US Passport & Visa Photo Requirements Explained (2025 Guide)

The United States is famously strict about document photos. Whether you apply for a passport book, a B1/B2 visitor visa or the Diversity Visa lottery, the photo must follow the same core geometry.

The numbers that matter

• Size: exactly 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm)
• Head height: 1 – 1⅜ inches from chin to the top of the hair (we target 1.29 in)
• Eye line: 1⅛ – 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the photo (we target 1.18 in)
• Background: plain white or off-white
• File size (digital): up to 240 KB PNG

How our tool aligns your face

When you upload a photo for a US document, the app detects your eyes and chin, removes the background, then scales and crops the image so your head height and eye line land exactly on the official values — and exports a PNG that fits the 240 KB limit.

Common rejection reasons

1. Head too small or too large in frame
2. Shadows on the background
3. Glasses with reflections (remove them)
4. Neutral expression requirement — no big smiles

Ready to try it? Open the photo studio, pick United States → Passport or Visa, and upload your shot.