600x600 photo size — US visa DS-160 minimum
For a US visa, the photo must be square, minimum 600 x 600 px, and the file no larger than 240 KB — plus no beauty filters are allowed.
600x600 px photo specification
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Shape | Square — the image must be as tall as it is wide |
| Minimum dimensions | 600 x 600 px |
| Maximum dimensions | 1200 x 1200 px |
| File size | 240 KB or less |
| Format | JPEG, colour, 24 bits per pixel, sRGB colour space |
| Compression | Compression ratio not more than 20:1 |
| Scanning a print | A 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photo scanned at 300 ppi, which is 12 pixels per millimetre |
| Alteration | Photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change appearance in any way |
| Signature | No signature image is uploaded with the DS-160 |
Source: Digital Image Requirements — U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs (live page, no version date printed; read September 2026). checked on 2026-09-06.
The most technical photo spec on FileKB
The US Department of State digital image requirements is the only source in our set that talks about colour space and compression ratios. It asks for a square JPEG between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, in colour at 24 bits per pixel, in the sRGB colour space, no larger than 240 KB, with a compression ratio of no more than 20:1.
What the compression ratio really means
A 600 x 600 pixel image at 24 bits per pixel holds about 1.08 MB of raw data. Divide by 20 and you get roughly 54 KB — so any file above that is inside the ratio limit, which is why a normal 100-150 KB export is safe. At 1200 x 1200 px the raw data is four times larger, so the 240 KB ceiling starts to bite. Shooting for 600-800 px square is the practical sweet spot.
The rule that outranks all the numbers
The requirements state plainly that photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change appearance in any way. Modern phones apply skin smoothing, eye enlargement and background blur by default, and portrait mode's artificial depth-of-field is exactly the kind of alteration that gets a visa photo returned. Turn it all off, shoot flat and plain, and let the crop do the work.
How it works
- Switch off portrait mode, beauty filters and any face retouching on your camera app.
- Shoot straight on against a plain light background in even light.
- Crop to a perfect square with the head centred.
- Resize to between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 px.
- Export as JPEG in sRGB at 240 KB or less.
- Compare the result with the State Department examples before uploading.