Green Card Photo (2 x 2 inches)

  • Size2 x 2 inches
  • BackgroundPlain white to off-white
  • Head height50–69% of the photo
  • GlassesNot allowed
  1. Add your photo
  2. We check it
  3. Download & print

Add a photo for your Green Card

For the best result

  • Plain wallCleaner edges around hair
  • Face the lightA window or lamp, no side shadow
  • Neutral faceEyes open, look at the lens
  • No glassesHats and headphones off too
  • Arm's lengthHead and shoulders in frame

Your photo stays on your device. It is processed here in your browser — we don't upload it, and we can't see it.

About this photo

A green card photo is a 2 x 2 inch colour photo used with Form I-485 (adjusting status inside the United States) and at an immigrant visa interview abroad. Since 12 December 2025 USCIS will not use a photo you mail in - the picture printed on your green card is taken by USCIS at your biometrics appointment - but the Form I-485 instructions have not been changed and still tell you to send two printed photos, so send them. If you are getting your green card through a U.S. embassy or consulate on Form DS-260, no biometrics appointment applies and you must bring two printed 2 x 2 photos to your interview.

How to make a U.S. Green Card / Permanent Residence Photo (Form I-485 and DS-260) photo

  1. Upload a photo of yourself taken against any background, or take one with your phone.
  2. Our tool finds your face, replaces the background with plain white to off-white and crops to 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).
  3. Check the compliance results, then download your photo free — plus a 4x6 sheet you can print at a drugstore.

U.S. Green Card / Permanent Residence Photo (Form I-485 and DS-260) photo requirements

Photo size
Exactly 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), square
How many
Two identical prints with Form I-485; two identical prints carried to a DS-260 immigrant visa interview
Head height
1 to 1 3/8 inches (25-35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair, i.e. 50%-69% of the image height
Eye height
1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches (28-35 mm) measured from the bottom edge of the photo
Background
Plain white to off-white, no shadows, no patterns, no furniture
Pose and expression
Full face, frontal view, both eyes open, neutral expression, head not tilted
Paper and finish
Colour, printed on thin photo paper with a glossy finish, unmounted and unretouched
Recency
USCIS says "taken recently"; the State Department requires photos taken within the last 6 months for the consular interview
Head covering
Head must be bare unless you wear headwear daily for a religious reason, and it must not shadow the face
Back of print
Lightly print your name and A-Number (if any) on the back with a pencil or felt pen
Digital size
Square, 600 x 600 px minimum (1200 x 1200 px maximum). For online filing, upload a scan or phone photo of the prints as JPG/JPEG or PDF, under 12 MB per file

Mistakes that get this photo rejected

  • The 12 December 2025 policy (PA-2025-29) says USCIS "will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs" - but as of 3 August 2026 the Form I-485 instructions are still the 01/20/25 edition and still say "You must submit two identical color passport-style photographs." Leaving them out can get your package rejected or trigger an RFE. Send the photos anyway; USCIS will simply take its own at the ASC.
  • Photo reuse is never allowed for Form I-485 (or N-400, N-600, I-90). Even if USCIS photographed you within the last three years, you will be scheduled for a new biometrics appointment for the green card photo.
  • Consular applicants on Form DS-260 get no ASC appointment at all. If you are interviewing at a U.S. embassy you personally have to hand over two printed 2 x 2 photos - there is no government camera in that process.
  • "Unretouched" is enforced literally: no beauty mode, skin smoothing, background replacement or AI enhancement. A phone portrait-mode shot with a blurred background is the most common reason a photo is unusable.
  • The print must be on thin glossy photo paper and unmounted. A home inkjet print on plain office paper, or a photo glued to card, does not qualify.
  • Do not staple or paperclip through the face, and do not sign the front. Write on the back only, lightly, in pencil.

The six reasons photos come back, across every document

Printing it for about 40¢

The 4×6 sheet this tool gives you holds several copies of your photo at exactly 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). Order it as an ordinary 4×6 photo print — about 19¢ at Walmart, 39¢ at Walgreens or 42¢ at CVS — then cut them out. That is the same print the store charges $7.64 to $16.99 for at the counter.

The one thing that goes wrong: letting the store’s website or kiosk crop, zoom or “fit” your image. That changes the photo’s physical size and is the most common reason a printed photo is rejected. Always choose the option that prints the whole sheet at actual size.

Common questions

Do I still need to send photos with Form I-485 in 2026?

Yes. As of 3 August 2026 the current Form I-485 instructions (edition 01/20/25) still require two identical 2 x 2 colour photos, and USCIS has not published a new edition. The photo printed on your green card will be the one taken at your biometrics appointment, but the mailed photos are still part of a complete filing.

If USCIS takes my photo at the ASC, why does it matter what my mailed photo looks like?

USCIS uses the mailed photos as part of the record and identity check even though the card image comes from the Application Support Center. A photo that is obviously non-compliant - wrong size, coloured background, digitally altered - can draw a Request for Evidence and delay the case by months.

I am applying through a U.S. embassy on Form DS-260. What do I need?

You need two identical printed 2 x 2 inch photos on photo-quality paper, taken within the last 6 months, and you must bring them to your immigrant visa interview. There is no biometrics appointment substitute for consular processing, so these prints are the only photo the consulate has.

Can I print green card photos at CVS or Walgreens?

Yes. Download the free 4 x 6 sheet, upload it to the CVS or Walgreens photo site, and pick up a single 4 x 6 glossy print - usually under a dollar - that holds six 2 x 2 photos you cut apart. Ask for glossy, not matte, since USCIS instructions specify a glossy finish.

How much should a green card photo cost?

Nothing to make. Using this tool the photo itself is free with no watermark; the only cost is printing, and one 4 x 6 drugstore print is typically well under a dollar. A drugstore passport-photo service charges roughly $17 for the same two pictures.

Can I wear glasses in my green card photo?

No, take them off. The USCIS form instructions do not mention glasses, but the whole immigration photo standard is passport-style, glasses have been banned in U.S. visa photos since 1 November 2016, and the technician at your biometrics appointment will ask you to remove them. Hearing aids are fine.

Can I smile?

Keep a neutral expression with both eyes open and your mouth closed. A big smile changes the shape of your face and can fail the facial-recognition matching that the photo is used for. A very slight, natural expression is acceptable, but neutral is the safe choice.

My green card photo needs a white background but my wall is cream. Is that a problem?

No. The requirement is "white to off-white", so a cream or very light grey wall is normally fine as long as it is plain and evenly lit. What fails is a patterned wall, a visible shadow behind your head, or a background digitally replaced by software.

Other photos you can make free

Checked August 2026 Specifications and prices on this page come from the sources below. Rules and prices change — if you spot something out of date, please tell us.