The United States of America is a dream holiday destination for people around the world. This North American country is known for its 50 states, numerous vibrant cities, gorgeous national parks, amazing monuments, ultra-modern buildings, glamour, and so much more. Apart from tourists, millions of people visit this country for work purposes as well.
Whatever the reason might be, most foreign nationals need to get a US visa before visiting the place. A non-immigrant US visa is either US B1 or B2 visa, the former meant for business travelers and the latter for tourists. And a visa application needs quite a few documents, one of them being your photograph. As there is a long list of documents that you need to submit for your US visa application, you might not give much importance to the photograph and submit one that you already have with you. But this is a big mistake. Not submitting the right photo can lead to the rejection of your US visa application. Hence, knowing the exact US visa photo requirement is extremely crucial.
US Visa Photo Requirements
Image Credit: https://visitvisaguide.com/
The requirements for a US visa include multiple factors, right from the size of the photo to the lighting and facial expression. Here we have discussed the photo requirement for US visa in detail.
Size: The US visa photo size should be 2 inches x 2 inches, i.e. 51 mm x 51 mm. The photo should be the exact measurements mentioned here. Remember that the US visa photo measurements are different from those of other nations. So, you cannot submit already existing photographs. You must submit photographs taken for the US visa application.
Dimensions: Along with the size of the photo, the dimensions are also important. A major part of the photo should be covered with your head. In fact, the head should cover 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches of the photo. This measurement is from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin. In short, 50-69% of the photo should be your head.
Recency: The photo you submit for the US visa process should be a recent one, not older than 6 months. The photo should resemble as to how you look currently. If you have undergone a major change in recent months, it would be best to take a new photo for your US visa application.
Color: The photograph should be in color. Black and white visa photos should not be submitted for the US visa. This will be rejected outright.
Background: The background of the photograph should be plain. There should be no patterns or textures on them. The color of the background should either be white or off-white. Photos with colored backgrounds are also not accepted.
Eyeglasses: It is best to remove your eyeglasses while taking a US visa photograph. Eyeglasses are usually banned, unless they are worn for medical reasons and cannot be removed without compromising the person’s health. In this case, a medical certificate should be submitted along with the photo. In case you are wearing eyeglasses for the visa, you need to ensure that the frames are not obstructing the view of your face. There should be no glare on the lens. Moreover, the shadow of the glasses should not be on your face as well. Sunglasses are a complete no-no.
Facial Expressions: The expression on your face should be neutral. Photos where you are smiling, laughing, grinning, showing teeth, or frowning may not be accepted. Moreover, both of your eyes should remain open. It is also important to ensure that your face is looking directly at the camera. Photos with a side profile are not acceptable.
Headgear: Your hair and hairline should be visible in the photo. So, you must refrain from wearing any kind of headgear like caps and hats. The exception here is if you are wearing headgear for religious reasons. Even in this case, your headgear should not cover your face, nor should it cast any shadows.
USA Visa
Easy Documentation
Online Payment Option
Attire: There is no specific dress code for US visa photos. You can wear your regular, everyday clothes for taking pictures. Smart casuals would give the best look. Make sure that your appearance is neat. Avoid taking photos in uniform. However, if you are a person who wears religious clothes in your daily life, you can wear the same for your visa photo as well.
Accessories: Keep accessories like earrings, hair accessories, and necklaces to a minimum. The accessories should not cause distraction. It is best not to wear accessories like wireless devices, headphones, etc., while taking photos. However, in case you wear hearing devices or other such devices, you can wear them in the photo as well.
Quality: The quality of the photo should be premium. There should not be any distortions in the photo, nor should it be grainy. The lighting should be even, and the photo should show the natural skin tone of the person. It is important to ensure that there are no glares or shadows on the face. There should be a good contrast between your face and the background. While resizing the photo digitally is allowed, one must not use any digital alteration apps or filters.
Digital Copy or Physical PhotographsÂ
When you are applying for a US visa, you may have to submit digital copies of your photograph or physical ones. In some cases, you may have to submit both. People applying for a US visa need to fill and submit DS-160 form for US visa online. Along with the form, you will have to submit your digital photos. Moreover, when you visit the US embassy or consulate for your visa interview, you will have to submit your printed photographs along with the other original documents.
Digital Photo Requirements: Here are some of the aspects that you should remember while submitting the digital photos:
- The dimensions of the photo should be 600×600 pixels.
- The total size of the file should not be more than 240 KB.
- The format of the photo should be JPEG (.jpg)
- The photo should have a square ratio; all sides should be equal.
Physical Photo Requirements: The US visa photo size for B1/B2 visa should be 2 x 2 inches in size, and it should be printed on high-quality paper.
US Visa Photo Requirements for Babies and Children
The photo requirements for babies and children for US visa are more or less the same. The rules regarding size, background, recency, headgear, clothing, accessories, etc., are more or less the same.
- It is important that children keep their eyes open and look into the camera while getting clicked. Their mouths should be closed too.
- In the case of infants, one must ensure that the person holding the baby (or his/her arms) should not be seen in the photo.
- The best way to take a photo of babies is to lay them on a plain white sheet and take the picture from above.
- Another way would be to cover the car seat with white cloth and place the baby on it before clicking the photo. This would ensure that the baby’s head is supported.
- There should be no shadow on the baby’s face.
- No other object like toys, bibs, pacifiers, etc., should be seen in the photo.
Common Mistakes You Must Avoid
Did you know that submitting the wrong kind of photos is one of the common US visa rejection reasons. Hence, you must know about the mistakes that people commonly make and avoid them.
- The size of the photo is wrong.
- The photo is an old one.
- The photo is blurry or pixelated.
- The expression on your face is not neutral. Your mouth is open or you are frowning, laughing, or showing your teeth.
- The color of your clothes is the same as that of the color of the background.
- The lighting is too dark or too light.
- You are wearing tinted glasses or a large cap or hat.
- There is a shadow on your face.
- The photo is a selfie.
Conclusion
The US visa photo guideline may seem overwhelming with so many rules you need to follow. However, it is important to follow them if you want to have a successful visa application. Getting your visa photo clicked at a professional photo studio which knows about the US visa photo requirements would be a good idea.
Frequently Asked Questions
