Your photo is a vital part of your Green Card application. The photo must meet all the requirements, such as size, background color and clarity. This ensures that the immigration officials can clearly identify the person in the photo and verify that the photo is a true representation of the applicant.

The image file must adhere to the following compositional and technical specifications and can be produced in one of the following ways: taking a new digital image or using a digital scanner to scan a photograph.

Image Acquisition

• The image file may be produced by acquiring an image with a digital camera or by digitizing a paper photograph with a scanner.
• Digital enhancement or other alterations or retouching are not permitted.
• The original aspect ratio of the image must be preserved. (No image stretching is allowed.)

Compositional Specifications:

The submitted photo or digital image must conform to the following compositional specifications or the entry will be disqualified.

Content

• The image must contain the full face, neck, and shoulders of the entrant
• Directly facing the camera in full-face view
• Open both eyes and maintain a neutral facial expression
• The image must not contain any parts of the body below the entrant's shoulders.
• The image must not include other objects or additional people.
• The entrant must be vertically oriented in the image.

• Photographed within the last six months to reflect your current appearance

Head Position

• The person being photographed must directly face the camera.
• The head of the person should not be tilted up, down, or to the side.
• Head height is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm), or 50% and 69% of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.

Background

• a plainwhite or off-white background, dark or patterned backgrounds are not acceptable.

•  The person being photographed should be taken with the person in front of a neutral, light-colored background.

Focus/Resolution

• The photograph must be in focus.

• The entire face must be in focus.
• Fine facial features must be clearly recognizable.
• Pixels or dot patterns must not be perceptible.

Dress

• Dressed in your daily clothing

• Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except religious clothing that is worn daily

Decorative Items

• In new visa photos, eyeglasses are not allowed except when they cannot be removed for medical reasons; for example, if the applicant has recently had ocular surgery and the eyeglasses are needed to protect their eyes.In these cases, a medical professional's or health practitioner's signature is needed.In case the eyeglasses are accepted for medical reasons:
• The frames of the eyeglasses must not cover the eye(s).
• There must not be glare on eyeglasses that obscures the eye(s).
• There must be no shadows or refraction from the eyeglasses that obscurethe eye(s). 
• You may be wearing a hearing device or other similar articles in your photo if you normally wear them.

Head Coverings and Hats

• You should not wear a hat or head covering obscuring your hair or hairline unless it is for a religious purpose. There must be no shadows cast on your face by your head covering, and your full face must be visible.

Color photographs in 24-bit color depth are required

Color photographs may be downloaded from a camera to a file in the computer or they may be scanned onto a computer. If you are using a scanner, the settings must be for True Color or 24-bit color mode. See the additional scanning requirements below.

Technical Specifications

The submitted digital photograph must conform to the following specifications or the system will automatically reject the E-DV entry form and notify the sender.

Taking a New Digital Image

If a new digital image is taken, it must meet the following specifications:

Scanning a Submitted Photograph

Before a photographic print is scanned, it must meet the compositional specifications listed above. If the photographic print meets the print color and compositional specifications, scan the print using the following scanner specifications:

Copies or digital scans of driver's licenses or other official documents are not acceptable.