US visa/passport photo, 2x2 inch square.
The DS-160 US visa application is specific about photo requirements in a way that trips up a lot of first-time applicants: a 2x2 inch square, a plain white or off-white background, and no glasses in most cases. Get any of those wrong and the CEAC photo tool on the State Department's own site will reject the upload - meaning you find out only after you've already filled in the rest of the form.
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Try Free Resume Builder Try Free Invoice BuilderBeyond the square crop, the most common rejection reasons for US visa photos are: a background that isn't plain white/off-white (patterns, shadows, other people visible), the head size falling outside the required proportion of the frame, and glasses (generally not permitted since a 2016 policy change, except for documented medical reasons). This tool handles the crop and sizing - background and glasses are on you to get right before uploading.
The DS-160 is the visa application form itself; the CEAC photo tool is where the actual image gets uploaded and technically validated (dimensions, file size, format) before it's attached to your application. Getting the square crop right here means the CEAC tool's automated check has one less reason to bounce your file back.
Generally no - the US Department of State removed the glasses allowance in 2016 except for documented medical reasons requiring supporting documentation.
Plain white or off-white, with no shadows, patterns, or other objects/people visible behind you.
It handles the crop/dimension requirement precisely, but background, lighting, and expression rules are separate requirements you still need to follow - this tool doesn't check those automatically.