How to Take a Visa Photo at Home

Can You Take Your Own Visa Photo at Home?

Yes, in most cases. Many countries accept a visa photo that you take yourself, as long as it meets their rules. All you need is a smartphone, a plain wall and some daylight. The US Department of State says that, while it recommends a professional service, you may take the photo yourself.

The catch is that visa photo rules are stricter than a normal portrait and differ from country to country. The size, background colour, file type and even how recent the photo must be can all change. Getting these right before you start saves you from a rejected application.

What You Need to Take a Visa Photo at Home

• A smartphone with a decent camera
• A plain wall, sheet or board in the right background colour
• A window with soft daylight
• A tripod, a stack of books or a helper to hold the phone
• The official photo rules for your visa (size, background, file type)
• About 15 minutes

How to Take a Visa Photo at Home in 7 Steps

1. Check your visa's photo rules. Look up the photo size, background colour and file type on the official website for your visa. They differ by country and sometimes by visa type.
2. Choose a plain background. Stand in front of a plain wall or sheet with no pattern, texture or objects. Use white or off-white for a US visa, and a light, plain colour for most other countries.
3. Use soft, even daylight. Face a window during the day so light falls evenly on your face. Turn off the flash and avoid direct sun, overhead lights and shadows behind you.
4. Set up your phone. Place your phone at eye level on a tripod or stack of books, or ask someone to take the photo. Keep the camera about one to one and a half metres away.
5. Get your pose right. Face the camera straight on with your head upright, a neutral expression and both eyes open. Take off your glasses and keep hair away from your face.
6. Take several photos. Take at least five or six shots and choose the sharpest. Use the rear camera, and switch off filters, HDR and beauty mode.
7. Crop, resize and check. Crop the photo to the size your visa asks for, save it in the right file type and size, and check it with a photo checker before you upload or print it.

Visa Photo Size and Background by Country

Always confirm the current rules on the official site for your visa. These are the most common ones:

Visa	Typical photo size	Background	Notes
UK visa	35 x 45 mm	Plain, light-coloured	Follows the same rules as a UK passport photo
Schengen visa	35 x 45 mm	Plain, light	Follows ICAO standards, often with a printed photo
US visa (DS-160)	2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)	White or off-white	Digital upload: square JPEG, 600 to 1200 pixels, max 240 KB
US DV lottery	Digital image only	White or off-white	Same digital rules as a US visa: square JPEG, 600 to 1200 pixels, max 240 KB
US green card	2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)	White or off-white	Printed photo, usually taken within the last 30 days

Rules change, and some embassies, visa centres and visa categories add their own requirements. Our UK passport picture rules guide covers the UK standard in detail. For country-specific sizes, see our UK visa photo, Schengen visa photo and US visa photo size pages.

How to Take a US Visa Photo at Home

If you're applying for a US visa, the photo rules are more specific than for most countries:

• Background: Plain white or off-white, with no shadows.
• Size: For a digital upload, the image must be square, between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels.
• File: JPEG only, with a maximum size of 240 KB.
• Recent: Taken within the last six months.
• Pose: Facing the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open, glasses removed.
• No edits: Don't retouch, filter or smooth the photo.

The Department of State also offers a free online photo tool that lets you select a photo from your computer, crop it and check it. Even then, a consular officer makes the final decision on whether the photo is accepted. You can also use our US visa photo maker to crop your picture to 2 x 2 inches with a white background.

How to Take a DV Lottery Photo at Home

The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery needs a digital photo uploaded with your entry, and you can take it yourself. The digital rules are the same as for a US visa: a square JPEG, 600 to 1200 pixels, no more than 240 KB. Because a rejected photo can disqualify your entry, take extra care:

• Make sure your head is centred and the whole head and top of the shoulders are in the frame.
• Use a plain white or off-white background with no shadows.
• Don't use a photo of a photo, a scan of a damaged print or a heavily compressed image.
• Use the State Department's photo tool to crop it to the right size before you upload.

How to Take a Green Card Photo at Home

Green card photos are usually printed and sent with your application. They are normally 2 x 2 inches with a white or off-white background and need to be recent. Take the photo using the steps above, then print it on proper photo paper at the right size. USCIS can change its guidance, so check its current photo instructions for your form before you print.

How to Take a Visa Photo From Your Mobile

A few phone settings make a big difference:

• Use the rear camera. It gives a sharper image than the front camera.
• Don't take a close-up selfie. Arm's-length selfies distort your face. Stand back and let the phone sit at eye level.
• Switch off filters, HDR and beauty mode. They change your skin and features, which can get the photo rejected.
• Keep the phone level. Tilting it up or down changes how your head looks in the frame.
• Leave space around your head so you can crop to the right size afterwards.

How to Take a Digital Passport Photo at Home for a Visa

Some visa applications ask for a "digital passport photo". This is simply a photo that meets passport standards, uploaded as a file instead of printed. Use the same steps as above, then check the file type, pixel size and file size the application asks for. Our digital passport photo page explains the UK digital rules. A sharp, evenly lit photo with a plain background will pass most automated checks. Photos with shadows, glare or uneven lighting often don't, so run your photo through our passport photo checker to catch them before you upload.

Common Mistakes When You Take a Visa Picture at Home

• Using the wrong size or background colour. Check the rules for your visa first, because white, off-white and light grey are not interchangeable.
• Shadows behind your head or on your face. Step away from the wall and face the window.
• Filters or editing. Retouching can get your photo and sometimes your application rejected.
• Glasses and glare. Take glasses off unless your visa says otherwise.
• Wrong file size or format. Many online forms reject files that are too large or in the wrong format.
• An old photo. Many visas require a photo taken within the last month or six months.

Fix Your Background and Check Your Photo Before You Submit

If your wall isn't quite plain enough, our passport photo maker can replace the background with a compliant one and crop the photo to the right size. It can't fix problems with your face, such as shadows, a tilted head or glare, so get those right when you take the photo. For a UK visa, run your photo through the UK passport photo checker before you submit it. If you also need a passport photo, our guide on how to take a passport photo at home covers the UK steps.