US visa photo requirements
Direct answer: The State Department requires a visa photo to be in color, taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance, on a plain white or off-white background, in full-face view facing the camera, with a neutral expression and both eyes open. Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos except in rare medical cases with a signed medical statement. With the DS-160, the form instructs you to upload your digital image; acceptance is at the discretion of the embassy or consulate where you apply.
Source: Photo Requirements
The core requirements the State Department lists
The State Department's Photo Requirements page says your photo or digital image must be in color; sized so the head is between 1 and 1⅜ inches (22–35 mm), or 50%–69% of the image height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head; taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance; on a plain white or off-white background; in full-face view directly facing the camera; with a neutral expression and both eyes open; in clothing you normally wear.
The same page says uniforms should not be worn (except religious clothing worn daily); do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline (unless worn daily for a religious purpose, casting no shadows); and headphones or wireless hands-free devices are not acceptable.
- Color, within 6 months, plain white/off-white background.
- Full-face view, neutral expression, both eyes open.
- No hat/head covering that obscures the face (religious daily use excepted); no headphones/devices.
Source: Photo Requirements
Eyeglasses: generally not allowed in new photos
The State Department says eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos, except in rare circumstances when they cannot be removed for medical reasons (for example, recent ocular surgery), in which case a signed medical statement must be provided. If accepted for medical reasons, the frames must not cover the eyes and there must be no glare, shadows, or refraction that obscures the eyes.
If you normally wear a hearing device or similar articles, they may be worn in your photo.
Source: Photo Requirements
How to upload the DS-160 digital photo
The State Department says that when you apply for a nonimmigrant visa using the DS-160 (or DS-1648), the form instructs you to upload your digital image as part of completing the online application; review the Digital Image Requirements. Some embassies and consulates also require applicants to bring one photo that meets the requirements to the interview, so check the instructions of the post where you apply.
The page states that photos copied or scanned from driver's licenses or other official documents are not acceptable, and that snapshots, magazine photos, low-quality vending-machine or mobile-phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable. Acceptance of your image is at the discretion of the embassy or consulate where you apply.
- Upload the digital image as the DS-160 instructs, following the official Digital Image Requirements.
- Check whether your local post also requires a printed photo at the interview.
- Do not use scanned ID photos, copies, or low-quality phone photos.
Source: Photo Requirements
A new photo may be needed if your appearance changed
The State Department says that if your photo does not reflect your current appearance — even if it is not older than 6 months — the embassy or consulate will request a new one. This generally applies after significant facial surgery or trauma, adding or removing numerous or large facial piercings or tattoos, or significant weight loss or gain; growing a beard or coloring your hair is generally not a significant change.
Source: Photo Requirements
What else do applicants ask?
How do I check my DS-160 photo before submitting?
Check it against the official specs: taken within the last 6 months, full face, white or off-white background, correct size and head proportions, and no eyeglasses. Run the official photo tool or check each spec item before you submit the DS-160.
Can I wear glasses in a US visa photo?
No. Since the official rule change, eyeglasses are generally not allowed in visa photos (rare medical exceptions require documentation).
What are the official numbers?
Every figure below was read from an official U.S. government page, not from experience or an agency's summary. Fees and rules change — before you actually pay or file, check the primary pages listed under the sources section. One row deliberately carries no number: the State Department has never published a fixed duration for administrative processing.
Every figure above was last checked against its source on 2026-08-27
Where are the official sources?
These are the primary sources this site cites — U.S. government pages and the statute text itself. Each one was opened and confirmed reachable on the date shown below. Wherever this site and an official page disagree, the official page is the one that counts.
- U.S. Department of State — Photo Requirements
- U.S. Department of State — DS-160: Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application
- U.S. Department of State — Visitor Visa (B-1/B-2)The official statement of what B-1/B-2 does and does not permit, the application steps, and required documents.
- U.S. Department of State — Fees for Visa ServicesThe only authoritative source for the application fee. Fees change — check this page before you pay.
- CEAC — Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application (DS-160)The DS-160 form itself, and where the confirmation page is reprinted.
- USTravelDocs — appointments and fee payment (China)The official service for booking, rescheduling, paying and passport return; rules vary by the post where you apply.
- 8 U.S.C. §1184 — the statute behind a 214(b) refusalWhere the presumption of immigrant intent — the thing a 214(b) refusal actually applies — is written down.
- EVUS — Electronic Visa Update SystemWhere holders of a 10-year B1/B2 on a PRC passport enrol before travelling.
- 9 FAM 402.1 — Overview of NIV ClassificationsThe Foreign Affairs Manual consular officers work from — more detailed than the applicant-facing pages.
How do you turn this into something you can say at the window?
Reading the guide is the easy half. What decides the outcome is whether you can say the same facts out loud, in order, under time pressure, at the window. qianyu (签屿/VisaIsle) is an AI mock visa interviewer for the US B1/B2 visitor visa: it reads your DS-160, cross-checks it against your spoken answers and supporting documents to catch every inconsistency, and drills you with realistic 214(b)-style consular questioning at three difficulty levels. Credit packs are pay-as-you-go — ¥29.9 for 1 credit, ¥59.9 for 3 — and new users get 1 free training credit on sign-up.
Updated 2026-08-27