prior year's entry can make the entry ineligible, and disqualification is discovered when it matters most. Take a new photo for each entry.

Can I wear glasses in a DV lottery photo?

No. Eyeglasses are barred, and as of April 10, 2026 that bar is written into the regulation itself. Hearing devices may be worn; headphones may not.

What is the 5 MB limit I keep reading about?

That is the ceiling for the passport biographic page scan the entry now also requires, not for the photo. The photo must still be 240 KB or less. Two uploads, two different limits.

What exact file format does the DV photo need?

JPEG, and the 2026 regulation pins it precisely: Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) File Interchange Format, JFIF. In practice that is a standard .jpg file, exactly 600 x 600 pixels, at 240 KB or less.