Prepare a digital photo for your DS-160 US visa application: a square image between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, with your head framed per the published guidance. This is a digital-only requirement — no physical print size is specified for a US visa photo.
Official requirements
Official requirements
Prepared using the published specification below.
Digital photo requirements
Minimum pixel size
600 × 600 px (max 1200 × 1200 px)
Head height
50%–69% of total image height
Format
jpg
Printed photo requirements
No official physical print size was found for this document — it appears to be a digital-only submission.
Other requirements
Background
Plain white or off-white, no shadows or patterns
Expression
Full-face view, directly facing the camera.
Glasses
Glasses are generally not permitted; photos must show your full, bare face with no glare or tinted lenses.
Head coverings
Head coverings are not permitted except for religious or medical reasons, and your full face must remain visible.
Maximum photo age
6 months
Source: U.S. Department of State — Visa Digital Image Requirements.
Common mistakes
✕Uploading a non-square image (digital requirement is a square aspect ratio)
✕Background with texture, furniture, or another person visible
✕Photo older than 6 months
✕Head height outside the 50-69% of image height guidance
How to take a good photo
✓Use a square (1:1) digital photo, minimum 600x600px, maximum 1200x1200px
✓Photograph against a plain white or off-white background
✓Frame your head (top of hair to bottom of chin) at roughly 50-69% of the image height
✓Keep a full-face view, directly facing the camera
How Vekyo works for a United States visa (ds-160)
Upload a recent photo, and Vekyo detects your face, then checks it against the United States visa (ds-160) specification above — including its plain white or off-white, no shadows or patterns background requirement — before letting you crop and position it to match, entirely in your browser. Vekyo only crops, rotates for straightening, and resizes your photo; it never changes your facial features, skin tone, or facial structure, and never generates or beautifies a face. Backgrounds are never automatically replaced — if yours doesn't look plain and evenly lit enough for this document, you'll see a warning instead of a silent pass.
Frequently asked questions
Vekyo prepares your United States visa (ds-160) photo at 600×600px, based on the published specification linked on this page — you don't need to measure or crop it yourself.
Plain white or off-white, no shadows or patterns Vekyo's compliance check flags a background that looks patterned, shadowed, or uneven before you pay, so you can retake the photo if needed.
Yes. A recent phone photo works well as long as it is a clear, front-facing shot in good, even lighting against a plain background. Vekyo crops and resizes it to the required dimensions in your browser.
Yes. Vekyo lets you prepare a photo that matches the United States visa (ds-160) photo specification from an existing picture, without visiting a photo studio. You still need to check your final photo, and print it, according to your application's instructions.
No. Vekyo only crops, resizes, and repositions your existing photo to match the required dimensions. It never alters your facial features, skin tone, or facial structure, and never generates or beautifies a face.
No. Face detection, cropping, resizing, and file generation all happen locally in your browser. Your photo is not uploaded to our servers for image processing. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
No. You get a free preview of your finished photo — including its compliance score and checklist — before paying anything. Payment only unlocks the full-resolution, watermark-free download and the printable sheet.
Your compliance checklist shows exactly which checks passed, which need attention, and which failed, with a plain-language explanation for each. From there you can use Auto-Fix to automatically correct issues like cropping, brightness, or sharpness, adjust the crop yourself, or upload or retake a different photo — you can keep adjusting until it looks right, all before you pay. A mistake we see often for a United States visa (ds-160): uploading a non-square image (digital requirement is a square aspect ratio).
The official guidance we could find for a United States visa (ds-160) describes a digital-only upload (600×600px), with no physical print size specified. Vekyo focuses on producing the correctly sized digital file for this document rather than a printable sheet — check the official source on this page to confirm whether a printed photo is ever required.
Vekyo prepares your photo according to the published United States visa (ds-160) photo specification linked on this page. You are responsible for confirming your final photo meets your specific application's requirements before submitting it.
We cannot guarantee acceptance. Vekyo prepares your photo according to the published photo specifications, but final acceptance is always decided by the receiving government authority. Always verify the latest requirements on the official source before submitting your application.
Prepared according to the published requirements — not a guarantee of acceptance and not government approved. Always verify the latest requirements with the official authority before submitting your photo.