Upload your photo and we’ll check it against the US DV Lottery specs in seconds: size, file weight, head and eye position, background, lighting and pose. Your photo never leaves your device.
Before you take the photo
- Stand in front of a plain white wall, one step away from it so you don't cast a shadow.
- Light the room well from the front, not from the side or behind you.
- Take off glasses and headphones, and look straight at the camera with a neutral face.
- Have someone take the photo from a little further away, so your head and shoulders are fully visible.
Drag your photo here or choose it from your device
JPG or PNG · checked on your device, never uploaded to any server
Allowed eye area Top of head and chin
The tool checks only the technical specs that can be measured; its result does not guarantee your photo will be accepted. The final decision is the U.S. Department of State's. Maqsad is not affiliated with any government.
Official DV lottery photo requirements
The file
- JPEG format (.jpg)
- Square, exactly 600 × 600 pixels
- 240 KB or less
- In colour (not black and white)
Face and background
- Head (chin to top of hair) between 50% and 69% of the image height
- Eyes between 56% and 69% of the height, measured from the bottom
- Looking straight at the camera, eyes open, neutral expression
- Plain white or off-white background with no shadows
What gets a photo rejected
- Glasses of any kind, even prescription glasses
- The same photo you used in a previous year
- Any filter or edit that changes your appearance, or a digitally altered photo
- Head coverings, unless worn daily for religious reasons, with the full face visible and no shadows on it
- Headphones, uniforms, ID card photos, or a photo of a printed photo
Important: The tool checks the technical specs that can be measured; its result does not guarantee your photo will be accepted. The final decision is the U.S. Department of State’s. Reference: the DV instructions and the photo requirements page on travel.state.gov.