Green card photo covers two different processes with two different rule sets. A Diversity Visa entry uploads a square digital image of at least 600 x 600 pixels. An adjustment of status on Form I-485 needs two printed 2 x 2 inch photographs taken within 30 days of filing. Work out which one applies to you before preparing anything.
Before preparing anything, work out which process you are in. A Diversity Visa entry and an adjustment of status on Form I-485 both get called a "green card photo", and their requirements differ in ways that make one photo unusable for the other.
The difference that matters most is age: six months for a DV entry, thirty days for an I-485 filing.
Submitted as an upload with the online entry.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Submission | Uploaded digitally as part of the online entry |
| Shape | Square — height must equal width |
| Pixel size | 600 x 600 pixels minimum, 1200 x 1200 pixels maximum |
| File format | JPEG (.jpg), 240 KB or smaller |
| Head height | 1 to 1 3/8 in (25-35 mm), or 50% to 69% of the image height |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last 6 months |
Submitted as printed photographs with the paper filing.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Submission | Two identical printed colour photographs |
| Photo size | 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm), full face, frontal view |
| Head height | 1 to 1 3/8 in from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin |
| Eye height from the bottom edge | 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 in |
| Background | White to off-white |
| Paper | Thin paper, glossy finish, unmounted and unretouched |
| Age of photo | Taken within 30 days of filing |
| On the back | Your name and A-Number in pencil or felt pen |
Both processes use a square photo, which is worth saying because square is the exception internationally and most phone cameras shoot 4:3 or 3:2. You will be discarding a good part of the frame width, so shoot with the head well centred and space on both sides.
Select the United States in the crop tool to lock the square ratio and place the head inside the guide.
This tool helps you crop and prepare a photo. It does not guarantee acceptance by any government, embassy, consulate, airline or application service.
Check the current rules with USCIS before submitting: https://www.uscis.gov/i-485
Last reviewed: August 2026. Requirements can change after that date — the official page above is the authority, not this one.
It depends on the process. A Diversity Visa entry uploads a square digital photo, 600 x 600 pixels minimum. A Form I-485 filing takes two printed 2 x 2 inch photographs.
This is the difference that catches people out. A Diversity Visa entry photo must be from the last six months; a Form I-485 photo must be taken within 30 days of filing. A photo that was fine for one can be too old for the other.
Usually not, because of the 30-day rule and because I-485 expects printed photographs rather than an upload. Treat them as separate photos.
For printed I-485 photographs, lightly write your name and A-Number in pencil or felt pen on the back of each one.
No, but the print requirements are specific, including thin paper with a glossy finish, unmounted and unretouched, and many home printers cannot meet them. A photo service is often the simpler route for the printed version.