Crop a photo to 51 × 51 mm — USA green card lottery (dv)
We have not yet confirmed from U.S. Department of State whether this document accepts a photo you prepare yourself. Until that is checked, this page promises nothing about it — the sizes below are the published ones, the route is not.
Upload your photo
The document is already selected — the frame is locked to 51 × 51 mm. Drag the photo inside the frame; the shape cannot be broken.
The photo is cropped in your browser. It is not uploaded to a server and we do not store it.
How to crop it, in three steps
- Upload a photo taken face-on, in even light
- Move the photo until the eyes sit on the guide line and the head fills 50–69%
- Save the 51 × 51 mm result — print it or attach it to the application
Exact numbers for this document
| Parameter | What it must be |
|---|---|
| Print size | 51 × 51 mm |
| Digital resolution | 600 × 600 px |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 602 × 602 px |
| Pixels at 600 dpi | 1205 × 1205 px |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 |
| Head, share of height | 50–69% of photo height |
| Eye line from the bottom edge | 56–69% |
| Background | White or off-white background. #ffffff |
| Glasses | Очки запрещены USCIS, кроме редких документально подтверждённых медицинских случаев. Self-submitted очки по любой причине отклоняются с 2016 правилом. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
What cropping will not fix
- A wrong background — cropping does not repaint the wall behind you. This document needs: white or off-white
- A shadow on the face or on the wall. Step 1–2 m away from the wall and shoot facing a window.
- Glasses in the frame. This document does not accept them at all — take them off and shoot again.
- A smile, raised brows or a half-open mouth. Cropping keeps the face it was given.
- Too few pixels. If the original is smaller than 602 × 602 px, enlarging it only blurs the face.
Why these photos get rejected — and how to fix each one
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Digital file over 240KB | Re-encode at lower quality (DV strict limit) |
| Aspect ratio not square | Re-crop to 1:1 square |
| Pixel dimensions not exactly 600×600 | Crop and resize to exactly 600×600 px |
| Auto-scan failure (head position, background, contrast) | Re-shoot and re-submit — auto-scan is unforgiving |
| Photo older than 6 months | Re-shoot |
USA-specific things to know
- SILENT disqualification — the entry form accepts your file without error, but a non-compliant or manipulated photo makes the entry ineligible at review; same photo as last year = ineligible
- SQUARE digital JPEG strict limits: exactly 600×600 px, ≤240KB
- Same physical size (2×2 inch) as Green Card and passport
- DV visa issuance paused since Dec 23, 2025; next registration window (DV-2027) not yet announced — new rules from April 10, 2026 add a $1 fee and a passport bio-page scan (JPEG, max 5 MB)
Printing on a single sheet
2 × 2 frames fit on one 10×15 cm sheet — 4 copies from a single print.
Photos per print sheet
| 10 × 15 cm · 4×6″ | 4 (2 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 20 (4 × 5) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Department of State. Last checked against the official page on 2026-05-17.
- For Diversity Visa online entry, the U.S. Department of State requires a colour JPEG digital image taken within the last six months.
- The DV image must be square, 600 × 600 px, and equal to or less than 240 kB.
- If scanning an existing photo for DV, the source photo must be 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) and scanned at 300 ppi.
- The official DV instructions state that submitting the same photograph as a prior year's entry makes you ineligible, and the State Department bans changing photos using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence.
Questions people ask before cropping
51 × 51 mm. 50–69% of photo height.
602 × 602 px (300 dpi) · 1205 × 1205 px (600 dpi).
50–69% of photo height.
White or off-white background.
A wrong background — cropping does not repaint the wall behind you. This document needs: white or off-white A shadow on the face or on the wall. Step 1–2 m away from the wall and shoot facing a window. Glasses in the frame. This document does not accept them at all — take them off and shoot again. A smile, raised brows or a half-open mouth. Cropping keeps the face it was given. Too few pixels. If the original is smaller than 602 × 602 px, enlarging it only blurs the face.
2 × 2 frames fit on one 10×15 cm sheet — 4 copies from a single print.