United States passport photo size in pixels
There is no separate pixel standard to look up: 600 × 600 px is what 51 × 51 mm becomes at 300 DPI, the resolution ID photos are printed at. Unless a United States form asks for something else, export at 300 DPI — a 200 DPI file is the same physical size but fails minimum-dimension checks.
A US passport photo and a US visa photo (including DS-160) both use the same 2 × 2 inch square. That is 51 × 51 mm, or 600 × 600 pixels at 300 DPI. Off-white is allowed as well as pure white, but the background must be plain — no patterns, shadows, or other people.
Digital uploads are picky about file size. The DS-160 and many consular portals want a JPEG of at least 600 × 600 px and no larger than 240 KB. Crop to size first, then compress if the export is too heavy — both steps can stay in your browser.
Common rejection reasons even when the size is correct: head too large or too small in the frame, a smile showing teeth, or a shadow on the backdrop. Confirm the latest rules on travel.state.gov before you submit.
One rule catches people out more than any other: glasses are not allowed at all. The State Department’s no-eyeglasses policy took effect on 1 November 2016 and applies to both passport and visa photographs, with an exception only for rare, medically documented cases. It is not a question of avoiding glare — take them off. A photo from before 2016, or one copied from an older application, will be rejected on this alone even though every dimension is correct.
Because the format is square, a US photo is also the least reusable one to own. Sending the same file to a country on the 35 × 45 mm standard means cropping a rectangle out of a square, which pushes the head proportions outside the range that standard wants. It is quicker to re-crop from the original portrait than to rescue the 2 × 2.
How much of the frame your head has to fill (United States)
The size table gets you a correctly shaped file; this is the rule that actually rejects photos. United States requires 25–35 mm from chin to crown, which inside this particular frame works out to 295–413 px of the 600 px height — between 49% and 69% of the image.
That percentage is the number worth remembering, because it is what makes a photo non-transferable between countries. A selfie cropped to the right outer size with the head at, say, 40% of the frame is the correct dimensions and still wrong. Crop so the crown and chin land inside the shaded band in the diagram above, and the proportion takes care of itself at any export size.
How to make a compliant United States photo
You don't need a photo studio. Take a well-lit portrait against a plain white or off-white background, then crop it to the exact size:
- Open the ID photo size tool — it runs in your browser, so your photo is never uploaded.
- Enter 600 × 600 px (or pick a preset) and drag to fit your head inside the frame.
- Export a ready-to-upload file. HEIC, JPG, and PNG all work as the input.
File size: Digital submissions like the DS-160 want a square JPEG of at least 600 × 600 px, no larger than 240 KB. If your export is too large, run it through the image compressor to get under the limit without visibly hurting quality.
Before you submit
Dimensions are only part of the requirement. Always confirm the current rules — background color, head height, expression and glasses, and the maximum file size — on the official application before you submit. The size above gets the crop right; the rest is up to your document's guidelines.
Official source: U.S. Department of State