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A federal court has ordered the State Department to announce DV-2027 registration by Oct 29, 2026, open it by Nov 1, 2026 for 30 days, notify selectees by Dec 3, 2026. These dates come from a federal court order, not a State Department announcement. The government has appealed (9th Cir. No. 26-6943), so they could change. Entries are accepted only at dvprogram.state.gov. Your photo spec (below) doesn’t depend on the dates.
Source: Red Eagle Law v. Rubio, S.D. Cal. No. 3:26-cv-04738 (order of Oct 14, 2026) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
AI checks all ICAO Doc 9303 requirements — face size, background, expression, centering. Get an ICAO-compliant photo in under 30 seconds. Photos never leave your device.
Verified 2026-10-22 · Source: United States
The DV entry photo is a digital file, and the State Department’s spec is strict: exactly 600×600 pixels, JPEG, 240 kB or smaller, plain white or off-white background. A printed 2×2 inch photo can’t be uploaded as-is. Here is how the common options compare.
The Diversity Visa program is run by the State Department, and entries are accepted only at dvprogram.state.gov during the registration period. A federal court has ordered the State Department to announce DV-2027 registration by Oct 29, 2026, open it by Nov 1, 2026 for 30 days, notify selectees by Dec 3, 2026. These dates come from a federal court order, not a State Department announcement. The government has appealed (9th Cir. No. 26-6943), so they could change. New for DV-2027: entrants must give details of a valid, unexpired passport and upload a scan of its biographic and signature page, unless exempt (final rule, effective April 10, 2026), and pay a $1 electronic registration fee (final rule, effective September 16, 2025). PassportPic.ai makes the photo only — scan your passport page separately.
The State Department’s DV instructions set the digital photo rules: JPEG (.jpg), 240 kB or smaller, square, 600×600 pixels, in color. The head, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair, must be 50–69% of the image height, and the photo composition template puts the eyes 56–69% of the height up from the bottom. Plain white or off-white background, neutral expression, both eyes open, no eyeglasses, no headphones, and taken within the last six months.
Your entry needs a recent photo of you, your spouse, and each child included on the entry — each meeting the same spec. You don’t need one for a spouse or child who is already a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Failing to list an eligible spouse may make you ineligible, and photos that don’t meet the spec, have been manipulated, or were submitted with a prior year’s entry may make you ineligible for a DV.
The DV instructions require 600×600 pixels. The general US visa-photo page allows 600 to 1200 pixels for other applications such as the DS-160, so a 1200×1200 file made for a visa application is the wrong size for a DV entry. PassportPic.ai exports DV photos at exactly 600×600.
A 600×600 JPEG saved at high quality can go over the 240 kB limit. PassportPic.ai lowers the JPEG quality step by step until the file is at or under 240 kB, keeping the face sharp.
The DV instructions require a plain white or off-white background. Patterned walls, coloured backgrounds and shadows behind the head are the usual problems. PassportPic.ai replaces the background with plain white.
Eyeglasses have not been allowed in US visa photos since November 1, 2016, and the DV instructions say plainly: do not wear eyeglasses. Prescription glasses, reading glasses and sunglasses all count.
Measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair. Selfies taken at arm’s length often show the head too small; tight studio headshots can make it too large. The AI crops to the middle of the DV band.
The DV instructions require a full-face view with a neutral facial expression and both eyes open. Keep your mouth closed.
The DV instructions say submitting the same photo you submitted with a prior year’s entry may make you ineligible. The photo must be from the last six months anyway, so take a new one each year.
Holding a specific rejection message from a government or test-registration portal? The troubleshooting links above answer the exact error, not just the general requirements.
Different from where you’re used to? Compare passport photo size by country.
You're already here — this page is set up for United States DV Lottery Photo. You can also switch to a different document type above.
Use your camera with live AI guidance, or upload an existing photo. A plain background and even lighting give the best result.
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