DS-160 photo size
DS-160 photo size guide
A DS-160 digital visa photo is not just a square crop. The file also needs the right format, size, head position, background, and image quality.
Quick requirements
- Digital image dimensions should be square, with 600 x 600 px as the minimum accepted size.
- The file should be JPEG and 240KB or less.
- The head should fill about 50% to 69% of the image height, measured from chin to top of head.
- The background should be plain white or off-white.
- The photo should be full-face, neutral expression, with both eyes open.
What a crop tool may not catch
A crop tool can help make the image square, but it may not catch blur, shadows, glare, head tilt, background texture, or whether an edit changes appearance. That is why VisaPacket separates safe crop/compression fixes from retake risks.
Safe preparation workflow
- Start with a clear front-facing photo on a plain light background.
- Crop to a square and export 600 x 600 px.
- Compress under 240KB only as much as needed.
- Retake instead of editing if the face is tilted, blurry, shadowed, or obstructed.