DV Lottery photo checker for your entry

Use this page for the digital photograph uploaded with a Diversity Visa lottery entry. The Department of State’s DV photo instructions distinguish that entry image from the printed photographs needed later by selectees. This profile covers the entry image.

Review the exact DV upload requirements

The DV entry section of the official instructions requires a JPEG no larger than 240 kB, exactly 600 × 600 pixels, with equal width and height. Do not substitute the broader pixel range on the general visa digital-image page. The profile’s requirements below show the file limit in bytes and the recorded head-height and eye-line ranges.

Common reasons to retake or replace the image

A different file format, an oversized file or dimensions other than 600 × 600 do not meet the DV entry specifications. Review the original file’s properties as well as its appearance.

The same instructions require a photo taken within the last six months, a plain white or off-white background, a direct full-face view, a neutral expression and both eyes open. If your image is older, shows a turned face or has closed eyes, take a new photograph that meets those conditions. If the setting is unsuitable, make the new capture against the required background.

Cropping and the limits of this check

Cropping is permitted by this profile; background replacement and retouching are not. Those two rules come from the DV-2026 entry instructions, which say your entry may be ineligible if the photograph has been manipulated in any way. The official digital-image guidance describes cropping and says not to digitally alter your appearance. A crop cannot correct an unsuitable expression or background: address those at capture.

Read the measured, estimated and not-checked lists below. For example, this profile estimates background uniformity but does not check background color, blur or exposure. It also cannot establish when the photograph was taken. Review those conditions yourself even when the tool reports no issue with them.

Our free photo tools process photos in your browser, on your device. The tools do not upload your photos.

The tool’s “likely compliant” outcome is not an official decision. The authority decides whether the photo meets its requirements.

U.S. Diversity Visa lottery

Official source: U.S. Department of State, DV-2026 Instructions

Last reviewed:

Requirements for this route

Submission
Digital
File formats
JPEG
Minimum file size (bytes)
No rule recorded in this profile
Maximum file size (bytes)
240,000
Minimum length of each side (pixels)
600
Maximum length of each side (pixels)
600
Square image (width equals height)
Required
Printed photo size
No print size recorded for this route
Head height, top of hair to bottom of chin (% of image height)
50–69 %
Eye line from bottom (% of image height)
56–69 %
Background colors
Color is not checked; consult the official source for background color.
Uniform background
Required

Measured checks

Measured checks produce pass or fail findings.

  • File format
  • File size
  • Pixel dimensions
  • Aspect ratio
  • Number of faces
  • Head height
  • Eye-line position
  • Head centering

Estimated visual checks

Estimated checks produce pass or review warnings, rather than failures.

  • Background uniformity
  • Pose
  • Open eyes
  • Eyeglasses

Not checked

  • Head tilt
  • Background color
  • Blur
  • Exposure

Editing rules

  • Cropping: permitted for this route.
  • Background replacement: not allowed.
  • Retouching: not allowed.