US passport and visa photos: paper, online renewal and DS-160
Updated 2026-09-30
The United States has separate photo requirements for a paper passport application, an online passport renewal and a visa (DS-160). They are not the same, and choosing the right one decides which numbers apply. A universal 2 × 2 inch export is not the answer to all three.
Evidence level: travel.state.gov blocks our automated checks. The figures below come from summaries of State Department pages and search excerpts, not from a verbatim read of the full pages. That is why GetFormatted offers no US photo preset. Check the official page for your application before you print or upload.
Which channel are you in?
| Channel | What we saw | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Paper passport (in person or by mail) | A 2 × 2 inch (51 × 51 mm) print, head 1 to 1⅜ inches (25 to 35 mm) from chin to top of head, taken in the last 6 months, on matte or glossy photo paper | That the same head size applies to a visa photo |
| Online passport renewal | A JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 KB and 10 MB, in colour, taken in the last 6 months. No pixel size was stated on the page we could read. | That any pixel range, such as 600 to 1200 pixels, applies here |
| Visa, DS-160 online form | A square JPEG of 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 pixels in sRGB, 24-bit colour, up to 240 kB | That the passport limits apply |
Paper passport photo
The State Department writes the size as 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). 2 inches is exactly 50.8 mm, so the 51 mm figure is rounded. See the 2 × 2 inch photo page for the pixel arithmetic at each DPI, and the 51 × 51 mm page for the millimetre version.
Online passport renewal
The page we read gives a file-size range and file types but no pixel size. The 54 KB minimum matters: a photo compressed too hard can fall below it and be rejected. Do not run this photo through a general compressor, and keep the framing the page describes, with the bottom of the frame at the edge of the shoulders.
Visa photo (DS-160)
The digital image requirements for the visa form are the most specific of the three: square, 600 to 1200 pixels each way, JPEG, sRGB colour and at most 240 kB. The visa photo page gives a different head size for a printed photo (1 inch to 1⅜ inches, 22 to 35 mm in the summary we saw) than the passport page (25 to 35 mm). Do not carry a passport head size over to a visa.
The visa is a separate application. Go to the United States page for the visa links we have, and read the DS-160 upload rules on the official page before you export.
Units
The pages write “KB” and “kB” without saying whether that means 1,000 or 1,024 bytes. Aim a little under a maximum and a little over a minimum. See KB vs MB.
Not covered
- Rules for children and infants.
- Rules for glasses and religious head coverings.
- Immigration forms filed with USCIS, which have their own upload limits. See upload limits.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a US passport photo preset?
- No. We could read the requirements only through summaries and excerpts, and we publish a preset only from a verified rule.
- Is a 2 × 2 inch photo exactly 51 mm?
- No. 2 inches is 50.8 mm. The State Department page writes 51 mm as the rounded figure.
- Are the online passport renewal and DS-160 pixel sizes the same?
- We have no basis to say so. The 600 to 1200 pixel range is stated for the visa form. The online passport renewal page we read gives no pixel size.
- What is the minimum file size for the US online renewal photo?
- The page gives a range of 54 KB to 10 MB, so the file must not be smaller than 54 KB.