DV-2021: Photo Requirements for Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery)

Registration for the 2021 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2021), also known as the Green Card Lottery, is currently ongoing. Registration for the program started on Wednesday, October 2nd and runs until November 5th, 2029.

The Diversity Visa program makes 50,000 visas available to nationals of countries with low immigration rates to the United States in the last five years. At least 10 million individuals from countries around the world participate in the lottery.

Entering the drawing is free of charge, and the State Department informs everyone that entries are only accepted online, and only at this website: https://dvlottery.state.gov. Any other entity or website claiming to offer lottery application services is not affiliated to or endorsed by the US State Department, which runs the lottery program.
There are strict rules on having your entry qualify for drawing and eventual green card. The State Department urges everyone to provide all the information and make sure it is accurate. Incomplete entries will be disqualified. Those who are picked in the drawing will also be disqualified and will not be granted permanent resident cards (green cards) if it is later determined that they provided false information in their entries.

Digital photos are required of all principals participating in the lottery, as well as their spouses and children that they will be including in the entry. Providing photos that do not meet strict requirements will lead to disqualification.

The State Department recommends that entrants use a professional visa photo service to make sure their photos meet the requirements.

The photos must be:     

• In color
• Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50% and 69% of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
• Taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance.
• Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background.
• Taken in full-face view directly facing the camera.
• With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open.
• Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis.
• Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except religious clothing that is worn daily.
• Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose. Your full face must be visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face.
• Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.
• Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos, except in rare circumstances when eyeglasses cannot be removed for medical reasons; e.g., the applicant has recently had ocular surgery and the eyeglasses are necessary to protect the applicant's eyes. A medical statement signed by a medical professional/health practitioner must be provided in these cases. If the eyeglasses are accepted for medical reasons:
  • The frames of the eyeglasses must not cover the eye(s).
  • There must not be glare on eyeglasses that obscures the eye(s).
  • There must not be shadows or refraction from the eyeglasses that obscures the eye(s).
  • If you normally wear a hearing device or similar articles, they may be worn in your photo.