The Department of State asks for 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimeter) only when you scan an existing printed photo. If you submit a digital photo, there is no DPI number to hit. The file must be a square JPEG, exactly 600 × 600 pixels for the DV entry, and no larger than 240 kB. Most rejected or risky entries come from mixing these two routes up, so this guide separates them and shows how to check your file before you submit.
TL;DR
- The 300 ppi rule is written for scanning an existing 2 × 2 inch print, not for photos taken digitally.
- For the online DV entry, the file must be a JPEG, square, 600 × 600 pixels, and no larger than 240 kB.
- The pixel dimensions decide whether your file passes. A DPI value stored in the file's metadata does not make a wrong-sized image acceptable.
- The photo must be taken within the last six months, and reusing last year's photo makes an entrant ineligible.
- You can pre-check your file for free in your browser with DV Photo Check, without uploading it anywhere.
Table of Contents
- Where the 300 DPI number comes from
- Does the DPI rule apply to a digital photo?
- The digital file specifications that decide acceptance
- Which route are you on? A quick decision guide
- Can an iPhone photo work?
- Mistakes that cost entrants their photo
- Composition rules that matter as much as resolution
- Perspective: why we built around pixels, not DPI
- Check your photo before you submit
- A simple workflow you can follow
- What the Department's own tool does and does not do
- FAQ
- Sources
Where the 300 DPI number comes from
The number appears in the Department of State's photo instructions for one specific situation: you already have a printed photograph and you want to turn it into a digital file. In that case, the print must be 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) and scanned at 300 pixels per inch, which the page also expresses as 12 pixels per millimeter.
That is the whole origin of the figure. It is a scanner setting. Websites that list "301 dpi" or "300 dpi" as a general DV photo requirement are repeating the scan instruction and applying it to every photo, which is more than the official page says.
The scan is also not the end of the job. The resulting file still has to satisfy the digital image specifications: format, pixel size, file size and color. A perfect 300 ppi scan that comes out at 1500 × 1500 pixels, or as a 2 MB file, will not work as a DV entry photo.
What 300 ppi means in plain arithmetic
Pixels per inch is simply pixels divided by physical size. A 2-inch square scanned at 300 ppi produces an image 600 pixels wide and 600 pixels tall (2 × 300). That is exactly the minimum dimension the Department of State asks for, which is why the two rules fit together neatly for scans.
The same logic explains a figure you may see elsewhere: a 1200 × 1200 pixel image at 600 ppi also prints as 2 inches. That is a valid size for general digital image use, but for the DV entry itself you need 600 × 600 pixels exactly.
Does the DPI rule apply to a digital photo?
No. The 300 ppi instruction is introduced specifically for scanning an existing photograph. A photo captured directly as a digital image is governed by the stated pixel, format, file size, color and composition requirements, and the Department does not give a DPI or PPI figure for that route.
There is a practical reason this makes sense. A digital file has no physical size until someone prints it. Whatever "DPI" label sits in the metadata, the image is still the same grid of pixels. What the DV system can actually measure is how many pixels wide and tall your file is, what format it is in, and how many kilobytes it takes up.
So if your photo came from a camera or phone and you cropped it to a square, ignore the DPI setting in your editing software. Concentrate on the pixel dimensions and file size.
The digital file specifications that decide acceptance
Here is what the online DV entry asks for, using the Department of State's DV entry page and its general digital image page.
| Requirement | DV entry specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Format | JPEG (.jpg) | Not PNG, HEIC, PDF or TIFF |
| Shape | Square | Same width and height |
| Dimensions | Exactly 600 × 600 pixels | The DV entry uses 600 × 600 pixels |
| File size | No larger than 240 kB | Compress after resizing |
| Color | Color photo | The general page specifies 24 bits per pixel and sRGB |
| Compression | No greater than 20:1 | Stated on the general digital image page |
| Scan resolution (scans only) | 300 pixels per inch | Print must be 2 × 2 inches |
The general digital image page describes a broader range, from 600 × 600 up to 1200 × 1200 pixels. That range is the reason you will see competing numbers online. For the DV lottery entry specifically, the safe target is exactly 600 × 600, which sits inside that range and matches the DV entry page and the DV-2026 instructions.
Why file size is the quiet trap
A 600 × 600 pixel photo from a modern phone, saved at high quality, can still land above 240 kB. The fix is to compress the JPEG after you resize it, not before. If you compress first and then scale, quality and size both shift in ways that are hard to predict.
Also watch the compression ceiling. The Department says compression should be no greater than 20:1. Squeezing a photo down aggressively to hit 240 kB can produce blocky artifacts around the face and hair, and a photo that looks over-processed is a poor submission even if the number passes. If a file is too big, try reducing the quality setting gradually and re-check, rather than dropping it to the lowest value.
Which route are you on? A quick decision guide
- You took a new photo with a camera or phone. This is the digital route. Crop to a square, resize to 600 × 600 pixels, save as JPEG under 240 kB. No DPI step.
- You have a printed photo you want to reuse. This is the scan route. The print must be 2 × 2 inches, scanned at 300 ppi, and the output must still be a 600 × 600 pixel JPEG under 240 kB. Keep in mind the six-month age limit on the photo itself.
- A photo studio or relative scanned it for you. That is allowed: a scanned photograph may be prepared by another person and emailed back, but the completed image must be submitted electronically with the E-DV entry and cannot be sent separately.
The digital route is simpler and gives you more control, which is why most applicants use it. The scan route adds a step where the resolution can go wrong.
Can an iPhone photo work?
Yes, with care. The Department allows you to take the photo yourself, but it says low-quality mobile phone photos are not acceptable. The camera is rarely the issue. The usual problems are the conditions around it:
- Lighting. Stand facing a window or an even light source so there are no shadows on your face or the wall behind you.
- Distance and lens distortion. Selfies from very close can distort your face. Have someone else take the photo from a normal distance, with the phone at eye level.
- Focus. Tap on your face before shooting and check the result at full zoom.
- Filters and beauty modes. Turn them off. The photo must show your real, current appearance.
- Sending the file. Messaging apps often shrink or recompress images. Move the original file by cable, AirDrop or email attachment where possible.
A phone shoots far more than 600 × 600 pixels, so you are not worried about too few pixels. You are worried about getting the crop right and the file small enough. Do not try to "set 300 DPI" on the phone: there is no such step for the digital route.
Mistakes that cost entrants their photo
Upscaling a small image
If you find a 400 × 400 pixel image and stretch it to 600 × 600, the dimensions will pass but the picture will be soft. The Department asks for a clear photo, so start from a larger original and scale down.
Changing the DPI label and calling it done
Photo editors let you set a resolution value without changing the pixel count. A 900 × 900 file labeled 300 DPI is still 900 × 900. Check pixel dimensions, not the label.
Cropping without a square
A 4:3 phone photo will not work until you crop it to a square. Crop with the head centered, leaving the head size within the required range (see the next section), then resize.
Using the wrong format
Phones often save HEIC. The DV entry needs JPEG, so export or convert before uploading.
Reusing an old photo
The DV-2026 instructions require a photo taken within the last six months that reflects your current appearance. Submitting the same photo as a prior-year entry will make the entrant ineligible. Take a fresh photo each registration period, and for every family member.
Treating resolution as the only test
A file with perfect pixel dimensions can still fail on composition. That is the part many DPI-focused guides skip.
Composition rules that matter as much as resolution
The DV-2026 instructions set out how the picture itself must look:
- Head size: the head measures 1 to 1⅜ inches (22 to 35 mm), or 50 to 69% of the image height. In a 600-pixel-tall image, that is roughly 300 to 414 pixels from the top of the head to the chin, which is our own arithmetic from the percentage.
- Background: plain white or off-white, with no patterns or shadows.
- Pose: full face, directly facing the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open.
- Clothing: everyday clothing is fine. Uniforms are generally not allowed, except clothing worn daily for religious reasons.
- Focus and color: a sharp color photo.
Head size is the rule where resolution and composition meet. If you shrink an image to 600 × 600 and your head now fills too little of the frame, you need to crop tighter before resizing, not after. Cropping first, then resizing, keeps you in control of both.
Perspective: why we built around pixels, not DPI
We built DV Photo Check because the DPI question causes more confusion than almost any other part of the DV photo process. Applicants see "300 dpi" on one site, "600 × 600 pixels" on another and "1200 × 1200" on a third, and they assume the rules conflict. They do not: they describe different routes and different parts of the same process.
Our view is that an applicant should never have to decode that alone. The things that can be measured on a digital file are pixel dimensions, format and file size, and those are what the tool checks first. It then goes through more than 25 rules in total, covering head size, eye position and background suitability, and highlights each one visually on your own photo so you can see what to fix instead of guessing.
We also think a photo is a personal document. A face image should not have to leave your device just to be tested, so the whole check runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored, and we do not ask for personal data. The tool is supported by voluntary donations, with no ads, subscriptions or paywalls, because a free pre-check should be available to every applicant, not only those who can pay.
One honest limit: no tool, ours included, can guarantee acceptance. The Department of State makes the final decision. What a good checker can do is catch the avoidable errors before you submit.
— User
Check your photo before you submit
DV Photo Check tests your photo against more than 25 official rules, including head size, eye position, background, format, file size, color and composition. It marks each rule on your picture, and it can crop and resize to 600 × 600 pixels and compress to under 240 KB. It runs entirely on your device, so your photo is not uploaded and no personal data is collected. It is free to use.
A simple workflow you can follow
- Take a new photo against a plain white or off-white wall, with even light, facing the camera, neutral expression, eyes open.
- Crop to a square, centered on your face, with your head filling roughly 50 to 69% of the height.
- Resize to exactly 600 × 600 pixels. Do not enlarge a smaller image.
- Save as JPEG and compress until the file is no larger than 240 kB, without over-compressing.
- Run it through a checker and fix anything it flags.
- Confirm against the current instructions for the registration period you are entering, since requirements are published for each DV program year.
- Keep two identical printed photos for later. Selectees are told to bring two identical photographs to the interview, and the detailed photo requirements apply there too.
If you also plan to prepare photos for a spouse and children, repeat the process for each person. Every family member listed on the entry needs their own photo, and each must meet the same rules.
What the Department's own tool does and does not do
The Department of State recommends its free photo tool for selecting, rotating, resizing and cropping an image to exactly 600 × 600 pixels. Its digital image page is clear that the tool is for cropping and does not guarantee your photo will be accepted. It will not tell you whether your head is too small, whether shadows cross your face, or whether the background is too gray. That is why a separate compliance check is worth the two minutes it takes.
FAQ
Is there a DPI requirement for DV lottery photos?
Only for scanned prints. If you scan an existing 2 × 2 inch photo, the scan must be at 300 pixels per inch. For a digital photo, the Department of State gives no DPI figure and instead requires a square 600 × 600 pixel JPEG under 240 kB.
Can I take a 300 DPI photo on an iPhone?
You do not need to. A phone photo is a digital image, so the 300 ppi scan instruction does not apply. Crop it to a square, resize it to 600 × 600 pixels, save it as a JPEG under 240 kB, and make sure it is not a low-quality shot, since those are not acceptable.
What is the required size for a DV lottery picture?
For the online entry, the image must be square and exactly 600 × 600 pixels, in JPEG format, no larger than 240 kB. If you are working from a printed photo, the print itself must be 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) before scanning.
Can I use the same photo for the DV lottery every year?
No. The photo must have been taken within the last six months and show your current appearance. The DV-2026 instructions say that submitting the same photo as a prior-year entry makes the entrant ineligible, so take a new one for each registration.
Does changing the DPI in my photo editor fix a wrong-sized image?
No. Changing the resolution label does not change how many pixels the image contains. What counts is that the file is actually 600 × 600 pixels, a JPEG, and under 240 kB.
Sources
- Photo Requirements, U.S. Department of State
- Digital Image Requirements, U.S. Department of State
- Instructions for the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, U.S. Department of State
- Prepare for the Interview, U.S. Department of State