The Diversity Visa programme is the one application where photo rules carry a real penalty. There is no correction step and no resubmission. An entry with a non-compliant photograph is simply disqualified, and since entries are only checked if they are selected, an applicant can wait a year to discover a problem that existed at submission.
The specification
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Format | JPEG |
| Dimensions | Square, at least 600 × 600 pixels |
| Maximum size | 240 KB |
| Colour | Colour, 24-bit |
| Head height | 50-69% of the image height, chin to crown |
| Eye position | Between 56% and 69% up from the bottom |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last six months |
| Glasses | Not permitted |
The 240 KB cap is the number that causes most trouble, because a 600 by 600 JPEG straight from a phone can easily exceed it. The fix is JPEG quality, not smaller dimensions - see file size limits.
Everyone in the entry needs a photo
A separate, compliant photograph is required for the applicant, the spouse, and every child under 21 - including children who are married or who do not live with you. Omitting a family member's photo is one of the documented reasons entries are disqualified, and it is a paperwork failure rather than a photographic one.
The mistakes that void an entry
- Reusing a photo from a previous year. Explicitly disqualifying. The photo must be recent and must not have been submitted before.
- A scanned print. Scans introduce paper texture, colour casts and dust. A digital original is expected.
- A group photo cropped down. Other people in frame, wrong resolution after the crop, and usually the wrong head size.
- Glasses. Same rule as the passport, same 2016 change.
- A filtered or beautified image. Phone processing counts.
- Missing a family member. As above.
Why the square matters
The entry photo is square, and the head-height and eye-position rules are both expressed as percentages of that square. A 35 by 45 mm photograph cropped to a square does not satisfy them: the proportions of the original crop put the head and eyes in the wrong place once the shape changes.
If you already have a compliant US passport photo, it is the right starting point, since it uses the same square and the same appearance rules. It still needs to be exported at the right pixel size and under the weight cap.
Check before you submit, not after
The asymmetry here is unusual: the cost of checking is a few minutes, and the cost of not checking is losing an entry for a year with no notification. Three things are worth verifying explicitly - that the image is square and at least 600 pixels on a side, that the file is under 240 KB, and that the head and eyes fall inside their percentage bands.
IDShot carries the DV Lottery preset with those exact targets: it crops to the square, places the head and eye line inside the required percentages, and tunes the export so the JPEG lands under 240 KB without visible compression damage.
Requirements are changed by the authorities that publish them, and the official page is the only source that settles an argument. Each preset in IDShot links to that page, so you can confirm the current wording before you submit.